Page 51 of The Charmer

"Your grandmothers seem to be very involved."

"They’re the soul of the family. Very outgoing too."

"And your grandfathers aren't?"

"They mostly keep to themselves. They’re either at the house or out on the bayou, fishing. My grandmothers mostly attend events together."

"Whatever works for them is good."

After we finished eating, we moved on to the dessert.

"I admit, this isn't my favorite king cake in the city," Julian said, "but it’s good enough."

"Which is your favorite?"

"The one our bakeries make, of course." He winked.

"And you're still not bragging?" I challenged.

"Maybe I am a bit, but it really is the best."

"I like this one too."

King cake was pure happiness for me. Well, honestly, any kind of cake was.

“What’s your favorite dessert?” Julian inquired.

“Bananas Foster. Yours?”

“Don’t think I have one.”

My jaw dropped. “I’m trying not to judge... but I am judging.”

We both laughed, then focused on the cake.

Once we'd finished, I started to put all the containers in the paper bag, but Julian stopped me., "No, I'll do this. Let’s get you on the couch."

“My ankle's fine. I can walk on my own, Julian.”

“It's doing fine because you're not putting any weight on it. Don't move more than you should."

I put my hands on my hips. "I'll have to get around on my own anyway because I intend to shower. Or do you have a solution for that?"

His eyes flashed, and I sucked in a breath. Then his gaze went down to my lips.

Holy shit. I was starting to believe he’d had very specific thoughts about me in the shower.

The tension increased with every passing second. His nostrils flared, and he glanced at the floor. "Try to keep moving to a minimum."

He stood up, putting everything in the containers and then taking the cutlery to the sink and washing it. I was tempted to jump to my feet just to see what he would do, but when I put my foot on the floor and tried to push myself up, I realized he had a point. It felt tender when I put weight on it.

So I stayed put, drinking him in instead. It was perplexing to see him washing dishes in his tux. It wasn't fair, but I couldn't help comparing him to Kyle. He refused to do absolutely anything. Throughout his life, he always had employees to do all the chores. It was unnerving.

After Julian finished, he dried his hands and turned to me. He looked so damn hot, standing there at my kitchen sink. That tux truly was amazing on him.

Though it would look even better off.

"I'll be on my way now," he said. "Let me know if your foot is still tender tomorrow."

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