Connie grinned, shooting Charlene a yful look. "Just now, Mr. Ferguson said


    you should be more like him he had no idea Gaylord was interested in you until recently, but now he''s figured it out. So, what about you? Did you notice?"


    Charlene''s feelings were a tangled mess. "Yeah, I did pick up on it."


    But honestly, when Gaylord handed her that drink earlier, she hadn''t thought much of it. It wasn''t until she caught the way he acted around York-the way tension flickered in his eyes, that edge of jealousy-that she realized, btedly, Gaylord might actually like her.


    Connieughed again.


    Then, as if something urred to her, she couldn''t help asking, "Do they know about your situation?"


    Charlene knew exactly what Connie meant. "They know, at least a little. I''ve been married, I have a child, and I''m getting a divorce-I made sure to tell York about it directly. As for Gaylord... I''m pretty sure I''ve mentioned it at work, so he should know too."


    The fact that Gaylord knew all that-plus the fact he was a few years younger- left Charlene genuinely surprised when she started to sense his feelings for her.


    Connie nodded in approval. "That''s good. I haven''t known them long, but I have a feeling they''re both genuinely into you. Maybe you should give one of them a shot."


    Charlene bit her lip, looking down in silence.


    Connie understood she probably hadn''t moved on from Thorne yet. It wouldn''t be fair to anyone else if she forced herself to start something new so soon.


    She was about to say more when York strolled over, a te of grilled meat in hand. He divided it between them with a warm smile. "Fresh off the grill. Let me know what you think."


    Snapping back to the present, Charlene didn''t want to brush off his kind gesture. She set aside her drink and epted the te. "Thank you."


    Right in front of him, she gently blew on the food and took a small bite. The whole time, York watched her, his gaze never leaving her face, a gentle smile ying on his lips.


    Charlene noticed, and a hint of embarrassment made her nce away.


    Still, not wanting to let his effort go unappreciated, she tasted it more carefully and then said, "It''s really good. Perfectly cooked. Thank you for going to all this trouble."


    "I''m d you like it," York replied, then added, "Is it too salty? Did I go overboard with the seasoning?"


    Charlene shook her head. "No, it''s just right."<fn7749> Follow current nov?ls on Find_Novel(.</fn7749>


    "Great." York could see she was a little ufortable, so he didn''t press. "Youdies talk-I''ll go make you some more."


    Charlene, who could cook perfectly well herself, felt bad watching him do all the work. "Let me help you."


    She had barely finished speaking when Gaylord appeared, holding out a te. "Here I made this grilled steak. Want to try it?"


    Gaylord, truth be told, was a disaster in the kitchen. Worried it wouldn''t turn out well, he''d gotten someone to teach himst night and had practiced several times, both ist night and this morning. After grilling, he''d even sampled it himself, and only when he was sure it was edible did he bring it over to Charlene.  s


    Charlene paused mid-step, looking at him. "You..."


    Gaylord seemed to sense she''d just realized how he felt about her and probably


    wasn''t sure how to react.


    He didn''t push, just smiled softly. "Will you try it?"


    Charlene hesitated, then epted the te. "Thank you."


    "No problem." His tone was as gentle as York''s, and he, too, knew not to be too forward. I''ve still got more meat on the grill. This is my first time, so if something''s off, just let me know, okay?"  s


    Caught in the moment, Charlene could only nod. "...Alright."


    With that, Gaylord turned away.


    York watched all this unfold but


    made no move to take the te from


    rox stop her from eating what Gaylord had made. Instead, he said gently, "You don''t have to ear


    everything we make. Just have what


    you like-don''t force yourself."  s


    Gaylord hadn''t gone far. Hearing York''s words, he paused, then turned and chimed in, “Right. If you don''t like it, you don''t have to eat it. Don''t feel pressured."


    Charlene managed a small smile. "I know. Thanks."