Preacher joined her at the table carrying two plates. He left, only to return with a bowl. “The leftovers. If we don’t eat them, I can heat them up for us tomorrow, or something.”

She took a bite of the meatballs with pasta. They were so good, and she closed her eyes, basking in the taste. They were amazing. She moaned. “They’re so good. How did you even learn to cook? Didn’t you always have women and men willing to do whatever you wanted them to?”

He laughed. “I had people helping me out when I needed it, but there’s a lot I can do for myself. I don’t always need the added help. I like to cook. It’s easy. Nothing goes wrong.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t believe you. I’ve tried to cook. I can do a couple of things, but I tend to burn things. Like baked beans, did you know they can stick to the bottom of the pan and turn black? Disgusting.”

“You have to have patience. All good things in life take patience.”

“Now I find it hard to believe you have the patience to deal with all of that?” she asked. “You’re not a very patient person.”

“You’re right. I’m not, but cooking gives me something at the end, so it’s worth the time and effort. If I wasn’t going to get anything out of it, I wouldn’t bother. With food, if you don’t take the time, you could poison yourself, make yourself ill, or have a really disappointing meal. If I take my time, nurture it, help it develop, then I’m rewarded at the end. A good meal and time well spent.”

“Are you talking about the food or your club?”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoy it.”

She finished her food in quick time. Preacher wouldn’t let her wash the dishes though. He took care of the dishes, and she went into the sitting room, flicking through the television channels.

Preacher joined her after having a shower. He wore a pair of sweats and no shirt. All of his ink was on display. He sat at the other end of the sofa.

“You can put one of your lame-ass romantic comedies on if you want. I don’t mind.”

“Don’t you have to be at the club?”

“They can party without me. Besides, I’m not going to leave you alone. Put what you want to on, just don’t tell anyone I watched it.”

“Okay, fine.”

She got to her feet, picking out one of the DVDs.

“If I am going to be watching something like this, are you going to tell me why you love them so much?”