Gunner continued to pull Bonnie toward the kitchen. Was that where Jace was? She had a hard time picturing him in the kitchen cooking anything. Of course, he had to fix meals for himself and Gunner during the weekends, but it wasn’t something she’d ever witnessed.
Suddenly, an image of him in an apron formed in Bonnie’s mind, and she had to stifle a giggle.
It didn’t matter who was cooking the meal, it smelled delicious.
Growing up, her parents always had fancy food at the evening meal. To the point where she often wished she could simply have a bowl of macaroni and cheese or a hot dog like many of her friends.
Jace always stocked what she considered normal food for her to use to fix lunches for Gunner. And the dinners she often made for him were just as easy. But she’d never fixed a meal for Jace.
Did he eat as extravagantly as her parents did?
They entered the kitchen to find him standing at the stove stirring something in a pan. He offered her a smile. “Good evening.”
“Good evening,” she replied. At least he wasn’t in an apron. She couldn’t have survived that experience without laughing. “Thank you for the invitation.” What she wasn’t prepared for, though, was the sight of Jace in something besides his normal work suits. This evening, he wore jeans along with a long-sleeved button-up shirt. Boots completed the ensemble.
She’d always thought he was handsome in the suits he wore, but this? Yeah, if he was going to wear something like this every day, then working on the ranch was going to look real good on him.
Gunner tugged on her hand. “Eat tows! Bon eat tows too?”
Bonnie looked at Jace in question.
He laughed. “Tacos. We’re having tacos, and Gunner is quite excited.”
Tacos. Okay, that sounded amazing. And like a normal thing to eat. She was surprised by how relieved she was by that.
Apparently, her thoughts had shown on her face. Jace raised an eyebrow at her. “You were expecting something else?”
How did she explain her thoughts without sounding rude? “Growing up, whenever we had company over for a meal, my parents pulled out all the frills. Food was weird and the evening stuffy. It’s nice that you all eat normally.”
“I’m glad to hear that you do as well.” Jace smiled at her again, his eyes a combination of amusement and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. “You met my sister, Noel?”
“Yes, I did.” Bonnie turned to find Noel watching them with interest. “Did you get settled in this week? It takes much longer to unpack than anything else. At least in my experience.”
“Most definitely. It helps not having to bring furniture in. It’s a bit of a drive since I work on the other side of Clearwater, but I don’t mind. Sometimes that drive is the favorite part of my day.” Noel pulled her hair around with one hand and let it go again. “How about you?”
“Honestly? It was the easiest move I’ve ever made since the apartment was already furnished. Your grandparents had beautiful taste.”
“I always thought so, too, thank you.” Noel smiled, but there was a hint of sadness in it. “Being here reminds me of them.”
“Lots of mixed emotions, I’m sure.” Bonnie could certainly understand that. While she never knew her dad’s parents, she recalled the grief when her maternal grandfather passed some years ago. She was glad she still had her Gran here with them.
Gunner plopped himself down on the floor near one of the cabinets and pulled several small bowls and a spoon out of it.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Jace hesitated. “How are you at cutting tomatoes?”
“I can hold my own.” Bonnie smiled when Jace handed her a knife, cutting board, and then motioned to the fridge.
“Tomatoes are in the bottom drawer.”
By the time Bonnie retrieved the tomatoes, Gunner had abandoned the pots and pans and was running into the other room. Bonnie’s instinct was to follow him since she normally had to keep a close eye on the little boy to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble.
Noel set down the cheese she was grating. “I’ve got him.”
With that, Jace and Bonnie were alone in the kitchen.
Bonnie cleared her throat and got to work slicing tomatoes. That didn’t take long. Since Noel hadn’t returned, she moved to finish grating the cheese.
