Chase's POV

"Oh, hey, Chase. I didn't know you were in town."

"Thanks to Alexander for calling me. I see why he is horny. He's right about her being short, but she is very curvy. I better stop staring. Can't make her too uncomfortable yet."

"Yeah, just discussing business with a partner of mine."

"I'm planning on taking your girl."

"This is my new assistant, Ms. Sanders."

"It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Ms. Sanders." First, it was Cris and his wife. Now, Shane's assistant?

"Goodness, where do they find these beautiful women? She has a killer smile that would make anyone melt."

"I wanted to ask if your place was open at the end of November. I want to host an event there."

"Sure. Call my entertainment company, and we can book the date you need."

"Shane, can we keep moving? I can't stand too long on my ankle."

"Okay. It was nice to see you, Chase."

"Likewise."

They both walked past me and continued shopping. Of course, being the gentleman I am, I turned around to make sure they were okay. Ha! Yeah right. I turned around to watch Ms. Sanders from the rearview. "Have mercy on my soul."

Let me get out of here before I snatch her right now. So, I grabbed what I came for, paid for the food, and then left.

Bliss' POV

That guy gave me the creeps, just like Alexander. And I noticed him staring at me, like Alexander.

"Shane, is that guy a friend of yours?"

Shane's POV

"I wouldn't say we are friends, but I know him."

"Well, can you keep him away from me? He reminds me of Alexander - creepy and likes to touch the stuff he does not have permission to touch."

"Of course. So, what are we getting next?"

"How about we do this - go up every aisle except for personal care, feminine hygiene, and pet food aisles? Pick whatever you like. Your cart is meats and frozen foods. Mine is dry goods. And, for dinner, we need French bread and Italian sausages. I saw a blender in your kitchen, so that is why I asked you to get the Roma tomatoes. I am going to teach you how to make my sauce. I never buy store-bought sauce - most of them are too salty. I will go to the aisle with the spices and pick up plenty of seasonings."

"Okay."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you to look for expiration dates. A few things I have bought before had expiration dates on the packages."

"Got it." Bliss also told me to look for lower-sodium products. I have to admit - grocery shopping with her is fun. Bliss also told me certain non-brand products are just as good as big-name products.

When Bliss leaves my house, it is going to be difficult. I have to find a way to have her stay a while longer.

*Thirty minutes later*

Good thing I drove my truck. Both carts were packed. I even saw chocolate cake mixes in Bliss's cart. Once we met up, we made our way to the register.

The cashier tried hard to flirt, but I ignored it. The bagger was trying to flirt with Bliss. "Not even in your dreams, man."

She also saw the cashier trying to flirt. "Look, can you stop flirting with my friend and hurry up, please? I need to get off my ankle."

Wait a minute! On July 11, 2018, Bliss said I was her 'friend.' I will take it.

"Your total is $545.62." I was about to pay for the groceries.

"Shane, put that back in your wallet. It was my idea. So I will pay for it."

Bliss whipped out her card and paid for the groceries. The cashier gave Bliss a receipt to sign, and then we left.

As we walked back to my truck, "Thanks, you didn't have to pay."

"Yes, I did. I had to do something because I didn't want to feel helpless. I don't want to be a freeloader and overstay my welcome. And, besides, we have two more stores to go to."

"Okay. You can sit, and I'll put the groceries in the back."

"Thanks. The question is, have you ever been to Walmart?"

"Once or twice. But, it is hard trying to find things in there. The one not too far from my house is large."

"Hold up?! Do you have a Super Center Walmart in your area?! Mr. Billionaire, I am going to show you how to shop there. But not today. But we do need to go because you will need an apron. And, we can find a cookbook."

"Okay. To Walmart, we go."

********

It took us like 20 minutes to drive from the grocery store to Walmart. Once we arrived, I dropped Bliss off at the store's front entrance. Then, I went to park my truck.

"We can't stay long because we have food in the car. What we are looking for is near the cookware and utensils. And that is near the housewares."

