Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
B lake took the keys from Paige and peered out the door into the garage. “A Beemer, nice.” He always appreciated luxury cars, but he’d never been obsessed over them like some guys.
Paige shrugged and slipped on a pair of shoes. The doorbell rang, and she jerked her head around.
“I thought you never got guests,” he said.
“You’re wrong. I get one guest every day.”
She left the garage and rushed for the door, and Blake followed her back to the foyer. Paige wrenched the large door open. A UPS guy stood there with a goofy grin on his face and a box in his hands.
Paige took it from him and set it down.
“Just one today. Looks like you’re slowing down,” he said, a tease in his voice.
Paige giggled, and Blake resisted rolling his eyes. He stood back, out of view from the driver. He knew he didn’t literally need to be Paige’s bodyguard, but at this point, from what he’d seen of Paige, she needed someone to look out for her.
“Naw, I’ll probably have five boxes tomorrow.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave her a wink.
“It’s a date,” Paige said with a giggle.
She shut the door, spun, and shook her box. She looked up and met Blake’s eyes.
“Are you spying on me?” she asked with a glare.
“No. But I am tasked with protecting you, so I needed to make sure there was no one sinister at the door.” He was being a bit dramatic, but he still hadn’t been able to figure out the situation here.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh please, It’s just Sammy. He’s here like every day.”
“He’s in love with you.” He didn’t know why it bothered him, but he didn’t like the idea of her hooking up with her UPS guy.
“Whatever. He’s just nice. But he’s a Libra, so even if did like me, we’d be very compatible.”
“You want to date your UPS guy?” It was so utterly cliché.
“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying…Oh, never mind. You’re just messing with me.”
She smacked him on the arm, and he chuckled, ready to let her believe it.
He wiggled the keys in front of her. “We should go, yeah?”
* * *
Blake grabbed a cart, and he and Paige perused the aisles. She snagged something from all the displays they passed and stopped at the berry table for raspberries and blueberries as well.
“Do you like smoothies?” he asked. There was no way in hades they’d be able to eat that much fruit before it went bad.
She shook her head. “But I love fruit salads. Oh look, I almost forgot the kiwis.”
She grabbed a couple of those.
“Are we eating dinner together and stuff?” he asked, the reality of their situation finally sinking in. He had to spend the entire summer with this woman who he barely knew.
“I think so. It’s easier to cook for two than one. Plus, groceries would be easier if we just got them together. You’re driving me around and staying at the house. The least I can do is feed you, so let me get the groceries.”
She was being more talkative than she had been before. He wondered what changed. Maybe she was just happy to be getting real food again for once.
“I can pay for my own food.”
“I know you can, but I’ll feel better if I feel like I’m helping out as well.”
He conceded. Lack of funds was not her problem.
He started grabbing various peppers and onions. “I’ll cook sometimes though.” He didn’t cook often, but he had a couple of specialties.
“What do you make?”
“Stir fry mostly. I could eat it every night with different meats and sauces.”
“Sounds good. But I’m not eating it every night.” She raised her eyebrows in a challenge.
They discussed a few other meals, and she laughed when he told her that he didn’t like potatoes.
“Everyone likes potatoes. Will you even eat French fries?”
“Nope. Not hash browns either.” Or tater tots or scalloped or mashed. He’d hated them from the time he was a child. There was no rational reason for it.
“You’re not human.” She huffed.
“Says the woman who has been eating only non-perishables for months.”
She snorted. “Truth. Oh, I want ice cream.”
She spun and froze. A couple of women were standing there. One smiled at Paige, but it was definitely forced. Here he was beginning to think that Paige was a recluse who knew no one, but these two had obviously crossed paths.
The other one, a short stocky woman with long dark hair, waved. “Paige, we haven’t seen you in forever. Where have you been?” Something about the way she behaved set Blake’s hair on end.
Paige seemed at a loss for words and Blake figured these women were frenemies at best.
