Chapter 29: Months Anniversary

Chapter Thirty One

“I’ll have the garden vegetable pasta, please. Please make sure the pasta’s cooked to perfection because sometimes it comes out dry and hard. And I’d like gluten-free pasta, actually, because it settles better on my stomach. And instead of basil, I’d like parsley. No zucchini—I hate zucchini—just put extra squash in the pasta. Did you hear that? I said extra squash. There should be plenty in there to replace the zucchini. Don’t be stingy! And last, no onion. I’m allergic to that stuff and I’ll probably go into anaphylactic shock if I even consume a tiny sliver of it.”

“Of course sir,” the waiter murmurs before turning to look at me. I wear an embarrassed smile as I nod.

“I’ll just have the chicken cutlet with mashed potatoes. Thank you so much—”

But then Duke cuts me off with a frown. His eyes land on my stomach and stay there long enough for me to start squirming uncomfortably while trying to suck it in. I already know what he’s thinking because I’m a bigger girl.