“So far so good. There’s obviously still some concern about the whole memory loss thing, but Dr. Zordetski is very happy with where I am physically. She referred me to a therapist. Vega is going to help me make an appointment later this week and I get my MRI results in a couple days, but in the meantime . . .”
“What?”
“I’ve been cleared for more adult activities.”
That was all she had to say for all the blood in Zach’s brain to rush to his dick. “I know you need your rest, but man, I’d love to be with you tonight.”
“I could wait for you at your house. Like, in your bed.”
Zach didn’t hesitate slipping the key to his front door off the ring. He pressed it into her palm. “You don’t have to wait up for me. I just want to be with you.”
“Oh,” Evie said, her tone very serious. “I’m waiting up.”
* * *
Evie couldn’t sleep and it wasn’t the nervous anticipation that had swirled in her stomach earlier that day when Zach eagerly handed over his key. She’d waited for Jesse and Lilah to leave for a black-tie charity event at the mayor’s house before she let Vega know of her plan to spend the night at Zach’s. She felt bad for ditching Vega at first, but she handled the news very well.
“Just remember what the doctor said. Take it easy. I’m sure Zach is a wild ride, but keep the sexual acrobatics to a minimum.”
“I don’t remember what sex is even like. I’m going slow for sure.”
When a final wave of exhaustion hit her a little after eight p.m., she changed into her pajamas, packed up some of the leftover mac and cheese, said goodnight to Vega, and made her way over to Zach’s house. Once she was settled in bed, she took her time figuring out how his remotes worked. She figured she’d find a movie or another interesting cooking show to binge-watch while she waited for her cowboy to arrive. She clicked a button and brought up what turned out to be his DVR menu.
The menu was filled with only one thing, episodes ofThe Dish.She started to scroll, and when she thought there couldn’t be more, there was. Every episode ofSupreme Chef, season seven. The season she’d won. She’d watched so muchSupreme Chef, but she hadn’t seen a moment ofThe Dish. She pressed Play on the first episode.
The tone was completely different from the chaos ofSupreme Chef. She watched herself engage in playful back-and-forth with her cohosts, take questions from the audience about the best way to cook steaks. By the time the hour ended, Evie felt strangely numb inside. No memories came to the surface. No recollection of her banter with Troy.
Nothing to explain the expression on her face when she did her best to cover what had to be the horrible taste of Leslie’s seasoned snack mix. She thought about being in Miss Leona’s kitchen. Cooking with her, cooking with Lilah, sharing the fruits of her labor with Jesse and Vega, and she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to return toThe Dishafter all that had happened and was still happening. Would she have the same enthusiasm for the work?
The sudden and insistent sound of her phone vibrating like crazy shook her out of the trance of it all. It was midnight in New York and it seemed like everyone she knew in her former life was calling or texting to wish her well in the New Year. She’d screenshot the texts in the morning and ask Raquelle and Blaire who she should respond to. She silenced her phone and fell into a marathon of a softer, more pleasant show featuring British amateur bakers competing for a prize. A little before midnight, she heard the front door open. Zach crept into the bedroom. He seemed surprised to find her awake.
“You’re back?” she said just as he leaned over the edge of the bed and kissed her on the lips.
“The bride and groom tapped out, so I made my escape. I’ll say goodbye to them tomorrow during their brunch. I wanted to ring in the New Year with you.” Evie looked into his deep brown eyes before she looked back down at the remote. She brought up the DVR menu.
“Why have you been saving these?” she asked. Zach froze, his hand on his bow tie. After a moment, when the air between them refused to budge an inch, he sank down on the bed beside her. The heat she felt whenever she was near him filled her body again and suddenly she knew whatever he had to say could wait.
“I wasn’t ready to watch them. I wasn’t ready to watch you.”
“Why?”
He shrugged, then ran his thumb just along the strap of her tank top. She could feel the goose bumps springing up all over her skin. “Because I missed you too much. And I knew if I watched them it would mean admitting that I knew you were never coming back.”
Evie had no idea what to say.
“How many episodes did you watch?” he asked.
“Just the one. I—I don’t . . .” She wanted to tell him about the numb feeling that had washed over her earlier in the night, but something stopped her.
“You don’t what?”
“Nothing. Let’s talk about it later.”
“Can I hold that for a second?”
Evie handed over the remote and watched Zach click to the New Year’s Eve countdown show Vega had recommended. A very loud woman and a very shiny man were very excited for midnight, which was just minutes away.
Zach tossed the remote back on the bed and finished undressing, down to his boxers. Evie didn’t realize she was staring until he flashed that smile that made her cheeks heat. What seemed like miles of lean muscle covered in dark brown skin she was dying to caress, his body was a thing to behold. And so was the large bulge just aching to push through the slit in his shorts. She wanted him, so badly her core soaked at the thought of taking him inch by inch. At least her body remembered what to do next.