Page 24 of Steady and Strong

Conor shrugged. “This place had been newly renovated when Russo Enterprises bought the building a couple of years ago. Obviously, the previous owners liked to cook. I kept everything the same when I moved in. I’m happy this kitchen will finally be used the way it was intended because it’s wasted on me and my delivery-style dining.”

“You’re killing me, Smalls,” she murmured.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not even sure how some of this stuff works or what it’s for,” Conor confessed.

Luca laughed, but Harper didn’t find a damn thing funny about a kitchen this beautiful going unused.

“I’m going to teach you how to use every single thing in here. I don’t care if it takes me weeks, months, years,” she claimed.

“Years, huh?” Conor shifted next to her, his expression suddenly very serious. “I need to warn you. I’m a very slow learner. It might take a lot of meals before I get the knack of things.”

Luca burst out laughing again, and this time, Harper joined in, smacking Conor’s forearm. “You’re shameless, both of you. Preying on my kindness and killer cooking skills.”

“Did she tell you what she was making, Conor?” Luca asked.

He shook his head.

“Shrimp and grits,” Luca said.

Conor’s eyes widened. “Now I understand that marriage proposal because I suddenly feel the desire to issue one of my own.”

Harper rolled her eyes, secretly delighted by their playful flirting. Not that she was taking it seriously. Conor was obviously interested in Luca, and she had a sneaking suspicion that Luca—the charmer—flirted with every woman he met.

Even better than the flirting, though, was Conor’s joke. He was more at ease here, the man actually wearing—gasp—blue jeans. Though to be fair, the dark denim was crisp and looked brand-new, not at all broken in like every single pair she’d seen Luca wearing over the past couple of weeks.

In a fun twist, Luca had traded his jeans tonight for a nice pair of light khaki Chinos.

“Okay. Tour first, please, Conor,” she said. “Then the three of us are going to get down to business in this kitchen. We’re going to give all these lovely appliances a workout.”

Conor gestured back toward the living room. “You’ve obviously seen this room.”

“Have you read all these books?” Luca asked.

Conor shook his head. “Not all but most. I tend to read the books I buy for myself first. Apparently, I have a reputation as a reader because most everyone in my life buys me books as gifts, and not all of them are ones I particularly want to read. I keep meaning to donate a bunch to the library, but I never seem to make time to go through the shelves and purge.”

“I can see why. It would be quite an undertaking,” Harper pointed out.

Conor sighed. “Yeah, well, I’m going to have to break down sooner rather than later because I’m out of room. Can’t cram any more books on these shelves.”

“If you want to keep procrastinating, let me know. I can build you more shelves.”

Harper couldn’t tell if Luca was serious or joking, but Conor looked touched by the offer.

“I might take you up on that,” he replied softly. “If you’ll follow me,” he started down the hallway, “while the kitchen wasn’t much of a selling feature for me in terms of buying this place…”

Harper groaned.

“This room sold me in an instant,” Conor continued, opening the door.

Luca whistled as Harper’s eyes widened when they stepped inside.

“Whoa. I thought I loved your kitchen, but this room…” she said.

Conor led them into the largest theater room she’d ever seen. There was enough seating for at least fifteen people on four different stadium-style levels. Every plush leather recliner had its own drink holder and faced a huge TV that covered one whole wall. In the back of the room was a refreshment area, complete with a full-sized refrigerator, popcorn machine, hot dog oven, and an honest-to-God glass cabinet filled with movie-theater-size candy.

“Conor.” Luca walked in, looking as awestruck as Harper felt. “Holy shit, man. I’m pretty sure I could live in this room.”

“I love movies as much as books,” Conor admitted. “Both are great ways to escape real life for a little while.”

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