Free Arresting Developments by Lena Diaz Page B

course, it had been a waste on just her and her grandfather. But she’d whipped up all kinds of exotic meals to try to justify the expense of the kitchen, and to see the way his eyes closed in bliss when he tried any of her new recipes. Even the meal disasters were appreciated by her grandfather as he pretended to enjoy them.
    She made her way around the marble-topped island in the middle of the expansive room and checked out the Sub-Zero refrigerator. True to his word, Buddy had fully stocked it. And like her grandfather used to do, he’d gone overboard—loading up enough food to keep her eating for months except for perishables like milk that would have to be replenished. The deep freeze on the other side of the kitchen was loaded with all kinds of meats and desserts. And the pantry, which was hidden behind a wall of what appeared to be ordinary cabinets but was actually an enormous door, contained every spice and raw ingredient her chef’s heart could possibly desire.
    This was one of the few material things she’d truly missed after making her decision to leave two years ago. Cooking in a real kitchen, creating culinary masterpieces, was something that made her happy like nothing else—except for seeing her grandfather’s smile, of course.
    She sighed and reached down to grab a couple of Delmonico steaks from one of the freezer racks.
    “That sigh could fell a tree.”
    She jumped, bumping her head against the top of the freezer. She turned with the steaks in hand to see Dex standing near the door that led to the backyard and the vegetable garden she used to tend so long ago. The mud streaked on the bottom of the jeans he was now wearing, plus the shoeless socks peeking out from beneath them, told her he’d been outside even if he wasn’t standing by the door. At least he’d had the sense to leave his muddy shoes by the door, on the little mat.
    “Sorry,” he said.
    She closed the freezer and arched a brow in question.
    “About you bumping your head,” he said. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
    “No harm done.” She started across the room, then stopped. “You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”
    “Definitely a meatatarian. Especially if those are steaks.”
    “They are.”
    “Yum.” He headed to the sink.
    “What are you doing?” She placed the steaks in the microwave to thaw them out.
    “Helping. What do you want me to do? Put some potatoes in the oven to bake? Or cut them up to fry?” He washed his hands under the faucet.
    “Either, I guess. Whatever you want.”
    “Baked sounds good.” He dried his hands on the kitchen towel. “Point me to the veggies.”
    She laughed, both surprised and delighted that he was going to cook with her. “Over there, to the right of the freezer. Pull the door on the third cabinet in the middle.”
    When he did, and the entire wall opened up, he arched his brows. “Cool. Are there other surprises like this around here?”
    “Everywhere.”
    “Tour?” he asked, looking as excited as a little boy.
    “After we eat. Absolutely.”
    “I’ll eat fast.”
    She shook her head at his enthusiasm and set the now defrosted steaks onto a plate to rub seasoning on them. The process of cooking, eating and then cleaning the kitchen, all the while listening to Dex talk about his time as a navy pilot and then later his adventures starting what became a billion-dollar corporation, relaxed her far more than she’d been in ages. He was an engaging speaker and made even the most mundane topics sound interesting. Just watching his eyes light up when he threw around financial investment terms she’d never much paid attention to in the past was pure joy.
    She dried her hands on the kitchen towel and tossed it to him to do the same.
    “And then you decided to go into business with my friend Faye’s husband and become a private investigator?”
    He hung the towel over the faucet to dry. “Jake was more the private investigator, because he was a former police detective when