Page 27 of Grateful Hearts

“Chantel,” He said softly, stepping closer.

She finally glanced up, her eyes wide and with mortification. Her cheeks were still red. God, he wanted to kiss her.

He smiled and leaned down to press a quick kiss to her cheek. That would have to do. He didn’t want to scare her off.

“The bathroom is all yours. Make sure you lock the door.”

With that, he turned and strolled out of the bathroom. He could hear her mumbling something under her breath as he walked next door to his room. He chuckled to himself.Mornings with Chantel were never boring.

???

After jumping in a quick shower and getting dressed, Chantel threw her hair up in a messy bun and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

She flipped the light switch, and the kitchen seemed to come to life as the stainless steel appliances glistened under the lights.

Christmas music was playing from the small radio that Zach’s mom had in the kitchen. She figured someone forgot to turn it off before they all went to bed last night. However, she didn’t mind. She loved listening to music while she cooked.

The first thing she needed was coffee. She walked over to the coffee station and was thrilled when she found an actual drip coffee maker. She preferred those over the new pod-type coffee systems.

It appeared that everyone was still asleep. Well, except for Zach.

Chantel felt her cheeks warm again, thinking back to the shower incident. There was something about that man who did a number on her inside. It was strange because some people would say he was arrogant. And maybe he was, but it was a fun arrogant. If that made any sense. Whatever it was, add inhis good looks, especially his gray eyes and sexy smile, and she was…well, she was in trouble.

She needed to be careful. After all, this little holiday detour would be over in a few days.

She had scoped out the kitchen the night before and had pulled some of the ingredients she would need to make her famous banana pancakes. She walked to the refrigerator and grabbed the eggs, along with butter and two packs of bacon.

Getting to work, she stood at the kitchen counter, arranging the ingredients for pancakes, eggs, and bacon while humming softly to the music. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air.

As she whisked the pancake batter, Zach walked in, his hair still damp but neatly combed. He gave her a cheeky grin as he grabbed a mug.

“Need some help?” he asked as he walked over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup.

Chantel raised an eyebrow at him as she cut open one of the packs of bacon. “Are you just trying to redeem yourself after traumatizing me earlier,” she teased.

“Traumatizing you?” Zach smirked, sipping his coffee as he leaned against the counter. “If anyone’s traumatized, it’s me. I mean, you are the one who walked in on me, and you stole my shirt.”

“Oh, please,” she muttered, moving to the eggs and started cracking them into a mixing bowl. “You’re impossible,” she stated, a small smile playing on her lips.

“And you’re adorable,” he countered, flashing that infuriatingly charming smile that made her want to both roll her eyes and melt into a puddle.

She shook her head, biting back a smile. “Fine. If you’re helping, cut up those bananas without eating half of them.”

“No promises,” he said, grabbing the cutting board.

They worked in companionable silence. After cutting the bananas, Zach worked on the scrambled eggs while Chantel flipped the pancakes. The kitchen soon started filling with the aroma of breakfast.

“See?” Zach teased. “Teamwork. We’d crush it on a cooking show.”

“You’d get us kicked off for cracking jokes instead of eggs,” she quipped, nudging him with her elbow.

He went back to the eggs, but she continued to eye him with his sleeves pushed up, exposing his strong forearms.

He suddenly turned his head, and their eyes locked. For a moment, the world outside the kitchen faded. His gray eyes, usually so playful, now held a heat that made her breath catch. One look into them, and she knew she was in trouble. Her pulse quickened as the space between them seemed to shrink, drawn together by an invisible pull.

Zach leaned in first, his gaze dropping to her lips. Chantel felt herself moving, her heart hammering in anticipation. Her eyes fluttered shut, and the only sound was the sizzling of food cooking.

Just as their lips were about to meet, a loud “thud” echoed from the other side of the room.

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