“We just got back from Japan,” he said. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, but he didn’t think he had anything to lose. Debbie was always kind of a mean girl, and he hated it. She had many other redeeming qualities, but no one was perfect. Paige may be a little on the odd side, but he felt a strange need to protect her.
The tall woman narrowed her eyes. “And you are?”
“I’m Blake.” He didn’t offer any more of an explanation. He’d let them think what they wanted. “Paige, you were saying you wanted ice cream?”
She turned to him and nodded. He pushed the cart forward with one hand, placed the other on the small of her back, and led her away.
“You need to breathe,” he said. He’d never see her so wound up.
She let out the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you. I never know what to say to them. They’re sisters, and they’ve hated me since the moment I arrived in town. But they pretend we’re BFFs sometimes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Abby, she’s the tall one, is an artist as well. I think she liked being the only one in town. But I could be wrong. I honestly have no idea what I did to them, but they spread vicious rumors about me. Avery always follows along with what Abby does.”
He grimaced. “I probably didn’t help that. Sorry.”
She chuckled. “No. It’s a good thing they saw you. Perhaps the gossip will be in my favor now.”
He chuckled and followed her to the next aisle. Several flavors of ice cream were spread out before him. He opened a door and reached for the Moose tracks the same time she did. Apparently they had the same tastes in ice cream.
“Maybe we should get two,” he said.
“I agree.” She reached for another one and then proceeded to get two more flavors—cookie dough and strawberry cheesecake. He appreciated both of them.
The summer might not be as lonely as he thought it would be. By the end of this they might even be good friends.
“What’s up with all the junk food? No adult woman eats like this.”
She chuckled. “Emery was a health nut and he was too tempted by this stuff, so I wasn’t allowed to have it in the house. After he died, I guess I overcompensated. I’m a little addicted to sugar.”
He picked up the things he needed for dinners. Chicken, beef, and spices for stir fry sauces. Paige found mostly junk food. By the time they headed to the checkout line, she had three different kinds of cookies in the cart.
“Oh shoot. I forgot milk. You wanna get in line, and I’ll grab a gallon?” She waved him on to the checkouts.
“Sure.”
His phone buzzed just as he was getting in line. He pulled it out of his pocket.
Lukas.
How are things?
Good. Getting real food at the store.
’Bout time. No idea how she was surviving.
You and me both.
“There is no way that man is her boyfriend.” The nasally voice floated out from in front of him, and he jerked his head up. The two women from earlier stood in line not three feet from him. Both were facing forward though and didn’t see him.
“I bet he’s her brother or something. I’d heard he looked like a rock star.” Abby sighed.
“I don’t know. Did you see the way he was touching her?”
“Ugh. Maybe. They said they just got back from Japan. I bet he paid for the whole thing just like Emery used to pay for everything.”
“Yeah, I’m surprised it took this long to find another sucker to support her crappy art.”
“Right. I don’t know how she landed Emery let alone a man like that. Did you see the muscles on him?” She made a low whistle sound. Blake rolled his eyes. Yes, he worked out, but it wasn’t to get attention from women.
“Oh, I bet you’re right. Maybe he’ll stay in town for a bit. We can get to know him.”
Abby waved a hand in her face. “That would be nice, but can you imagine having Paige as a sister-in-law? He has to be her brother. There’s no other explanation.”
He gripped the handle of his cart. These were the type of women who never grew out of that high school drama, who thrived on making others feel like crap.
He should defend Paige, but he knew nothing about her past marriage or much about her at all except that she was an amazing artist. The cart moved and he flicked his eyes down. Paige was dumping in a gallon of milk, a block of cheese, and several cartons of yogurt.
She gave him an apologetic smile. “It’s been a while since I had real dairy.”
The women in front of him whipped around and saw them. Their faces turned beet red. Blake still had no words to defend her, but one thing was clear. Those women thought that Paige was beneath him somehow.
He would show them that she most certainly wasn’t.
Without warning her, he leaned down and kissed her.