Page 6 of Housebroke

“Not a problem. This smells amazing.”

“Thanks. I like to cook, and I went to the store today so it’s all fresh.”

He dug into the food, and since she was hungry, so did she, only occasionally slanting surreptitious glances toward him. Since the dogs got their cues from her and she’d accepted him, they had as well, though as with all strangers, they kept their distance, preferring to monitor Linc from across the room.

He finally looked up at her and smiled. “This is exceptional.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. You can more than cook, Hazel. I’ve had plenty of excellent food in my lifetime, and this is... perfection.”

“Really?” She’d rarely gotten compliments on her cooking from her ex-husband, who had always mindlessly shoveled food in his mouth and then left the table without a word. So to get praise like this was a boon to her sorely battered ego.

“I did forget to get bread. It’s much better with bread, but it’s too hot to make it in the oven right now.”

He arched a perfect brow. “You make bread, too?”

“When it’s a little cooler outside I can.”

“Wow. Amazing.”

When she finished the small plate she had made for herself, she leaned back on her barstool. “So, while you’re doing your fixer-upper thing, what do you eat?”

He shrugged. “Sometimes I’ll make a sandwich or whip up eggs for breakfast. Otherwise, I’ll find a local chef who can curate some meals for me and I’ll pay extra for that.”

An idea immediately formed in her head. Then again, she didn’t really know him. Like at all.

“How do you know Greg?”

“We’ve worked together a few times, doing some investment projects.”

“So he’d vouch for you. You know, confirm you’re not a serial killer.”

He laughed. “Uh, yeah, I think so.”

“Excuse me a second.”

She disappeared and stepped outside, making yet another call to Ginger and Greg, who probably had second thoughts about their friendship with her. But Greg confirmed that Linc was a good guy and she had nothing to worry about, though Ginger asked why she wanted to know and if he’d done anything wrong. She assured her friend that he’d been a perfect gentleman and was even allowing her to stay for a few extra days. When Greg confirmed that was the Linc he knew, she felt immensely better.

When she got off the phone, she had a plan formulated. Linc would probably never go for it, but it might buy her some time to figure things out. She pulled up to her spot at the peninsula andsaid, “You must burn a ton of calories while you’re doing your... your thing around here.”

“You could say that.”

“Wouldn’t it be great to have an on-call chef to cook for you?”

He cocked his head to the side and studied her for a few seconds, then said, “Go ahead and tell me your idea.”

She leaned forward. “Okay. Say the dogs and I stay here while you’re renovating. I promise you we are very good at not getting in the way. And while you’re working, I cook for you.”

“You know I’m demolishing the kitchen, right?”

She shrugged. “There’s a kitchenette in the guesthouse behind the pool. Has a mini stove and an oven. Plus there’s the grill out back. Trust me when I tell you that I am very resourceful when it comes to cooking.”

“And in exchange, you’d only want the ability to crash here.”

“Not exactly. I still have to take care of the dogs and I have other expenses, so I’d expect a minimal salary.”

“We can discuss that. But first you tell me how you ended up here, in an empty house, with five dogs and no furniture.”

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