Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Chapter 61

Sarah's

POV

After the fair, things between Richard and me felt... different. We were still trying to figure out whatever this was, but I wasn't carrying that old weight anymore.

It was like, for the first time, I was actually seeing the side of him I'd always hoped to see. There was no tension, no carefulness, just us being us. And it felt good.

A few days later, he showed up at my door with a grin, holding up a small flier for a cooking class.

"Cooking class?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you cook?"

He shrugged, feigning casualness, though I could tell he was nervous. "I figured, if I'm going to make it up to you, I should at least learn to make something better than instant ramen."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, Chef Richard. Let's see what you've got."

The cooking class was in this cozy, little kitchen downtown, where a cheerful instructor greeted us with aprons and a kitchen full of ingredients.

The place smelled amazing-garlic, herbs, and fresh bread. I looked over at Richard, who was carefully tying his apron, eyes darting around like he was trying to figure out what exactly he'd signed up for. "Ready?" I teased, nudging him as I grabbed a knife.

He gave me a confident smirk. "I've got this. Just watch."

We started on a simple pasta dish, chopping vegetables and stirring sauces, the instructor giving gentle reminders about not burning the garlic or overcooking the pasta.

But Richard, of course, was determined to go big or go home.

"Here, let me add a little more oil," he said, pouring what seemed like half the bottle into the pan.

"Uh, I think that's enough," I warned, trying not to laugh as he raised an eyebrow, still so sure he was right.

"Trust me," he replied, swirling the oil around like a pro. "I've got this."

to sizzle... then pop, then-fwoosh-a small flame shot up,

the flames

long. "Nice going, Chef Ramsey," I snickered. "Next time, try not to burn the

"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted

an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Just a little less oil next time," she said, and Richard's cheeks

working through the recipe, and he stuck closer to the instructions this time. But every so often, I'd catch him sneaking glances at me, and I

somehow managed to plate a decent-looking pasta dish, and as we sat down to eat,

your debut as a chef?" I

fine. Maybe I'm not

did alright. I

long time. "Good to know I didn't poison you," he replied, his tone playful. "Thanks for trusting me with your life,

felt natural, like two old friends rather than

my chest, a quiet thrill that maybe, just maybe, we were moving past everything

we walked out of the class, still laughing over

he asked, scratching the back of his neck. "You mentioned

remembered. "Karaoke? Really?

chuckled nervously. "Maybe I need a drink or

enough, an hour later, we were at a karaoke bar, a place

flickered above the stage, and a small crowd was gathered, cheering each other on as

nudging him toward the stage.

"Oh, no way. You

flipping through the song list. Settling on something easy, I sang a little pop tune, laughing as I got the crowd to sing along. When I came back to the table, he was clapping, giving me

said, my

breath, glancing around the room as if he was about to face

stifled a laugh, trying to

flipping through the song list. Then, with a grin that told me he

out of rhythm, swaying awkwardly, and his voice was... well, let's just say he wouldn't be getting

was trying, giving it his all, and the crowd was loving it. Halfway through, he even