Wyatt laughed. “I absolutely love the fact that you m
ade mac and cheese as a side.”
“I wasn't sure what you'd think about that,” Lily said. “I just wanted to make sure that Maggie would eat at least some of this meal.”
“Good call,” Wyatt said. “I think it's genius. Love it.”
When everybody had a full plate in front of them, Lily sat down at the table. She poured Wyatt and herself a full glass of wine. She tried to stay calm, but was so nervous about this meal. It reminded her of the feeling she would get back in high school, when she was about to take a final exam. This was her last chance to get it right.
“Cheers,” she said, swallowing down her nervousness. “To the good meal that I've been promising you guys.”
“Here's to that,” Wyatt said, clinking his glass against hers.
“Cheews,” Maggie said, giggling.
Lily took a long sip of the Cabernet, then set her glass down. She watched as Wyatt lifted his steak knife and began to slice into the cut of meat. From where she sat, it looked perfectly done. It was medium rare and the center was just the right color of red. Wyatt seemed impressed. His eyes rose to meet hers.
“So far so good,” he said, with a playful smirk.
She bit her bottom lip anxiously. “Go easy on me if it's awful.”
He went back to work and finished cutting off the piece of steak. As he lifted it to his lips, Lily felt her stomach tie up into knots.
Please be good, please be good, she thought.
Wyatt popped the bite into his mouth. Almost immediately, his eyes lit up. He chewed a few times and then swallowed, before turning to face Lily.
“Oh, my God,” he said, his expression as serious as could be.
She wasn't sure how to take it.
“Is it bad?” she asked. “Please don't tell me I messed it up.”
He shook his head. “No, Lily. It isn't bad at all. Are you kidding me? This is incredible! Did you really cook this? It's perfect. It's tender and seasoned just right. It melted in my mouth.”
“You're joking me, right?” she said, smiling hesitantly.
“I wouldn't joke about this,” he replied, while cutting off another bite of steak. “This just might be the best steak I've ever had.”
He popped the slice in his mouth and moaned approvingly as he swallowed it down. “My God, Lily. I'm dead serious. This is amazing.”
Her eyes lit up. “Wow. I'm glad you like it. I really tried hard on it, but wasn't sure it was going to turn out that good.”
“It's better than good,” he said. “It's absolutely, positively perfect.”
Wyatt reached over and cut up Maggie's steak for her. “Honey, you've got to try this.”
“Is it salty?” Maggie asked innocently.
“No, sweetie,” Wyatt said. “It's so good. Trust me.”
Maggie took a bite and chewed it up. Lily watched as a smile crossed her face.
“Yum!” Maggie said, then immediately popped another piece of steak in her mouth.
Lily was floored by their reaction. She had to try it for herself. She quickly cut a corner off of her steak and ate it, surprised by how delicious it was. Wyatt wasn't joking. It melted in her mouth and tasted just exactly like a nice steak should.
I can't believe I'm the one who actually cooked this, she thought. It really is good. I don't eat much steak, but this is probably the best I've eaten.