Chapter 13
Kaylee
“Come in!” I called. Bee was coming over to edit a few more videos she’d made. She was convinced she wasn’t ready to branch out on her own yet, though I thought she could do it. She had a knack for it.
Bee bustled in with her arms full of makeup and outfits. “Thank you, a million times,” she said breathlessly. “What would I do without you?”
“Ah,” I brushed her thanks away. “You’d figure it out.
” Taking an armload of the clothes from her, I piled it all up on the bed.
“We’re good to go, except my chef is going to stop by and drop off some meals since he didn’t make it by on Christmas.
He usually spreads out all over the island, so we should be fine to use the kitchen table. ”
In the middle of sorting through the outfits, Bee froze and stared at me. “You have a chef?”
Laughing, I grabbed her makeup case and set it up on my kitchen table to give her room to spread out. Plus, there was a window over the sink, so the kitchen half of the apartment had good natural lighting. “Well, I hate to cook. What else should I do but hire someone?”
“Maybe I’m going into the wrong field.” She continued to good-naturedly grumble as she sorted out all her stuff for reshoots. “Tell me about your chef?”
“His name is Wayne. He comes twice a week and sometimes cooks stuff here but usually, he makes meals he prepared at home and froze, so all I have to do is reheat.”
She wiggled her eyebrows. “And here I expected you to say he was a naked chef. You know those guys they get to come to cater, like, bachelorette parties and stuff?”
I blinked at Bee several times, processing what it would be like to have Wayne moving around my kitchen in nothing but a black apron. “That would be nice.”
“Why, is he hot?” She giggled and began unpacking her makeup.
I moved to my computer desk and opened my laptop. “He’s beyond hot.”
“Why haven’t you gone for it, then?” Pausing in the act of setting out several different pots and brushes, she raised her eyebrows. “He gay?”
My computer dinged its welcome song as I laughed.
“No, I don’t think so. Wayne and I are buddies, and that feels good.
Neither of us really clicks with the other, I don’t think.
He’s sweet, for sure, and I consider him a friend and care about him a lot, actually.
And though he is really delicious, I’m just…
not into him.” I shrugged. “Don’t really know specifically why. ”
Bee hummed. “Well, maybe he’ll think I’m hot.” She winked, and I channeled her sister, Bri, for a moment.
“Hey, maybe you should focus on your new career endeavors and not so much on the boyfriend-hopping. Get your channel going, get some money under your belt. Some independence. Guys like that, anyway, knowing a woman isn’t just out to be supported or whatever.”
She sniffed and grimaced but relented. “You’re right. It’s the most important thing and needs all my attention.”
Bee and I dove into her edits, and before we knew it, we’d edited three videos, including reshoots. It took nearly as long to get her ready for the reshoots as it did just doing the edits.
But we had a blast, talking and laughing about how she was going to be such a big internet sensation.
Lunchtime came and went, and no Wayne. When we finished, Bee packed up and left, and not five minutes after I helped her carry all her stuff downstairs, I had to open the door to another knock.
Wayne stood with a sheepish look on his face. “I’m so sorry. I overslept. You’re much nicer than the other client I was supposed to deliver to today, so I took hers first.”
I put a fake angry look on my face and stepped back. “Come in. You owe me an extra dessert, sir.”
He shook the bags as he came in. “Already done. I put a low-carb cheesecake in here for you.”
“Oh, yum. You can be late every week if that means I’ll get a free cheesecake.”
I shut the door and walked around him, taking a few of the bags off his hands and moving to the kitchen. I had all three bags I’d grabbed up on the kitchen island before I realized he hadn’t followed me.
“What’s with you?” I stared at him with one hand on my hip.
He was still in the middle of my apartment, halfway to the kitchen. His nostrils flared as he turned his head from side to side.
“Does my house stink?” I sniffed hard and moved closer to where he stood, a few feet from my bed.
Wayne shook his head. “No, I’m catching a really nice smell.” He wrinkled his forehead and kept cocking then shaking his head. After a couple more seconds of nostril flares, he seemed to snap out of it. “Anyway, sorry. I’ve got your full order, just a little late.”
“Don’t forget that cheesecake. I might have it for breakfast.” My stomach rumbled, reminding me it was past lunchtime, and I hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch.
After a moment of digging through the bags, Wayne pulled out a foil-wrapped flat, circular package. “Bingo. Sorry, I ran out of the little plastic containers.”
