A door opened in the hallway and Kay looked up eagerly when Eli appeared at the edge of the kitchen.
“Something smells good.” He sounded so bewildered by the fact that Kay smiled.
“Yeah, it’s meatloaf. It should be ready in a few minutes. Actually, you can take it out of the oven now.”
Eli picked up the oven mitt she’d left on the counter and pulled the pan from the oven. He set it on the stovetop carefully.
“I haven’t had meatloaf since I was a kid.”
Kay settled Hope back in her play area and then walked over to the stove. She stuck a knife in the top, relieved when it slid out easily.
“Your assistant brought several pounds of ground beef, so I figured we’d better use them.”
He helped her set the table and she filled their plates. Sitting across from each other at the table, they ate in silence until Eli finally spoke.
“I didn’t know meatloaf could be this good. Don’t tell my mom I said that though.”
Kay grinned, ridiculously pleased when he stood to get a second helping. “Thanks. It’s one of my favorite things to make when it’s cold outside. It’s filling and hearty. My dad always said you need to eat food that sticks to your ribs in the wintertime. Not that I need anything else on my ribs.”
Eli frowned at her. “Your ribs are perfect.”
Her smile stuttered and melted under the force of his gaze. Good grief, the man had the ability to freeze her in her seat with those eyes.
“I’m going to have to plan some gym time this week. I’ll definitely need it. I didn’t know you were s
uch a good cook.” Eli sat down next to her again and shoveled in another mouthful.
Uncomfortable with the praise, Kay shrugged. “Yeah, I’m good with food.” She looked down at her stomach. “Obviously. I probably need some gym time, too.”
Eli put down his fork and grabbed her chair, dragging her closer. Kay squeaked at the sudden movement, then again when he put a gentle but firm finger under her chin. “Don’t do that. I don’t like it.”
“Do what? I was just joking.” She met his eyes, surprised at the barely concealed anger on his face.
“No, that’s not joking. That’s putting yourself down. My cousin Laura used to get teased a lot when we were kids. They called her awful names. One of them taped a picture of Miss Piggy over the mirror in her locker so it was the first thing she saw that morning. If she was having dinner with us, would you make that joke about her?”
Kay sank down in her chair, his gruff tone making her feel about two feet tall. She gulped and pushed the remaining scraps of food on her plate around with her fork. “Of course not.”
He leaned closer. “Then don’t say it about yourself.”
Kay looked up at him then and nodded. “It’s funny how it’s so much easier to be nice to others than it is to be nice to yourself.”
“I’ll help you remember,” he stated.
She had no doubt he meant every word. Thinking of herself negatively was second nature, but she’d have to make an effort to watch what she said around Eli.
He seemed to sense her discomfort because he forced a lighter tone when he said, “If I can make Walter Herman apologize to Laura, then I think I can handle you.”
“How did you do that?”
“My fist in his face a few times took care of that problem.” He held up his closed fist and shook it comically.
She giggled. “I definitely don’t want that.”
He started when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. She rubbed the vein that stood out on the back of his hand, stroking over it a few times and trying to force it down. Now that she was so close, she could see that he had prominent veins on his arms, too.
Kay gulped. She wasn’t used to seeing men with this much muscle up close. He looked like those guys on the fitness magazines. She pulled the edge of her sweater down to cover her belly and thighs. Eli’s eyes narrowed at the action, then zeroed in on her neckline. She glanced down and saw that her tugging was exposing a shocking amount of cleavage.
“Oh, I should clean up.” She popped up and started stacking their plates and the spare plate she’d used to hold bread. Eli stood too, silently helping her clear their drinking glasses and the silverware. They worked side by side, loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters until finally the kitchen was clean.