Dr. D Spills the Tea

Cook

The house was ripe with stress and the smell of adobo chicken.

Theo knew that was one of Phil’s tells. The more pressure he was under, the more he cooked, and, from where he was standing over a piece of paper resting on the kitchen counter, chewing vacantly on the end of a Blackwell engraved pen, it was clear her was plenty stressed.

Aware that his presence hadn’t been noticed, Theo came up behind his favorite person, pulling him tight to his chest. “Honey,” he sang, giving Phil a kiss on the cheek, “I’m home.”

Phil managed a small smile, leaning back against him.

Still, his eyes were stuck on the paper.

“Working on a new recipe?” Theo deduced, glancing down at Phil’s handiwork. From time to time, he’d create his own recipe, prepare it, and take it to work for a taste test. Typically, the reviews were great but, as with everything, there was always a critic. The critic, it seemed, was the Head Chef Emil Bronson. It was obvious, at least to Theo, that he had a real jealousy streak and took it out on his fresh, favored sous chef. Phil was biting his pen again, looking agitated, and Theo felt his jaw tick. “What did he say to you this time?”

“It lacked spice and originality.” Phil scrunched his nose, clearly outraged.

“Ouch.”

“Right? It’s a twist on a traditional Spanish dish. Add any more spice and all you’d taste is jalapeno.” Smacking his pen down, he added, “He basically called it trash in front of everyone.”

Theo expected as much. “Did you ever consider that guy might be full of s**t?”

Frowning, Phil leaned further back into him and Theo nuzzled into his neck. “Did you ever consider that he might be right?” He sounded so downtrodden, like his self-esteem had just been crushed. It was frustrating that one i***t at work could cause such a negative reaction in Phil.

“Not for a second.” If there was anything his partner was great at, it was cooking.

“You sound so sure.”

“That’s because I am. You’re amazing. Your food is amazing. You should have more faith in yourself.”

“It’s so weird hearing you use a word like faith,” Phil chuckled, glancing back at him. There was a playful gleam in his eyes and he wore the smile Theo had been searching for.

“Hey, I go to church.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Phil turned to properly hug his partner, pressing his face into his neck. “I just want Diana to be back already so we can get everything in motion. I just feel like I’m standing still.”

Smoothing his hand over Phil’s back, Theo wondered if that wasn’t what was actually bothering him in the first place. They’d wanted children for so long and finally, they were reaching the finish line of the surrogate dilemma. Now that things were starting, they were both feeling a bit impatient. Still, Theo was certain giving Diana just a bit of time—and maybe a small push or two in the right direction—was just the ticket to keep her on board with the plan.

Besides, he had Audrey and Brent to keep him up to date on what was happening.

Theo made it a point to be well-informed in all affairs, personal or business.

“I would like to set up a dinner date with Diana to visit your restaurant.” Theo had been thinking about it for a while, hashing over what should be done about Chef Emil.

“Oh, really?” Phil piped up, surprised. “I can set up a reservation for you.”

“No need,” he said, kissing his forehead. “It’s already been booked.”

“When did you do that?”

Theo shrugged, planting a small peck on Phil’s nose.

“What date did you book for?”

A small peck to the mouth.

“Theo, you’re doing it again.”

Another kiss.

“Theodore.”

With a smile, Theo decided to play dumb: “Do what?”

“The thing,” Phil mumbled against his mouth. “You know, the thing you do when you don’t want to talk about something.”

“Oh that.”

“Yes, that.”

Theo smiled, running his thumb across Phil’s bottom lip. “I don’t do that.”

“The hell you don’t.” Phil’s quirked a challenging brow.

Ah, so he’d been caught. Quickly changing the subject, Theo muttered, “Have you spoken to Diana?”

Phil didn’t miss a beat. “Have you spoken to Brent?”

So he’d been caught on both accounts, then. “Yes.”

Phil glared up at his husband who smiled sweetly down at him. “Well, also a yes for me.”

“So?”

“So?” Phil chirped. He could be so cranky when he felt left out.

“Brent says she’s on to us.”

“By us, you mean you,” Phil muttered, pinching Theo’s cheek.

Gripping Phil’s hand, he pressed his palm to his mouth, giving a soft kiss. “Yes, yes. What did she say?” Phil puffed his cheeks. With an even sweeter expression, Theo murmured, “Please?”

“She . . . likes him, I think.”

Theo’s smile was wide and triumphant.

Phil rolled his eyes. “As a potential partner, of course.”

“Of course.”

“For work, I mean.”

“Uh huh.”

Theo waggled his eyebrows and Phil shook his head with a wry chuckle. “You’re a little crazy, you know that?”

Leaning closer to Phil, now nose to nose, Theo beamed. “It’s working.”

“For now,” Phil warned.

Even closer, their lips grazed as Theo whispered, “It’ll work.”

Turning abruptly form the kiss, stubbornly putting his back to Theo, Phil picked up his pen once more, tapping it rapidly against the counter. “We’ll see.”