He brought my food in reusable containers that I washed and sent back with him every time he delivered.
Grabbing the cheesecake, I slipped a fork out of my drawer and perched on my bed with my legs crossed to watch him work. “You’re probably smelling Bee’s perfume.”
Wayne froze and eyed me. “Bee?”
“My friend. I’ve been helping her work on getting an online video going.”
He blinked several times, then went back to unpacking. “Like the videos you do?”
I laughed and waved my fork at him. “No, beauty blogging. She’s got a knack for it. Her videos are already starting to be picked up and watched, and she’s only done a handful.”
He grunted. “Well, cool. Nice to hear someone local getting some good results.”
“Hey, we’re local,” I said. “You and I both get good results.”
Wayne’s laughter made me smile. I did enjoy spending time around him.
“Did you get a break after all the pre-holiday insanity?” I asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “I did. My mom and sisters demanded it after I wasn’t around enough over the holiday.
” He shrugged. “I mean, they’re pretty understanding that I have to keep my clients happy if I want continued success, but still, they wanted me around for the festivities too.
” He pursed his lips at me. “And you? Did you spend time with your grandfather or have anyone over?”
I gave him a confused look, but he pointed at his nose. “I’m a chef, remember? I can pick up the different scents.”
“Oh.” I shook my head. “No, just Bee.”
“Bee…yeah, you’ll, ah, have to find out what perfume she uses.” He was almost done and started packing up the clean containers and his reusable bags.
“I’ll check with her.” I smiled at him and grabbed my phone to ask.
He stopped by the bed and handed me a napkin with one hand. His bags were in his other. He’d finished up. “Ah, okay. Well, I’ll see you in a few days.”
I walked him to the door and said goodbye again, then with great reluctance, put the cheesecake away.
It was time to get busy. I had to plan out my streams for the weekend.
My New Year’s Eve streams have always been my biggest. Too many people at home for the big celebration, I figured.
I wanted to do my best for them since they didn’t or couldn’t get out with other people. At least they’d know I cared.
By the time I had it all figured out, my back was screaming for me to move. I grabbed a hoodie and my running shoes and headed out to the coast.
As I walked along the water, more for peace of mind than for real exercise, I thought about Porter. I couldn’t help myself. I wasn’t sure what it was about him that made him more tolerable than most men I’d dealt with. Maybe it was the way he carried himself and was so sure of himself.
He didn’t seem like the type of man who would feel the need to tell me what to do or get jealous over stupid things. But then, he’d made his feelings for me known. He wasn’t interested in me.
That was an odd feeling. Usually, guys wanted me, and I had my pick of whether or not I wanted them. The bratty side of me just wanted to push him.
But for the first time, another first, I didn’t want to flame the fire. The drama of it all felt heavy and too much.
Either I was ready to settle down, or I was getting too old for games. Or both.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” I stared at my heels in disgust. I’d ordered this outfit just for tonight, and it included a glittery gold pair of heels, and five seconds after putting them on, one of the straps broke off.
I had no other shoes that remotely matched this gold outfit. It wasn’t a color I normally went for. I didn’t want to do the video barefoot, either.
Tapping the screen of my phone, I checked the time. Okay. If I were lucky, Holly would still be at the boutique. I was dressed and ready to get the lighting and stuff prepped before doing my hair and makeup and starting my stream.
But shit, I had to hurry. Rushing to the closet, I pulled out a long pea coat and buttoned it to the top, then stuffed my silk-stocking clad feet into a pair of fuzzy boots. Nobody would be able to tell all I had on was a gold negligee.
The boutique was a couple of blocks down, so not a long walk.
Except that the town was bustling with activity, people headed to the club or to Jace’s Place for the night.
I smiled and darted around people, clutching my coat close to me to make sure nothing flashed through to the people passing by, and made it to the boutique in no time.
As I reached for the door, my shoulder slammed against someone. I didn’t even have to look up to know who it was. The pulse in my chest told me exactly who I’d knocked myself into. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to that feeling.
I turned to find Porter grinning down at me. “You’ve got a habit of not watching where you’re going.” But he said it in a kind, humorous voice.
“I’m sorry,” I squeaked. “I’m in a hurry.”
“Can I do anything to help ease some of your tasks?” he asked, totally stunning me. Why would he offer to help me?