Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
dex
I leaned back against the island in my kitchen, watching as Winnie formed three hamburger patties from the mixture in the bowl. “I promise I didn’t invite you over for dinner tonight just so you would make it.”
“Ha.”
“You think I have ulterior motives?”
She laughed. “I think we have already established what your motives were when you came knocking at my door.”
Coming up behind her, I locked an arm around her neck. “Hey. I just came over to borrow some paprika. It was your fault things turned sexy.”
“My fault!” She placed the last burger on a plate. “How’s that?”
“You answered the door in this little outfit.” I put my other hand on her belly. “How was I supposed to resist?”
She playfully elbowed me in the gut. “Let go of me, you brute. I’m hungry. And I’m really not in the mood to lecture you about why a woman’s clothes should not be blamed for a man’s behavior.”
“Fine.” I let go of her and held up my hands. “I’ll take the blame.”
She handed me the plate and a wood-handled metal spatula. “Good thing I enjoyed it.”
“Then I’ll take the credit too.”
She turned me around by the shoulders and gave me a shove toward the patio. “Go put those on the grill for three minutes and then flip them over.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes. I’ll be out in a sec with cheese.” She glanced at the oven timer. “The French fries will be done in a minute, and as soon as I pull them out, I’ll stick the buns in there to warm them up. Do you like lettuce and tomato on your cheeseburgers?”
“Yes. Do I have any?”
She laughed and pulled the fridge open. “No. But I do. I’m going to run back home real quick while you get those burgers on the heat.”
I went out to the patio and did what she said, carefully timing the three minutes with my phone, then turning them over. Winnie came through the sliding door a minute later and placed a slice of bright orange American cheese on each of them.
“Sorry I don’t have anything fancier,” I said. “You probably eat your burgers with Brie or something. And make fries with real potatoes instead of from a bag in the freezer section.”
“Listen, you’re talking to a girl whose favorite dessert is a Frosty.”
I smiled at her. “True.”
She lifted her hair off her neck as if she was warm, and I noticed how the sunset gave it copper-penny highlights. I recalled my hands tangled up in it, my cock sliding between her perfect pink lips, and my stomach muscles contracted. I wanted her again tonight, and it wasn’t a good idea.
Quickly, I looked out toward the pool.
Dropping her arms, she fanned her face. “Whew. It’s hot out here, isn’t it? Want something cold to drink?”
A beer would have tasted good and maybe numbed some of what I was feeling, but I had to work in the morning. “Just water, I guess.”
“Okay.” She put a hand on my shoulder before heading inside, and it took a lot more strength than I’d have liked for me not to grab her arm and pull her back to me for a kiss.
I felt like a fucking teenager.
We ate side by side at my kitchen island.
“So the girls will be here this weekend, huh?” she asked.
I nodded. “I’ll pick them up on Saturday morning, right after my shift ends.”
“That’ll be fun. Last weekend before school starts, right?”
“Yes. I take them back to their mom Monday, and they start school Tuesday.”
“What’s your plan for the weekend?”
“Plan?” I picked up my water glass and took a drink.
“Dex! You have to do something fun for the last weekend of summer!”
“We’ll have fun.” I shrugged. “I’ll take them swimming. We’ll go for ice cream.”
“That’s fine, but you need something more than that.” She thought for a second, munching on a fry. “I know! Bring them over to Cloverleigh Farms for horseback riding. My dad used to take us when we were kids and it was the best.”
I gave her a look. “Whose horse?”
“We have a few there that belong to family. My cousin Whitney has one, my cousins Sawyer and Elsa have one, and the farm itself usually keeps at least two. We do hayrides in the fall and sleigh rides in the winter.” She grew more animated as she talked. “Do they like horses?”
“They like all animals.” I took a bite of my cheeseburger, which was definitely the best one I’d ever made. Too bad the girls weren’t here for this meal. “They’re still after me about a cat.”
Winnie laughed. “Just get the cat. I told you, I’ll feed it on your work days. It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I think it’s good for kids to have a pet,” she went on. “It teaches them responsibility and respect for living things.”
“You sound like Hallie. Just older—barely,” I teased.
She nudged me with her leg. “It’s all true. Your daughter is smart. She’s probably done the research.”
“She does love research,” I said. “Asking questions is her favorite activity.”
Winnie picked up her water glass. “What does she do with all her knowledge?”
“She writes stories. You should see all the notebooks she’s filled.”
“I love that. A curious, creative soul who loves to learn.”
“Almost as much as she loves socks.”
