Page 14 of Summoning my Grumpy Demon Boss

I’ve always thought he was handsome, too, but the way his smile lifts the corners of his generous mouth and somehow makes his green eyes look greener makes him striking rightthen, though I can tell my praise makes him a little uncomfortable..

He shrugs. “That? That was nothing. It’s the location that makes it. All I did was show it off.” With a jerk of his head, he indicates the tiles still spread out on the floor. “So, you happy with those? They look great. You have a real knack with colours.”

“Aw, thanks. I think I am. I wish Oliver would call, so I could double check with him, but I know you wanted to get on with it today, so I think we’d better get them.”

Luke nods. He checks the measurements on the display and I see him do a quick calculation, muttering to himself under his breath. “OK, well I should be right with a box of each colour.”

He takes out his phone and snaps a pic of my design, before gathering up the tiles into a neat pile. “Let’s go!”

Back at the house, I avoid the urge to hover and watch Luke work. Instead, I gather some shopping bags from my car and my purse. The walk down to the small local grocery store only takes about ten minutes. Kraken Cove isn’t a large place. It’s also perched beautifully on top of high cliffs looking east over the Pacific Ocean. The water is dark today, the waves small and choppy. A cold wind cuts over the cliffs and makes me shiver. I wish I’d had the courage to put on Luke’s warm jumper, but it felt too awkward with him right there. I put my head down andwalk down the hill through the reserve where the trees break the wind.

I’ve just stepped through the front door with two bags of shopping, the tip of my nose tingling from the cold, when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Hurriedly, I set down the bags, expecting Oliver. But when I look, it’s Nancy, our wedding planner.

Shit.

She’s been asking me for weeks to make a decision about the invitation stationery and I can’t. She’s presented me with three beautiful options perfectly styled and colour-coordinated to match the feel I said I wanted to go for. They’re all lovely. Any one of them would be fantastic. Yet for some reason, I can’t make the call.

Oliver’s no help. When I asked him about it, he just rolled his eyes and told me we were paying Nancy for that. He reassured me the expense didn’t matter, as if my dad wasn’t paying for the whole thing, anyway. But he won’t even look properly at the different options without yawning.

I’m just about to answer when Luke walks into the kitchen and I swipe down to dismiss with a sigh of relief. Nancy will leave another message and I’ll get back to her eventually. I’m not trying to be an asshole about it, I’m just not ready to choose. Not yet.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Luke gives me a little nod and walks behind me to pour himself a drink of water from the tap in the kitchen. He has his white baseball cap turned backwards, letting a couple of the dark blonde locks escape through the hole. Makes meremember him as a younger man, when he wore his hair long enough it curled.

When he wipes the back of his hand across his forehead a smear of tile dust remains, leaving an adorable little patch I have a strange compulsion to wipe away. Instead, I tuck my hands behind me and lean back against the counter. “You hungry? I was just going to make a sandwich. I could make you something.”

God, his muscles look amazing in that white singlet. I can’t help staring at the sleeves of tattoos covering most of both arms. They are amazing up close. So intricate. It really looks as though his skin was about to burst with fins and tentacles. I wonder how long they took to get.

“That sounds brilliant.” He gives me a wink. “You know, I could get used to this. You better be careful, or this reno will take me a whole lot longer than it should, so I can hang around and get spoiled.”

I laugh at his good-natured joking. Why is it so easy to be around him?

With some people, I feel awkward and shy, particularly if I don’t know them very well. Not with Luke. Something about his self-effacing humour is so reassuring. So welcoming. I never get the sense he’s expecting me to be something I’m not. I think that’s why I was so drawn to him right from the start.

I make the sandwiches and Luke makes us both a cup of tea and we migrate naturally to the living room, finding spots on the floral sofas that have been here ever since I used to come with my parents as a kid. Oliver and I haven’t redecorated yet, since we’re waiting for the renovation to be completed.

It’s funny neither Luke nor I even looked twice at the dark pokey dining room where an old fashioned polished table sits unused. I hate that room. Only one tiny window and decor so painfully outdated and ugly it makes me cringe every time I go in there. Even worse than the floral sofas.

Luke takes a huge bite of his sandwich and makes an appreciative noise. “Mmm. How is it possible to make a sandwich taste this good?”

I laugh. “It’s just ham, cheese and tomato. It’s nothing special.”

“I disagree. I think you have the magic touch. I need to introduce you to my brother, Noah. He’d want to pick your brain to learn all your secrets.”

I vaguely remember a loud kid with a huge grin and light brown hair that stuck up at the front. Really, he couldn’t have been much younger than I was back then. I guess he’s all grown up by now.

Luke proceeds to tell me all about the restaurant Noah is reopening next month on the ground floor of the family motel. I smile as he describes his brother’s fish burger sauce recipe saga and pokes fun at Noah's obsession with finding the perfect balance of flavours.

“It must be nice to have close siblings. As an only child, it was always something I longed for. Now as an adult, I harbor a desperate jealousy for anyone who had it.”

Luke grins. “Yeah, my brothers are pretty great. They keep me level headed, anyway. Nothing like two blokes who know all your weaknesses and embarrassing nicknames to keep your ego in check.”

I’m strangely sad when it’s time for Luke to go back to work. Usually, I have no problem spending time by myself, but it’s been so lovely just to chat and relax in his company. I find myself wishing he could stay and chat. Which is silly. He’s not a friend, he’s an employee. An employee who probably wishes I’d just leave him alone to get on with his work undisturbed, instead of getting all weird and clingy like someone’s lost puppy.

So, much as I want to poke my head into the ensuite and check up on him, I force myself to stay in the main area of the house. I find my sketchbook since I didn’t have time to pick up any paint or a canvas. Tucking my feet up under me on the sofa, I let my mind wander where it will, my pencil following across the blank white paper.

FOUR

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