Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(15)
“I hope you like eggplant Parmesan.”
“You, Mr. All Star, made eggplant Parmesan?” A.J. sounded incredulous. “I was expecting mac and cheese at best, maybe something tossed on the grill.”
“I know what you expected,” Jared mocked, just enough, “you expected a fancy restaurant with a lot of extravagant touches.”
In truth, it’s what he’d planned, but Marie dissuaded him. Once she found out he could cook, well, all bets were off and his plans changed.
A.J. seemed a little disappointed that he’d figured her out. “Yeah, kind of. This is much better.”
“I agree.” Jared served the salad first, a fresh kale, spinach, and romaine with juicy strawberries and a homemade vinaigrette dressing. “My mom taught us all how to cook before we were allowed to leave her house. She went to culinary school and never quite got away from it.” Jared felt strange revealing such intimate stories to A.J. but she seemed to be eating it up. “Most guys buy cars and homes for their moms when they make the big time but I didn’t. She never asked either, never commented on the gifts she didn’t get.”
“You’ve been making millions of dollars and you haven’t done anything for your mom?” A.J. frowned, disappointed.
Jared’s mouth twitched. “You really have no faith in me, do you? No, A.J., I didn’t forget my mom. How could I? I just didn’t think a car or a home was enough reward for everything she gave me, everything she sacrificed to do right by our family. It took a long time to do things the way I wanted, but eventually, I bought her a restaurant and gave her all the money she needed to remodel it and make it her own. Then, I bought a house for my family that was closer to the restaurant. Mom’s made it the most successful place in town.” Jared dug into his own salad to avoid A.J.’s gaze.
“Wow.” A.J. set her fork down. “You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”
“I try,” Jared responded coyly. “Not many people know that I paid for Mom’s restaurant, so if you could keep it on the down low, I’d appreciate it.”
“Wait, nobody knows?” A.J. studied him, challenged him. “How is that possible?”
“Like I said, it took a long time.” Jared shrugged. “I wanted to make sure she would own it free and clear, no debt for the start up, and I didn’t want to be tied to it so people would accuse her of using my fame to gain her own.”
“You really thought of everything,” A.J. admitted. “I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. So was she,” Jared replied. “Of course, if I messed up this eggplant, she’ll never forgive me.”
He pushed away from the table, collected the salad dishes and deposited them on the counter. He opened the stove to remove the ceramic dish bearing their main course. It looked amazing and smelled even better.
“That looks delicious.” A.J. breathed in as Jared set the dish in front of her.
“Again, thank you.” Jared offered a mock bow and served A.J. first. “This is my mom’s recipe and the first gourmet meal I learned to cook.”
“Impressive.” A.J. cut into the eggplant, blew a few times onto the piece to cool it, and took a bite. Her eyes flared as she chewed slowly. A small moan escaped her lips, much to Jared’s delight. “This is the best eggplant parm that I’ve ever had.”
“Now that is a real compliment.” Jared took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and ultimately agreed with A.J. “Except that my mom makes it better than this.”
“I think she would be proud,” A.J. assured him and took another large bite. Jared took her cue and shoveled in a little more himself. “I’m sorry, we should be talking, but I’m starving. I only had time for a power bar and some of that popcorn today.”
“Then by all means, eat,” Jared smirked, “we can’t have you wasting away into nothingness.”
She glared at him for that crack and made a show of shoveling another bite into her mouth. A.J. chewed slowly and watched him closely as if waiting for something. Jared simply held her gaze, a half-smile plastered on his face. She finished chewing and swallowed, chasing it with a drink of wine, the first she’d had. “Why are you doing all of this?”
It was Jared’s turn to be surprised. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, why me? Why all of this?” A.J. asked. “Why go through all of this trouble, the wedding, the kids, this date?”
Jared leaned toward A.J. “I thought you knew. I like you.”
“Right.” A.J.’s voice changed. She tensed and turned cold again. “I’m not interested in being your toy while you recuperate.”
“Who said I was looking for a toy?” Jared asked defensively. “I genuinely like you. I want us to be friends.”
“I see.” A.J. set her fork down. “Do you do this for all of your friends?”
“Only the ones I want to keep,” Jared answered automatically. “Honestly, there are not many people I care to keep close because I find that most people want something from me. You clearly do not because you hate me, or at the very least, just want me gone from your life. I don’t like how it feels and I want to change it.”
“So, it’s a game to you,” A.J. stated slowly.
Jared’s stomach sank, not how he wanted this to go. “No, that’s not it. Dammit, you are impossible.” He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated and annoyed by her suspiciousness.