Love in Jeopardy

Chapter 5

After Taryn woke up the next morning, she went shopping for the ingredients for her signature dessert: pecan pie. One of her nicer foster mothers had taught her how to cook and bake a few things from scratch. Taryn enjoyed cooking for others but rarely got the opportunity. She found it hard to cook for herself quite often because she always made too much and ended up with lots of leftovers. Some of the places she lived in growing up had lots of kids so there was never a shortage of mouths to feed.

Taryn was excited about eating a meal Gideon was cooking for her. She'd never been treated to a home-cooked meal made by a man. She felt flattered that he was going to so much trouble.

Taryn spent the afternoon baking her pie and having a relaxing bath. She had spoken to Kim earlier in the day and the gallery was busy with visitors. Taryn's work was selling even faster than Kim had predicted. Taryn would have to get busy if she wanted to keep up with the demand. She was glad that she wouldn't have to worry about money for a while. She always worried about money since she'd moved out on her own when she was eighteen. Not having anyone else to depend on made it difficult for her to relax with her friends when they went shopping. She was always aware of how much money was in her account and she tried hard to save for a rainy day.

Taryn decided to wear blue jeans and a t-shirt to Gideon's for dinner. She hoped he wasn't too formal of a person when he was alone. She was glad her pie had turned out perfectly. She couldn't wait to see Gideon.

Taryn left her place early, but it took her a while to find a parking spot in front of Gideon's apartment building. Her heart pounded nervously as she rang the buzzer for Gideon's apartment.

When Taryn got to Gideon's front door, he looked impressed when he saw her pie.

"Wow! That looks delicious!" he exclaimed, letting her in the door. He was wearing blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She liked how the shirt was tight enough to show his muscles. His blue jeans fit him like a second skin.

Taryn sniffed appreciatively.

"It smells wonderful in here," she said, noticing an aroma of chicken and vegetables coming from the kitchen.

Gideon took the pie from her so he could place it on the kitchen counter.

"Hopefully my cooking tastes good," he said, giving Taryn a quick hug. "It's nice to see you again."

Taryn blushed as she returned Gideon's hug.

"I'm glad you have recovered from your trip," she replied.

"It felt good to sleep in my own bed, that's for sure," Gideon stated, smiling at her. "Can I get you something to drink? Some wine?"

"Some ice water would be perfect," she replied, smiling back.

While Gideon got her drink her invited her to take a tour of the apartment.

Gideon's apartment had neutral wall colours and black leather furniture. It looked quite masculine. Taryn noticed quite a bit of art on the walls. She was glad he appreciated art.

"I like your place," Taryn commented. "It's very tidy."

"Thanks," Gideon replied. "I can't take all the credit. The cleaners just came."

Taryn laughed.

"Hey, at least you're honest," she said.

"I try to be," he said, putting some dishes on the table. "This isn't as fancy as you're used to, I'm sure, but dinner is ready."

"It looks great," Taryn said, as she took a seat at the dining table.

Gideon had made chicken breasts with a vegetable stir fry.