Her kitchen always did smell heavenly. Ari couldn’t blame Jax for being tempted.
“I like you.” She patted his hand. “So, any requests or food aversions I should know about before I start seducing handsome here with my amazing food?”
“None for me,” Jax said agreeably.
“You know I will eat whatever you make for me, Paloma,” Ari said. He knew better than to argue.
“Good. Stay where you are, and I’ll bring an appetizer and something to drink.” She rapped their table and shuffled away.
Jax watched her go, then turned to Ari. “All right, please tell me everything.”
“Everything? Everything I know does encompass rather a lot—”
“Everything about her,” Jax laughed. “How do you know her?”
Ari inclined his head. “She’s an old friend of Afra’s.”
“Oh, I see.” Jax’s grin turned wicked, suggesting he did indeed see, and all too well. “Has she known you since you were in diapers?”
Ari’s nose twitched. “Not quite, but very nearly. Her family moved here shortly after I began school.”
“And she and Afra would have been, what? About to start high school?”
Ari hummed. “Grade six, I think.”
Still smiling, Jax propped his chin on one hand and eyed Ari almost sleepily. “I bet you were an adorable kindergartener. All those curls and big doe eyes.”
“Oh, he was as cute as a button,” Paloma said as she settled two small glasses of white wine and a plate in front of them. “Of course, all of Afra’s friends were absolutely smitten with him. We didn’t exactly have to be talked into babysitting. Probably because he was just so agreeable.” She nudged the plate of food forward, then followed it with a linen-covered basket. “Imported manchego cheese, and a selection of house-made preserves—candied tomatoes, pickles, and olive tapenade. With fresh bread, of course.”
She swooped away, and Jax turned sparkling eyes on Ari. “Agreeable, eh? What happened?”
Ari picked up a piece of cheese by its toothpick skewer. “I can be agreeable when I want to be.” He shot Jax a look and then unloaded the cheese onto a slice of bread, topped it with the tomato, and bit. He’d forgotten how delicious Paloma’s creations were.
“Apparently I just need to learn how to butter you up?” Jax raised an eyebrow over his wineglass, but he couldn’t hide his smirk.
“What else is a date for?”
The wine was perfect—crisp and dry but a little fruity—a nice complement to the tapas. Jax made rapturous noises over the tapenade, to the point where Ari just pushed the little ramekin toward him and let him go to town.
“At least try one bite,” Jax protested, loading up a slice of bread with spread, manchego, and the last tomato. “Here. The sweetness of the tomato and the bitter salt of the olive and the richness of the cheese….” He held it out for Ari.
Ari jolted, realizing Jax might actually mean for him to bite the bread out of his hand. He wasn’t sure he was ready for that level of intimacy with another person present, even if Paloma was mostly busy, so he carefully held Jax’s wrist steady with one hand and plucked the piece of bread from him with the other.
Jax was right; the combination worked perfectly, like three-part harmony. Four, if you counted the bread.
“I think it’s a hit,” Ari heard, but he still had his eyes closed, savoring the flavors. When he opened them again, Paloma was back, this time with another plate.
“Grew the tomatoes myself, even.” She traded out their antipasto plate—empty—for one of artfully folded sliced cured meat with a lovely fatty layer. Ari’s stomach growled.
“Did you grow the pig too?” Jax reached eagerly for his fork.
She laughed. “No. It’sjamón ibérico—imported. And this….” She produced two more wineglasses, red this time. “Is my personal favorite rioja.”
Oh—damn. Ari had forgotten about Jax’s alcohol restriction. The glasses were small so that they could be paired perfectly with each dish, but still, he wouldn’t be able to taste all the wines.
When Paloma left again, Ari murmured quietly, “I’m sorry. The chef’s tasting menu comes with drink pairings. I forgot you’re only allowed two.”
Jax lifted a shoulder, unperturbed. “It’s all good. I don’t mind having a sip of each. You can finish them off since neither of us has to drive.”
