Chapter 53 Too Moving
Savannah shut her eyes and grimaced before she reopened them. She thought Emmett had gone to sleep in another room and did not think he might show up.
She squeezed out an awkward smile as she turned to regard him. “I missed dinner and realized how hungry I was after I came to.”
Emmett snorted before he used his considerable reach to retrieve a large carton of milk from the fridge. “It can’t be good to eat too much this late at night.”
“Yeah.” She considered going to bed after she finished the porridge but it fell just that tad short on volume to satisfy her. It was not convenient for her to cook in this unfamiliar setting as well.
Emmett poured himself a glass of cold milk and appeared ready to help himself to it. “You should warm one up for yourself. Better for your stomach that way.”
Before he could react, she had already taken his glass from him and popped it into the microwave. The timer was then set for one minute.
Emmett was not appreciative of that gesture. “No one asked you to warm it up. I’m already used to it.”
“Would your stomach be able to take it for long?” she asked. “Have you never felt any discomfort before?”
He was stumped, as he actually had gastric problems since his adolescence. He even suffered from acute gastric ulcers when he attended high school overseas, but no one paid any attention to him back then. It was only when it hurt so bad that Nolan realized and had him admitted for treatment.
The doctor had advised upon his discharge that he must take long-term medication and be mindful of his stomach, which he duly did only for a year or two until he felt better.
His silence was telling. “I’ve guessed right, haven’t I?”
The microwave’s chime came timely for Emmett who shifted his attention away from the woman to the oven from which he retrieved the freshly warmed glass of milk. He was about to drink from it when his belly growled.
In the quiet kitchen within the stillness of night, it was audible enough for Savannah to hear with sufficient clarity. That drew a chuckle from her. “It looks like you might be hungry too. Shall we have something heavier?”
The man had taken nothing since afternoon as he went to the factory to look for her. He would not have come to the kitchen for milk otherwise. Still, he declined her offer.
Savannah knew he did not have a sweet tooth, so she fished out two eggs from the fridge. “An egg sandwich to go with that warm milk is sure to be filling and nutritious.”
“Can you cook?” he asked in skepticism.
“Of course. It’s easy for me so long as there are ingredients available,” she replied as she found herself a frying pan and a few slices of wholemeal bread.
Emmett observed intently as she turned on the stove, heated up the pan and spritzed the oil. Every movement was fluid and well-practiced.
He leaned back leisurely against the kitchen cabinet. “That’s nice. Perhaps I could have Dolores take a break and have you helm the kitchen for a day instead so I may taste your cooking.”
“Sure thing.” Savannah kept a watchful eye as the omelette sizzled in the pan. A dash of seasoning was added just before it was done for that extra pizzazz, just the way little Freddie liked it.
There were no words that could encapsulate Emmett’s sentiments as he soaked in this virtuous expression of hers.
Nolan had already found out about the old residential area that Savannah visited. It was a place where she, or should it be said the other man and herself, had resided in previously. A child, too, lived alongside them.
It was not known where she had left the child, as the boy was no longer with either of them.
He thought the two of them were vicious, deserting her own kid just to marry into the Quaker family. She was a difficult woman for him to decipher.
Emmett wondered if this kind, virtuous, thoughtful demeanor of hers was all mere pretensions.
He could scarcely believe that his grandmother had chosen a woman who had cohabited and bore a kid with another man for his wife.
Savannah pressed the egg between two slices of bread before she used ketchup to create a simple cat face on top. The sandwich was placed on a plate before it was served. “Try it.”
Emmett was brought back to earth. He picked up the sandwich while thinking that he would not expose her for the time being. It would be interesting to see what she might be up to in the Quaker family.
A bite from the sandwich unleashed a flavor that greatly boosted his appetite. “Not bad.”
He drank and ate alternately as he watched her continue to busy herself. With her head bowed and tilted slightly, she went on to make more of the same. The completion of each new sandwich saw her lips raised in mild delight as she thought about what cute ketchup art to create next.
Emmett found her disposition irresistible. It had been such a long time since he last saw a scene like that.
His mother used to lovingly do the same for him when he was little. They had a mold for making sandwiches in the kitchen which could be used to cut them into the shape of bears, rabbits, dogs and other charming designs.
As he had his milk back then, he was always undecided with regard to which ones to eat first and which to finish last, as he could not bear to see any one of the lovely animal forms destroyed.
Savannah did not notice the change in his mood as she was focused on putting the final touches on a little sun design. “How many can you eat? I’m reserving this last one for sure, so you could have the rest.”
The glass that was now emptied of milk was set aside. Emmett could not restrain himself as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
When she felt his touch, Savannah froze for an instant before she reflexively resisted with her hands. “Could we just finish eating?”
“Sure.” The man kept one hand around her while he popped another slice of sandwich into his mouth with the other.
“I can’t eat properly like this.”
“A bowl of porridge, snacks, and sandwich. You have quite the appetite, don’t you?” He pulled her in and held her in a way that she could not face anywhere else. “Using your culinary skills to seduce me at night. A mature woman is indeed of a different breed.”
Savannah drew a deep breath, bemused as to what had gotten into him.
He was in the opinion that since she was not a virgin on her wedding night, she must be an easy woman.
“What I’m doing was just a way to convey my thanks for saving me from the warehouse. Nothing more…”
He did not wait for her to wrap up her sentence before he propped up her chin with a light touch. It sounded about right, as he reckoned that her heart was with someone else. That rather fouled up his mood.
“There’s a way you could really show me how grateful you are.” When he stared into her eyes, he could clearly see himself being reflected back in them.
Damn it! The windows to her soul were pristine, unlike that of typical vixens and fraudsters.