Winnie laughed. “I saw her swimming with her little aqua socks on. She really hates being barefoot, huh?”
“She really hates it. Just makes her too anxious to enjoy herself.”
“Hm. I wonder what she’d do if I offered to paint her toes for the last weekend of summer.”
I shrugged. “Not sure. I’ve never offered that before.”
“So let’s try it. I have to work Saturday evening—I’m helping Millie with a wedding—but I’ll be around earlier in the day. And I have tons of colors she can pick from. Maybe if she was excited about showing off her fun polish, she’d be less anxious about going barefoot?”
“Maybe. But don’t be hurt if it doesn’t work.”
“I won’t at all, I promise. Let’s try it.”
I was touched by her offer. “Thanks. That’s nice of you.”
“My little sisters used to let me give them pedicures all the time. I’ll give Luna one too.” Then she laughed. “You want one?”
“No,” I said firmly. “I have big ugly man feet and they’re going to stay big ugly man feet.”
She laughed. “Fine, be that way. And if you’re too busy, it’s not a big deal.”
“I’m sure if I mention it to them, they will be knocking on your door at eight a.m. Saturday morning.”
“Perfect,” she said. “I like getting up early. And if you want to bring them over to the barn this weekend, we can do that too.” She ate her last French fry. “Maybe Sunday would be good for that. Let me check with my cousin.”
Although Winnie offered to help me with the dishes, I refused to let her, since she’d done most of the work getting dinner together.
“I’ve got this,” I told her, placing both our plates in the sink.
“Are you sure?” She finished her water and set the glass down. “I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure. I’m used to it—at the station, they don’t let me near the food because I’m such a bad cook, so I’m always on clean-up duty.”
She laughed, leaning her lower back against the counter next to the sink. “I think a man who cleans is just as sexy as a man who cooks. Maybe even sexier.”
“I don’t think the guys at the station give a fuck about that,” I said wryly, turning on the faucet. “They just won’t go near anything I make.”
“It’s okay. Your talents lie elsewhere.”
I glanced over to find that wicked little grin on her face, the one that made the crotch of my jeans go tight. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She touched my arm. “Well, I should head out. Thanks for—oh! I forgot to tell you about my job offer.”
“Job offer?” I rinsed our plates and put them in the dishwasher.
“Yes. For a position as event designer at a boutique hotel in Newport, Rhode Island. I got an email today from the new manager there—she interviewed me in New York last spring and remembered me.”
“Nice.” I dumped the ice from her water glass and put it in the top rack. “You gonna take it?”
“I’m—I’m not sure yet. But I’m definitely interested. I just have to reply to her email and tell her so.”
I nodded, unnerved by the way my gut twisted thinking about her moving to Rhode Island. Why should it make any difference to me? “Cool. Congratulations.”
“It’s too soon for congratulations, but I’m kind of excited.” She laughed self-consciously. “And maybe a little nervous.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been asking myself that all day, and I think it’s just because it’s so far from home.”
I faced her, drying my hands on a kitchen towel. She looked so young with that apprehensive expression on her face. “Leaving home was the best thing I ever did.”
“Was it?”
“Yeah. I was restless. I felt cooped up here. I wanted to push myself, see what I could do.” I shrugged. “I had to prove myself.”
“Yeah.” She bit her lip. “I’m not sure I have that same kind of cooped-up feeling, but I do feel restless sometimes.”
“You should go for it. Don’t hold yourself back.”
“Thanks.” Smiling, she pointed a thumb toward the patio door. “Should I go out the back?”
“I’ll walk you,” I said, tossing the towel aside.
“Dex, I’m not a kid.”
I glared at her and headed for the back door. “Don’t argue with me. It’s dark. You know how I am.”
She sighed, but she followed me outside.
“Night,” she said, giving me a little wave. “Thanks for . . . everything.”
I folded my arms over my chest, wishing I had a reason for her to stay longer. Or at least touch her again. “You’re welcome for everything. Night.”
She headed across the small patch of lawn between my patio and hers. After I made sure she got in, I went back to the kitchen to continue cleaning up. That’s when I spotted her smoked paprika on the counter. Without thinking, I grabbed it and hurried out again.
Ten seconds later, I knocked on her sliding door. I could see her checking her phone in the kitchen, and she looked up in surprise before coming over to open it.
“What’s up?”
“You forgot this.” I handed over the spice.
“Oh—thanks.” She shook it and laughed. “Now I’ll always think of you when I use it.”
“Good.” We stood there for a moment, then I leaned in and kissed her softly. “Night.”