Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 391(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
The flavor is decent. Basic. I like basic. Basic doesn’t judge you. It just is.
I know what good food is. I’ve been to enough parties at Diana’s parents’ house. They put together massive galas, and they often hire Dragonlock to perform. The other band members and I get to partake in whatever huge feast they put out for the night.
Steel beef is usually a centerpiece—grass-fed meat that melts in your mouth. One of Diana’s aunts is a gourmet chef, so the spread is always spectacular.
So is the drink—usually wine paired with the food and provided by Steel Vineyards.
I sigh.
I won’t be tasting any of that wine anymore.
No more pot either.
My counselors at the rehab center were amazed that I’d been able to go so long with the gateway substances of beer, wine, and marijuana.
Those days are over.
Diana takes another bite of her chicken, bringing the breaded meat between her full pink lips.
And all I can think about is how lucky that piece of chicken finger is.
I desperately want to ask her for another fry, but I don’t. They’re her fries. Sure, I’m paying for them, but I’m staying at her place for free. I get my own fully furnished room plus access to all the amenities of her building.
So the fact that I bought her chicken fingers and fries?
It means shit.
We don’t talk a lot, but Diana seems comfortable with that. She’s a lot quieter than her sister, Brianna. Brianna likes to talk, laugh, flirt, be the life of the party.
Now that she’s married to Jesse, will she still be like that?
Probably. Tigers don’t change their stripes just because they enter into holy matrimony.
At least that’s what I figure. Not that I’d know.
I’ve cleaned my plate, and once Diana has finished her last bite of chicken fingers, Lexi arrives.
“How was everything?” she asks.
“Lovely, thank you.” Diana gives Lexi that beautiful smile.
“And you, Dragon?”
“As ever, Lexi.”
“Good enough.” She clears our plates, and less than a minute later, she returns with two servings of cherry pie.
“On the house for you and your special lady, Dragon.” She slides the plates in front of each of us. “I know cherry’s your favorite.”
My cheeks warm at her use of the words special lady, and I can tell Diana’s are too, because they turn a gorgeous shade of rose.
“Oh”—I clear my throat—“we’re not…”
Lexi widens her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume anything. I hope you enjoy the pie.” Lexi’s cheeks are pink as she leaves.
Diana breaks the silence after what feels like an eternity. “It’s very kind of you,” she says. “I’m sure it will be delicious.”
I look down at my pie, avoiding Diana’s gaze. “Sorry about that.”
“That’s no problem. But I have a question.”
“Yeah?”
She cuts off a bite of pie with her fork and brings it to her lips, holding it there in midair. “You told me you weren’t much for sweets. But Lexi said cherry pie is your favorite.”
Fuck. Did I say that? Yeah, I did, when she offered me ice cream. I don’t know why the hell I say half the things I do.
Except that’s a damned lie. I said it because she’d already fed me and I didn’t feel comfortable taking more of her food, even though I was taking my own sweet time with those last few potato chips so I wouldn’t have to leave.
Just a few more minutes to be near her. In her presence. In her light.
“I might have fibbed a little,” I finally say.
She raises her eyebrows as she takes the bite of pie into her mouth.
“I guess I just didn’t want to bother you anymore last night. But in truth, I love dessert.”
She nods as she chews. She’ll no doubt interrogate me once she swallows.
But instead, she widens her eyes. “Wow! That’s some of the most delicious pie I’ve ever eaten. And Aunt Marjorie makes amazing pies.”
“They make them all fresh here,” I say. “Using lard for the crust. The old-fashioned way.”
She takes another bite, this time chewing a bit more slowly. “Yeah, I can tell there’s something different about the crust. But it’s not just the crust. It’s the filling, too. This isn’t cherry pie filling out of a can. It’s got a certain tartness to it, and it’s delicious.”
I’m not sure what to say to that. I would assume Diana knows what she’s talking about since her family is so into food. I wouldn’t know the difference between filling out of a can and homemade filling. But the diner’s pies are to die for, and Lexi’s right. Cherry is my favorite.
My mom’s cherry pies are one of my few fond memories of my childhood. It was Griffin’s favorite too.
But I wipe the thought from my mind.
I can’t go down that avenue. Not in Diana Steel’s company. She’s a bright and sparkling light, and just being with her makes my own dark soul a little easier to deal with.