“It’s an act of spontaneity—shows her how easily you lose control around her, even in the most ordinary of moments. But don’t forget the dip. That’s the romantic part.”
I popped the orange into my mouth. “How the hell did you become such an expert in romance?”
“I had a great father, your great grandad. He was a true romantic. I learned from watching him, and your Nonna reaped the benefits.”
“Okay.” I shook my head and laughed. “Next.”
“Secret four is to put on some music and dance with her. Doesn’t matter if it’s just an ordinary day. We don’t need a special occasion to dance. Put on some Sinatra and go for it.”
I nodded. “Okay. Cheesy but easy.”
“Ready for the last one? It’s the most important.”
“Lay it on me.”
He finished chewing. “Tickle her.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m telling you.” He chuckled. “Laughter is good for the soul. Tickling can be a physical expression of love. I used to tickle Nonna at least once a week. It would always get her out of any bad mood she was in.”
I squinted skeptically. “I’m not sure about that one.”
“Have you ever seen a bad outcome from making someone laugh uncontrollably? It releases hormones of happiness.”
I sighed. “I’m starting to wonder if you’re setting me up. Some of these things sound ridiculous, particularly this last one.”
He shook his head. “Try all of these, and you’ll be golden.”
? ? ?
That evening, after my work day wound down, I was surprised to receive a call from Aspyn. She didn’t normally call me during the week.
“Hey, beautiful. To what do I owe this surprise?”
“I just wanted to say hello.”
“Well, hello. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
“I heard you were at Horizons today,” she said. “Sorry I missed you.”
“Yeah. I decided to pay an impromptu visit to Nonno on my lunch break. We had a nice little talk.”
“Does he…know about us?”
“I kind of had to tell him. He guessed something was up. I didn’t deny it. I hope that’s okay with you.”
“Okay, good to know. It’s okay. I didn’t want to play dumb around him if he knew.”
“I don’t think he’ll say anything to you. He knows you’re a private person.” I sighed into the phone. “I can’t believe I have to wait until Friday to see you again.”
She hesitated. “Not necessarily.”
“You’re not pulling that maybe shit again, are you? I can’t make it until Saturday, Aspyn.”
“That’s not what I meant. I was actually wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. I know it’s last minute, but—”
“Last minute? You think I care about that? As if there’s anything else I’d rather do than come have dinner with you.”
“I’m trying this gluten-free lasagna made with nut cheese. It’s a new recipe. It might come out horrible, but my guess is that Kiki’s not gonna like it, and I’ll have a ton of leftovers.”
“Ah. So, you’re inviting me over to be your human garbage disposal?”
She paused. “No, Troy. I’m inviting you over because I want to see you.”
Loving the sound of that, I shut my eyes. “I want to see you, too.”
“We obviously can’t…you know, because of Kiki, and you can’t stay the night.”
“I get it. That doesn’t matter. I just want to see you.”
“Okay…seven then?”
“What can I bring?”
“Just yourself.”
“Damn. I feel like a kid who just found out he gets to stay up late on a school night. This is a treat.”
She laughed. “See you soon.”
“Okay, beautiful.”
After I hung up the phone, I looked over at Patrick sitting on the couch. His eyes were drowsy, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.
“Wake up, Pat! This is big news. She invited me over during the week. I might officially be moving away from fuckboy status.”
He let out a big yawn.
“That’s all you have to say?”
? ? ?
I arrived at Aspyn’s house at 7 PM sharp. The smell of whatever she was making immediately hit me. It smelled like savory tomato sauce and…something that resembled cheese. I took a long whiff in. “Damn, something smells good.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how it tastes. Not sure it’s gonna match up to the smell.”
It was hard not to reach out and kiss her on the lips, but with Kiki in the room, I knew I couldn’t. I kissed her on the cheek and made my way inside her house.
Aspyn looked down at the white box I was carrying. “You didn’t have to bring anything.”
“Yeah, well, I promised Kiki a real dessert.” I turned to her niece. “Remember?”
“I forgot about that.” Kiki grinned.
“I brought some brownies. They have real sugar and chocolate and everything. And the best part is, I didn’t make them.”
“I love brownies.” Kiki rubbed her stomach.
“Phew. Okay. Good.”
Aspyn took the box from me. “That was very sweet.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
The three of us sat down to dinner in the dining room. The lasagna Aspyn had made looked edible, though I was certainly curious how nut cheese was going to taste.
Aspyn served us each a slice.
“It’s made with rice noodles, and the cheese is made from cashews.” She looked over at Kiki. “Give it a chance.”
Kiki took a bite and immediately spit it out.
Aspyn glared at her. “Come on, really?”
“I hate it. That’s not cheese.”
“It’s nut cheese,” Aspyn insisted.
“Nut cheese?” Kiki scrunched her nose. “Not cheese.”
I wanted to laugh, but I knew that would piss Aspyn off, so I refrained.
Aspyn threw her hands up. “Well, if you won’t eat it, what are you gonna have for supper? I don’t have anything else.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I normally make her something different, but I wanted one night where I could just make one meal for everyone.”
God, it wasn’t easy parenting an eight-year-old. I could barely open a can of food for Patrick, let alone meal plan for myself and another person every single night of the week.
There was no way in hell I was going to make her feel bad about the lasagna. I didn’t give a shit how it tasted; I would pretend to enjoy it. I took a bite, and without even registering the taste, I pretended to love it. “Mmm… Kiki, I don’t know what you’re talking about. This is delicious.” I moved it around in my mouth.
“You started talking before you even chewed,” Kiki challenged. “I watched you.”
She has a point. I chewed a bit more and then swallowed. Okay, it wasn’t great. Still, I said, “See? Chewing and loving it.”
“You’re such a liar,” Aspyn whispered. Then she took a bite herself before throwing the fork down. “Oh my God. It totally sucks! The cheese is inedible, and the noodles are hard.” She looked over at her niece. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, Kiki. You were right.”
I reached out and placed my hand over Aspyn’s. “I’m here for the company?”
Aspyn moved her hand from under mine and rubbed her eyes in frustration. She was tired. I could tell. She’d worked a long day and come home to make a meal no one appreciated. I needed to do something.
Standing from my seat, I said, “I’m gonna go pick up a pizza for Kiki and me and some sushi for you. Just give me a half hour.”
Aspyn looked up at me. “You don’t have to.”