Chapter 5: Unspoken Recipes

For the first time in what felt like years, Amara couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t anxiety.

It wasn’t Noah kicking her in the ribs in his sleep like usual.

It was Luca.

She lay in bed staring at the ceiling, recalling the way his hand had brushed hers, the heat of it, the way he’d listened when she spoke about her past—not out of pity, but with an understanding that felt rare. Real.

What was this?

She wasn’t naïve. Men like Luca didn’t end up with women like her—single mums working two jobs, barely holding things together with duct tape and late-night tears.

But the way he looked at her?

The way she felt when she was near him?

It was dangerous.

It was tempting.

It was terrifying.

The Next Morning

Amara stood in Rosie’s Diner, flipping through receipts and trying not to check her phone every five seconds.

“You okay?” Rosie asked, side-eyeing her as she wiped down a syrup-covered table. “You’re twitchy.”

“I’m not twitchy.”

“You’re vibrating like a hummingbird on espresso. Spill.”

Amara sighed. “Luca Moretti asked me to work full-time at the new restaurant.”

Rosie blinked. “And you didn’t lead with that?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

Rosie gave her a look. “Girl, you’ve been scraping by for years. He’s offering you something stable, creative, and well-paid. What’s the issue?”

Amara hesitated. “It’s not just about the job. He… he’s paying attention.”

Rosie raised an eyebrow. “Like, capital P paying attention?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, hell.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Amara admitted. “It’s been so long since anyone looked at me and saw something more than just ‘Mom’ or ‘Ex’ or ‘Exhausted Waitress #3.’”

Rosie softened. “Maybe he sees who you really are. Maybe he likes her.”

Amara didn’t answer.

Because that possibility was more frightening than rejection.

That Evening at Terra e Fiamma

Luca was at the grill, his face set in focused determination as flames danced beneath seared lamb chops. When Amara arrived through the back entrance, he turned to her with that slow-burning smile that always made her knees a little less reliable.

“You’re early,” he said.

“I needed to move.”

He nodded as if he understood entirely. “Put on an apron. I want to show you something.”

She followed him to the test kitchen, where rows of herbs lined the counter like a miniature garden. He handed her a sprig of rosemary, then a bunch of

fresh basil.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Tell me what you smell.”

She took a deep breath. “Pine. Citrus. Warmth.”

“Rosemary. It reminds me of home. My mother used to tuck it into roast potatoes on Sundays.”

He moved closer, offered her the basil. “Now this?”

Amara breathed in. “Sweet. Bright. A little like pepper.”

“Exactly,” he said. “Cooking isn’t about ingredients. It’s about memory. Emotion. When someone eats my food, I want them to remember something. A holiday. A hug. A moment when they felt safe.”

She was quiet, the weight of his words sinking in.

“I want that for you,” he said softly.

Amara met his gaze. “You want me to feel safe?”

“I want you to remember who you are. Not just the mom. Not just the fighter. You.”

It was too much.

Too kind.

Too raw.

“Luca…”

He stepped closer, not touching her, but his presence wrapping around her like steam. “I know you’re scared. I can see it. But let me in. Just a little.”

She swallowed hard. “I have Noah. He’s my whole life.”

“I’m not asking to replace anything,” he said. “I’m asking if there’s space beside you.”

The silence stretched.

Long.

Loaded.

Amara exhaled, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know how to be in this kind of world. Your world.”

He reached out and gently tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Then we build a new one.”

Their eyes locked, and for a moment, nothing else existed—no dishes, no customers, no pasts. Just them.

He leaned forward.

So did she.

Their lips met—softly at first, tentative, uncertain. But then it deepened, slow and warm, like honey melting into tea.

When they pulled apart, Amara’s heart was racing.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered.

"I absolutely should’ve,” he said.

And she didn’t argue.