Nina Cox Must Date

Chapter 20 - Heart

I gaze at my living room, and the sight brings me joy. My parents, my brother, and his family are settled in with drinks. My baby nephew sleeps in my dad's arms. The boys are glued to their tablets, quietly focused. The fire is lit, and a playlist of movie soundtracks plays softly in the background, creating a cozy atmosphere.

I did my best to rid the couch and chairs of cat hair, but Batman crawled onto my mom's lap, purring happily as she caressed him. I could see tufts of white hair falling onto her dark skirt, but she didn't seem to mind.

My birthday and Thanksgiving fell on the same day this year, so I invited my family to celebrate both occasions. My mom offered to make the turkey, thinking I was ambitious, but I refused. She seemed relieved when I mentioned that Taylor would help me cook.

"I don't understand all the fuss. You season the bird and put it in the oven. It's not rocket science," Taylor says as he pulls out a sweet potato casserole dish from the bottom of the oven.

"I know. I'm not a chef, but I can read a recipe. Is my cooking so bad that they don't trust me?"

"It tastes good, and you haven't poisoned me yet. I trust your cooking. They see you ordering food often and assume you can't cook."

"That must be it. Cooking for one isn't very appealing."

"I can relate. The people at the pizza parlor recognize my number by now," he chuckles.

"Lisa invited her date. I'm curious whether he will come. They've been out a few times, and she's smitten with this mystery man."

"I'm still betting he's Pasty Axel from the market," Taylor laughs while checking the turkey one last time.

"Oh God, can you imagine? Maybe she convinced him to wear bronzer to look healthier," I say, helping him take the heavy pan and place it on the stove.

"You're so mean, Nina! Any word from Nash?"

"Yeah, he apologized for falling asleep and asked me out again. I politely declined. As much as I enjoy gaming, having my life revolve around it isn't my idea of fun."

"Can I date him?" Taylor grins cheekily.

"Help yourself!"

The doorbell rings, and I go to open it. Lisa stands outside with a few boxes of pie.

"Happy birthday, sis!" she says, hugging me while balancing the desserts in one hand.

"Where's your date?" I look around for him.

"He celebrates Thanksgiving with his family. I messaged him your address in case he can make it."

"Too bad. I wanted to meet him."

"There will be other occasions," she winks at me.

Lisa looks relaxed and happy, which is unusual. She is typically edgy and suspicious of her boyfriends, but it seems this man has brought her a sense of serenity.

"Are you dating Pasty Axel?"

My sister looks confused.

"Who is that?"

"Date number one. The guy Mom brought to lunch for me."

"God, no! Do you really call him that?" she laughs. "He could use a bit of bronzer."

Taylor signals that the food is ready, and I invite the family to the table we improvised in the large farm kitchen. Everything looks and smells delicious.

"Look at this bounty! You kids outdid yourselves," Mom says with delight.

We all take our places, and the happy clatter of plates and spoons begins. My sister-in-law suggests we open a restaurant. Elijah takes three helpings of everything. I glance at Taylor, sitting in front of me, and feel grateful for him. He looks more handsome than ever; his hair is short now, and his cheeks have a pinkish tint from cooking efforts. He smiles at me, making me feel shy, so I focus on my plate.

"Nina, darling," Dad says, pulling my attention. "We know how hard you've worked all year to make your business succeed. I know it will because you're my girl, and you love the things that matter to you. We have a well-deserved gift for you." He hands me an envelope.

I open it to find reservations for a fancy hotel for a week starting after Christmas and ending on New Year's, including a dinner and party entrance. Taylor grins at me; he must have told them about my lack of funds for a proper vacation.

"Now you just need to make sure you stick with one date for the next month," Elijah says before drenching his food in gravy. His wife gives him an annoyed look.

"What?" he asks, looking around the table. "She's been on dates, and none of them have worked. You can't tell me all those guys were dicks. There must have been someone worth dating."

"You are so fucking tactful," Lisa replies, rolling her eyes at him. The boys giggle at her curse.

I feel uncomfortable with his accusation. I've tried my best to find a man, and while I'm guilty of ruining a few dates, none of these guys clicked with me.

"Enough!" Dad interjects. "I'm sorry, Nina. You have tried your best. It was foolish of me to join the dating project. Consider it done. Elijah, eat your damn food."

The boys nearly roll off their chairs, laughing. I stand up and head to the kitchen to prepare dessert, and Taylor follows me, holding my hand.

"Don't mind your brother. I've witnessed your efforts. Even I picked terrible dates for you," he reassures.

"I'm missing two dates. Let's get one out of the way," I say, walking to my open laptop on the counter where we've been looking at recipes. I click on the bookmarked dating site page and choose a random message. After a quick scan, I briefly reply to the guy, expressing my interest in getting to know him.

"Did you check his photo?" Taylor asks.

"Why bother?" I shrug.

"I don't know. Maybe he has a horn growing from his forehead or two tongues."

I stare at Taylor and laugh; he always knows how to make me feel better. I open the guy's profile. He looks fine—his name is Hyun, and he's my age.

"There you go, as normal-looking as they come!"

Then, the doorbell rings, and I hear Lisa laughing. I look toward the living room and see Evan. She hugs him and gives him a light kiss on his lips.

"Are you dating Evan?" I ask, unable to suppress a giggle.

Lisa nods and places her arm around his waist. He kisses the top of her head.

"Happy birthday... sister-in-law?" he says. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I started typing the address Lisa gave me. It popped up immediately since I've been here before."

I am excited about this development. Evan has become a good friend and is now dating my sister. He never figured out that Lisa and I are related since we don't look alike, and I've never told Lisa about him. Evan mentions that after checking my profile reactions with Taylor, he opened one for himself, which is how he met my sister. My family finds him lovely and a good match. Dessert tastes sweeter with this new addition to our family.

Eventually, it's time to say goodbye, and Taylor stays to help me with the dishes.

"I haven't given you a gift," he says as he dries a plate.

"You helped me cook, and you're here. I can't wish for a better gift," I reply.

"I made something for you. If you don't like it, chuck it in a drawer." 

Taylor returns with a tiny box. I unwrap it and find something so lovely that my eyes tear up. Inside is a necklace, and the charm is a heart made from a computer motherboard panel.

I lean in to kiss him, but he moves his head too quickly, and my lips accidentally land on his.