Sarah sighed. "I'm not used to this."
"Okay, so tell me whatthisis so I can fix it." I gathered her hands in mine and held on. I needed the connection.
"We clearly live completely different lives."
I was completely lost as to where she was going with this. "And that's a bad thing?"
"No, it's just . . ." Sarah let out a frustrated sigh. "You open your phone and tell me to order anything I want with no regard to how much it's going to cost. I'm not used to that. I pinch pennies. I live paycheck to paycheck. I would need to spend weeks saving up just so I could order a few trays of pizza to have friends over. Not that I have that many but that's not the point. We are in two different realms and I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do."
Now I got it. I hated to think she was forced to live that way, but I got where she was coming from.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Like I said in the kitchen, everyone would be happy with pizza, but if you want to make something else, then go for it. The choice isyours, and yes, you can order any groceries you want. Don't take this the wrong way but money isn't an issue. Black pays me very well."
Better than well actually. The man was a millionaire and he had no issue paying his employees accordingly. I would never have to worry about money while working for him.
"Okay."
"Okay? That's it?" I don't know why I expected her to have more to say.
Sarah chuckled. "Well, actually no, but it seems silly to continue arguing. I'm still slightly nervous about impressing everyone but I can handle it."
I tucked a wayward piece of hair behind her ear. "You don't need to impress anyone. My friends already like you and Andrew's couldn't care less. They’re teenage boys. As long as you feed them, they will love you forever."
The smile she gifted me with was dazzling. I wanted to see that smile for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sarah
Feeding ten people was a lot. Thank goodness for the delivery service Graham used because running to the store when Graham wanted us all to stay in the house wouldn't have worked.
"This hot wing dip is delicious," Rhett told me as he came back into the kitchen for seconds. Or maybe it was thirds. I lost track of who was coming and going at any given moment.
"I'm glad you like it. It's actually my best friend’s favorite dish."
"This friend wouldn't happen to be single, would she?" Rhett leaned against the island and winked at me.
"Nope, sorry. It was her wedding I was flying back from when the plane crashed."
"Shucks." Rhett snapped his fingers. "Maybe you have other single friends I can hit on."
I laughed at his antics. The man had a good sense of humor but I could see the torment in his eyes. It was clear he used humor as a way of hiding how he truly felt.
"Sorry, but no." I didn't tell him that I didn't have any other friends besides those that I worked with and I wouldn't call them friends. More like acquaintances who I spoke to during my day. Otherwise, I barely had time for myself, let alone other people.
"Ah, well, that's a bummer." I thought I heard Rhett mumble something about it was probably best anyway as he walked back out of the kitchen but I couldn't be sure. The man was truly a mystery.
Graham had ordered pizza just like he said he would but in addition to that I made a few finger foods and appetizers that the guys could snack on. I was in the middle of making more since it was obvious these guys would eat anything and everything that was put in front of them.
"Hey, sweetheart." Graham came into the kitchen and immediately came right up behind me to wrap me in his arms. I liked that he wasn't afraid to show affection in front of his friends. Leaning my back against his solid chest, I took a break from what I was making.
"The guys are raving about the food." It wasn't so much of an “I told you so” per se, but I got the hint.
"Well, I'm glad."
"What are you making now?"
I went back to crushing the Oreos in a bag. "Bite-sized chocolate chip cheesecake."
