Ten minutes later, we’re on the way back to the cabin with six eggs and a green Coleman camp stove. Taylor is smiling. “I have so many memories of my parents cooking on one like this when I was little.”
“Me too,” I tell her. “I wish we had marshmallows to roast. Then I’d really feel like a kid again.”
“Hmm. Didn’t see any marshmallows, but I have something that will help. You’re still sleeping on the floor. That will be like camping.”
“Dream on. In the bed next to me. Where we will both be sleeping. And you’ll be safe from my wildly seductive moves.”
“What are your—” She snaps her mouth shut and shakes her head.
“What?”
“I have an image of you doing what you think is a sexy dance but looks more like an exorcism. I can’t decide if having you clear that up will make it better or worse.”
I shove the camp stove at her. “You don’t deserve a demonstration.” Then I stomp toward the cabin while she laughs after me. I walk inside, smiling. We’re back on normal footing, and that’s exactly what I want. Me and Taylor on the same page, always.
Chapter Ten
Taylor
“Iamsogood.”I say it out loud because the world needs to know.
“What’s that?” Levi calls from the living room.
“Dinner is served.”
He appears a moment later, smelling faintly of firewood. “Awesome. What are we having?”
“Comfort food. A tomato reduction with crispy crostini.”
He looks at me, his forehead wrinkled. He’s so cute when he’s confused, maybe because his expression is one of either curiosity or amusement at his own internal narration of what he thinks is happening.
“Kidding,” I tell him. “Don’t get too excited. I’m more of a baker than a cook. I doctored some canned tomato soup I found in a cabinet and used some of the crackers and cheese one of our moms packed to be our grilled cheese substitute. Although I did melt the cheese a little so the crackers would stick more like a sandwich.”
“You could have told me tuna from a tube and stale bread, and I would have been happy.”
“No, you’re supposed to pretend like you like this because it tastes extra good, not because you’re starving.”
“That’s what I meant. You sit. I’ll serve.” He nods to the kitchen table.
“Can we do a picnic by the fire? It’s pretty chilly in here.” Now that I’ve turned off the cooking flame, I can feel the cold creeping in.
Levi opens his mouth, locks eyes with me, and closes it again, nodding instead.
I don’t even ask as I walk out to choose a blanket Mrs. Tate keeps in the basket by the fireplace; I know he was about to make another seduction joke. This is Sara’s fault. Good thing he can read me well enough to know I’d dump the soup over his head if he doesn’t leave it alone.
I get it, I really do. It should not be a big deal for us to share a bed in a freezing house if it means we can both sleep—and only sleep—in front of a fire. But even though our conversation is as easy as ever and all of our silences are comfortable, it’s taken me a minute to adjust to being at the scene of the crime.
Well, kiss. So far, I’d avoided the front door and the porch completely. That’s where the mistletoe had been hung last time, and I remember the scene clearly as if it just happened. It’s probably a sense memory triggered by walking into the familiar cabin, but honestly, I don’t need to bring it any more to life.
This whole situation is getting ridiculous. We’ve talked about the kiss. Well, the most recent one, and kind of that first one. The air is cleared. I don’t know why I feel so . . . I don’t even know the words. I’m not on edge, exactly. But I’m definitely jumpy in a way I can’t explain. And his dumb jokes make it worse. I wonder at what age guys outgrow the part of them that’s still in sixth grade. It doesn’t seem to be at almost thirty.
I spread a flannel blanket on the floor and settle on it, crisscross, as Levi hands me a plate with a bowl of soup and cheese crackers. Then he sits too, and we eat.
“This is unreasonably good for canned soup,” he says after his third bite.
“Meh. Evaporated milk and some basic spices, and you too can be a kitchen hero.”
He salutes and we eat in silence, but I have to admit: on a cold day, tomato soup and cheese with carbs hit the spot.