I followed Bliss into the store. She knew the store like the back of her hand. Women were staring at me. I didn't have time for that garbage. One lady even followed us down the aisles. We found the aprons.

"Pick out which color you would like." While I was choosing an apron, Bliss approached the lady following us.

"Excuse me, but do you have a problem? You have been following us ever since we came into this store."

"How can anyone not admire Shane Landes? He is hot and sexy. But why is he with you?"

"Bliss, don't bother." She was about to go off on this lady. "Look, I got the apron. Let's go find the cookbook and get out of here."

The lady continued following us as we started walking toward the books. I couldn't take it anymore. "Look, lady, do I need a restraining order against you? Stop following us!"

One of the store guards overheard my conversation.

"Sir, is everything okay over here?"

"No, this lady here seems to think it's okay to follow us around the store. Then, she insulted my friend."

"Ma'am, you can't go around the store following people. You have two choices - leave this gentleman and his wife alone. Or, be permanently banned from this store."

She was stupid enough to stand there and think. But she eventually left us alone.

"Sorry about that, sir. If you have any more problems, please let me know."

"Thank you."

While walking to the aisle with the books, "Why, when people see us together, they automatically think we are married?"

"Which cookbook am I getting?"

"That Cooking For Dummies one. Shane, I know you are not dumb, but it is a good one to use. I have it at home and still use it a lot. Grab the cookbook right next to it as well. Then let's get the heck out of here because my ankle is starting to bother me."

I picked up the books and made our way to the register. I paid for the books and then returned to my house.

*********

By the time we got home, it was lunchtime. I parked my truck in the garage.

"Don't worry about the bags. I'll bring them in. Here is my key to open the door."

Bliss got out of the truck and went to the front door. But then she came back.

"At least let me help until I need a break. Your truck looks like we bought the whole store."

"Fine." She was right about that. My cabinets were thoroughly bare except for the salt, pepper, plates, cups, and coffee. It took both of us only ten minutes.

"Shane, do you mind if I rearrange your cabinets?"

"Sure, it is not a problem."

"First, I want you to take the dry ingredients and place them all on the island counter. I'll put the refrigerated stuff away."

The island countertop was loaded with plenty of items - seasonings, cake mixes, sugar, coffee, tea, etc.

"The seasonings, cake mixes, frosting, and sugar, put in the cabinet closest to the stove and oven. Then place the cereal and oatmeal in the cabinet next to that. You can put the cups, coffee, and tea in the cabinet above the Keurig coffee machine. And the dishes in the cabinet above the sink."

I did exactly as Bliss said. It only took me about twenty minutes to put everything away. "Go ahead in the living room. I'll fix lunch and bring it in."

I saw Bliss grimacing a little when she left the kitchen. So, I grabbed a glass to get some water. Then, I went to her medicine cabinet for some pain pills.

"Thank you. We can start dinner at 4 o'clock because the sauce will be the longest process. I put the sausages in the fridge."

"Okay. Lunch will be done shortly."

*********

Four o'clock came fast. We both had aprons on and now standing in the kitchen.

"You will need three large pots - one for cooking the pasta, one for boiling the tomatoes, and one for making the sauce. Cut an X into the stem end of each tomato and then drop into a pot of boiling water for about 2 to 3 minutes or until you see the skins loosen. I usually put eight tomatoes at a time in the pot."

So, I filled up the pot I used for the tomatoes and started boiling the water. It took about an hour to finish the number of tomatoes we had bought.

"Okay, the next step is taking the skins off and the seeds out. I had already set the colander in the sink. See this slotted spoon I have in my hand? You are going to use this to place the tomatoes in the colander in the sink. Run cold water over the tomatoes until they are cool enough to handle. Use a sharp knife to slip the skins off the tomatoes, then cut them in half. Cut out the small core at the stem end, and gently scoop the seeds with your fingers. Cut the tomatoes into strips or coarse dice."

