Chapter 4 #2
“This is all I know as far as egg prep goes. Keaton said not to worry about omelets. I may actually try them, though, at some point. I’ve always enjoyed eating breakfast for dinner.
I’m not very hungry in the mornings. Just a little yogurt and fruit or a protein shake does it for me, but I love all kinds of breakfast foods.
I may actually test adding different things to eggs.
Ham. Mushrooms. Green peppers. Cheese. I think I could whip up a nice omelet for myself in the evenings with a little practice. ”
“Well, you’ve perfected eggs,” he complimented.
“Then let’s move on. I only have a few other items to test out on you.
After I talked it over with Layne and Keaton, we’ve decided I only need to put out a different breakfast every four days.
That’ll give short-term guests, weekend guests variety each day with no repeats, while those who stay a week or so, the summer guests, won’t get bored easily by our offerings.
I suggested that we place a small fridge in the dining room, so it can hold cartons of yogurt, milk, and juice.
Keaton just bought a deluxe toaster for the dining room, and that way, guests can make their own toast or even English muffins. ”
“Great ideas. So, what are the non-egg days like?”
“One day will be French toast. Another is pancakes. And I’ll also offer oatmeal.”
“Why are you frowning?”
“That’s been the hardest thing to conquer. I think I have it down, though. Oh, and I also need to try out sausage and bacon on you. Bacon is a little tricky.”
Over the next two hours, Piper walked Sullivan through how to make the remaining dishes on the Bay Breeze Inn’s breakfast menu.
She found as she explained what she was doing, she really had mastered all these items. He was complimentary about everything, even the oatmeal, though he admitted he really had never eaten it before.
“To be truthful, I’m not fond of it,” he admitted. “I think it’s the texture. It’s just…not me.”
“I get that. I had never eaten it either, but it’s good to know how to make it.”
The only thing he had not liked was the way she fried bacon.
“It’s not you. It’s me. Memaw made bacon every single morning, and she called it greasy bacon. Most people make it crispy. Actually, your bacon is really good. It’s crisp without being hard. I just have a preference for bacon that’s a little undercooked. It reminds me of Memaw and Pawpaw.”
She saw his eyes mist with tears. “You really loved them.”
Sullivan nodded. “They were my favorite people in the world. Good, kind-hearted, hardworking. I spent every summer in Maine with them until I was fifteen. They lived in a small town that reminds me a little of Driftwood Bay. It was in Maine, though. Baker’s Cove.
On the coast and just south of Portland. ”
“I’m sure the temperature of the water was different,” she joked. “The Gulf here is so warm.”
He laughed. “The Atlantic is pretty darn nippy. Of course, I’d go swimming with Pawpaw. He said cold water put hair on a man’s chest—and I believed him.”
She laughed. “I can see eight-year-old little Sullivan, shivering in the waves, longing for hair on his chest.”
Her eyes went to his chest now, wondering what grown-up Sullivan looked like beneath his clothes. Then she raised her eyes, her gaze meeting his, and she saw the heat in his eyes. They had now gone green.
Swallowing, she crossed her arms protectively. “Well, I guess I need to thank you for your time. You were quite the guinea pig, and I appreciate your feedback. I better start cleaning up.”
“I can help with that,” he said, his voice low and rough, sending a chill dancing along her spine.
“That’s okay,” she said quickly, turning away, her belly fluttering with unexpected butterflies.
His hand caught her elbow, turning her so that Piper faced him.
“Are you feeling this?” he asked.
She met his gaze, seeing his eyes now blazed a brilliant green. “Yes. But we shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” he countered.
“Because you’re leaving the Bay soon.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the time I have left.”
Piper bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she said hesitantly, wanting to kiss him.
Wanting more than kissing. But she had come home to start a new life and hopefully find love, just as her friends had.
Jumping into a fling, even if Sullivan was smoking hot, wasn’t who she wanted to be anymore.
She’d had her fill of quick, passionate affairs.
What she was looking for now was a permanent relationship.
Yet this man tempted her.
“Can I at least kiss you, Piper?” he asked, his voice smooth as silk. “Because if I don’t, I feel I might regret it. Forever.”
Against her better judgment, she heard herself whisper, “All right.”
Sullivan framed her face with his large hands, his thumbs stroking her cheeks. He studied her a long moment, causing her pulse to jump.
“You are beautiful.”
“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not. I’m pretty. Even vivacious.”
“Nope,” he disagreed. “I’m calling it. You’re beautiful.”
Then he bent and pressed his mouth to hers. His scent surrounded her, a mix of spice and maleness, causing her heart to race.
He kissed her softly, breaking the kiss and returning again and again.
She looped her arms about his neck, moving closer to him.
One of his hands stayed, cupping her cheek, while the other moved to the small of her back, his palm pressing her so that it caused her body to be flush against his.
She felt the heat emanating from him and wanted to burn in it.
Though she thought he would demand more from the kiss, he didn’t. His kisses grew firmer, but he didn’t push her for more. She opened to him, hoping he would, but he didn’t accept the invitation. Still, the kisses were hot, causing her temperature to rise.
Then he broke the kiss, his forehead resting against hers.
“That was nice,” he said, his voice rumbling low.
“It was,” she agreed, trying to steady her breathing.
He raised his head and gazed into her eyes. “I’d like to see you, Piper. Take you out. For dinner. A walk after.”
“Okay,” she agreed.
“Okay? Really?”
He sounded like a teenager who’d just been granted his first date, and that thought warmed her.
“Really. I think I’d like to get to know you better, Sullivan.”
His smile caused her heart to skip a beat. “That’s good. Because I definitely want to get to know the real Piper Roberts.”