Free Once Upon a Matchmaker by Marie Ferrarella

with that?” he asked, nodding at her plate.
    “I wouldn’t want to take any away from your aunt and the boys,” she told him, but even as she said it, she hoped that he would offer her a piece despite her polite protest.
    “No worries,” he assured her. “I made a very large cake.”
    Feeding her was the least he could do, Micah thought, seeing as how she was apparently taking on his case. He wondered if she knew what she was getting into.
    Micah continued to watch her, enjoying her simply enjoy her dinner. Most women her age picked at their food, determined to remain some absurdly small size. It was obvious to him that his lawyer wasn’t a slave to being a stick figure.
    They were going to get along. He found the thought reassuring as well as oddly comforting. He couldn’t really explain the latter reaction, but for now, he didn’t even try.

Chapter Six
    T racy couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this full. Her usual habit was to eat only until the empty feeling in her stomach was no longer a problem, and then stop.
    Tonight, she’d eaten well beyond that point.
    Even now, filled to capacity and feeling somewhat drowsy, to boot, she could have still slipped in another few mouthfuls of the sinfully delicious dessert.
    Putting her fork down, she gave her full attention to Micah. “I suggest you tell me what you want to tell me before I wind up curling up in front of your fireplace and purring like a contented kitten.” When she saw the surprised expression in his eyes, Tracy realized that he might be misconstruing what she’d just said to him. “Between the lasagna and the tiramisu, I think I just ate enough to sustain me for an entire week. You know how old men usually fall asleep after eating too much turkey at Thanksgiving? Well, I’m very close to reaching that point.”
    He laughed. A dozen ways to describe her occurred to him. Not one involved likening her to an old man. “You’re not an old man,” he pointed out, “and you didn’t just take in an inordinate amount of tryptophan.”
    Okay, now her brain was going to sleep. She looked at him, confused. “Excuse me?”
    He grinned at her. This had been nice. He’d forgotten what it felt like just to have dinner with a woman his own age, never mind that it was at his kitchen counter and that he had made the meal. Some of his best memories of Ella involved this exact same scenario.
    The thought startled him, and he immediately pulled back, his feelings jumbled and confused.
    “Which part is giving you trouble?” he asked. “The old man part or the tryptophan part?”
    She nodded when he mentioned tryptophan. “The second part. What is that?” she asked, referring to what she assumed was a strange ingredient.
    “Tryptophan is what puts people to sleep,” he told her simply. “It’s a natural calming agent and turkey is absolutely loaded with it. Hence, people who eat a large portion of turkey tend to feel very sleepy.”
    “And here I thought it was just because they stuffed themselves,” she quipped. Was it her imagination, or had he somehow gotten physically closer? Neither one of them had moved off the stools or drawn them in nearer. Maybe it was just getting warm in here, and her mind was playing tricks on her.
    In either case, she didn’t draw away from him but remained sitting exactly where she was, just possibly a little more erect.
    “Well, that helps, too,” Micah allowed. She was telling him she was sleepy. He could take a hint. “Maybe I should just take you up on coming over tomorrow at lunch.”
    She couldn’t pay him back like this after he’d gone out of his way and made her dinner. Tracy took a deep breath, trying to wake herself up.
    “No, no, you said you wanted to get this out on the table tonight and we’re not going to postpone anything on my account.” She had to pause to stifle a yawn. She really was tired. One glance at his face and she could see he was aware of it, too. “Okay, I tell you what,