My Fake Bad Boyfriend by Sara Whitney

Author:Sara Whitney [Whitney, Sara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LoveSpark Press

Chapter Eleven

Gabe

* * *

“This smells wonderful, Gabe!”

Darby’s family is gathered around the dining room table, and her mom’s smiling at me with so much warmth that I almost stand up and walk out of the room, knowing what’s about to come. But I just shrug and pick up a spatula.

“My mom learned this recipe when they were stationed at an Army base in Italy just after they were married.” I start slicing into the lasagna. Steam rises with each cut I make, and I know without taking a single bite that it’s perfect.

“I’ve been making it for years.” I put the first slice on a plate and pass it down the table. “The trick is to use both beef and pork for a mix of flavors.”

As I knew it would, this hits like a bomb.

“Did you say beef and pork?” Darby asks slowly.

“Yep. The perfect combo.” I play dumb and keep dishing up servings.

Margaret sets her silverware down on her plate, the click somehow sounding judgmental. “Gabe, you do know that Darby’s a vegetarian.” It’s a statement, not a question, and I dismiss it with a wave of my hand.

“Yeah, sure, but that’s how it tastes best. You don’t mind, right, babe?”

She’s blinking at me in horror, and for a second I worry that I’ve gone too far. It’s impossible to tell from her expression, particularly when she forces a smile. “No, it’s… it’s fine. There’s a salad, and you made garlic bread.”

“Yeah, and there’s some extra sauce and noodles in the kitchen. I had a little left over, so I put it in a smaller dish. There’s no meat in there if it’s that important to you.”

Darby nods once and pushes back from the table, disappearing into the kitchen. I’m just praying she understands that I made her her own meat-free serving, although I’m hoping to the rest of her family it looks like she’s an afterthought.

God, I feel like an asshole.

“Wait, wait, wait. So the guy who made my sister carry her own suitcase into the house also made a dinner she can’t eat?”

Sebastian St. Claire crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me across his mother's pristine tablecloth. He looks so much like Darby it's a little startling, although her pert nose and pouty mouth are masculinized on her brother’s face. I just hope she never looks at me with the same contempt Sebastian’s throwing my way.

“Listen, man,” I say, “I just wanted to impress my girlfriend’s family, so I didn't want to mess up the recipe. Darby understands.”

She's just emerged from the kitchen with a little dish of scraps. She sets it down in front of her. “It's fine, Seb. I want everybody to enjoy dinner.”

Her assurance seems to do its job, and soon everybody's mouths are full of lasagna. I do feel a little spurt of pride that they all seem to love it, even if the compliments are grudging.

“This really is delicious,” Margaret says. “And I personally think it would be good for you to put a little meat back into your diet, sweetie.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.