I did precisely as Bliss instructed me. The skin came off quickly. So far, Bliss hasn't yelled at me.

"Great job so far. Now, put the tomatoes in the bowl on the counter. I bought fresh herbs to use for the sauce - parsley and basil. I also got fresh garlic, and we need two onions. I will show you how to cut each thing."

Bliss started cutting, then we traded places, and I finished. After cutting the parsley, basil, garlic, and onions, we proceeded to the next step.

"Heat the oil in a saucepan, then sauté the onion until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and half the basil, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. While that is cooking, let's start cooking the sausage. I usually take the casing off. Goodness, I need to sit down."

Without thinking, I lifted Bliss and sat her on the island counter. She said, "Okay."

"You are going to need a sharp knife. But first, you will need the largest frying pan that you have. Please put it on medium heat and put a small amount of oil in the pan. Then, slice the sausages and take the casing off. Once it is cooked thoroughly, transfer the sausage to the saucepan. Taste test time for the sauce."

I grabbed a spoon from the drawer and put some of the sauce on the spoon. Then, I handed it to Bliss.

Bliss gave me a thumbs-up and a high-five. "Excellent. You don't need to add anything else. Now, start working on the sausage."

I transferred the sausage to the sauce once it was done and got to work on the pasta.

"Ding dong!"

"I will answer that." It was Jessica, Andrea, and my family.

"Smells good in here. Hey Shane, we brought wine with us and dessert."

"Everybody can have a seat in the dining room. I just started the pasta. Dinner will be ready shortly."

"Where is Bliss?"

"I sat her on the island counter. She said she needed to sit down."

"Why in the world did you put her on the counter?" My mum was annoyed when I said that. So, we walked to the kitchen.

Bliss' POV

"Can you get me off this counter now?"

"Sure. Sorry about that." Shane slowly lifted me off the counter, then gently placed me down so my ankle would not start hurting.

"Where are the plates, Shane?"

"I'll grab them mu-." The next thing I saw was Adrian elbowing Shane.

"That was weird."

"Oh no! We were so engrossed with the spaghetti that we forgot to put the bread in the oven."

"Don't worry, honey. You can go have a seat with your sisters."

"Thanks, mom."

"Anytime, sweetie."

Shane's POV

"You big dope, you almost blew it. So, how did shopping go?" My mum asked me while she was prepping the bread to put in the oven.

"Shopping went great. Look in my cabinets."

While I checked on the pasta, my mum opened the cabinets. The pasta was done, so I followed the instructions on the package. Next, I carried the hot pot to the sink and drained the water.

"My goodness, I am about to have a heart attack. Your cabinets are fully loaded. And, now, very organized. Bliss must have had you organize it this way."

"She told me where to put everything," I said while grabbing a bowl for the pasta and a pot for the sauce.

"I'll get the pasta, and you carry the sauce. I turned on the timer to let me know when the bread is done."

"I'll be right back with silverware and wine glasses." So, we made our way to the dining room. While gathering enough for everyone, the oven went off for the garlic bread.

"I'll get it, Shane."

"Thanks, dad." Then, we both walked into the dining room.

Once everyone had their plate, silverware, and wine glass, "Everybody dig in."

Everyone passed their wine glass my way. After pouring some into each glass, I gave them back. Then, we passed the pasta, the sauce, and the garlic bread.

My sister says, "Bliss, did Shane really cook this? It is delicious."

Bliss looked my way, smiled, and said, "He sure did. The only thing I did was instruct him how to. Shane followed exactly as I told him. And I approved it. Tomorrow, I will teach him breakfast."

There is that beautiful smile that makes me melt. I surveyed everyone around the table, looking at how everyone actually enjoyed my cooking. Of course, I had help. Then, I flashed a smile.

"I could get used to having more occasions like this - with Bliss by my side as my wife."

**************

Thank you all for reading chapter 14.

Thank you all for the votes and comments. 😘