Page 27 of In Good Company

“What?” I ask. I sit up straighter in my chair, wondering what he means.

“Teach someone the recipe, walk them through it, and just happen to press Record while you’re doing it. Maybe then it’ll feel more comfortable.”

I smile as I mull over his words. “Your idea isn’t terrible.”

This makes him laugh. I love the sound of it. It’s deep and throaty and feels like a caress against my skin. “You’re so sweet, yet it’s so hard to get a compliment from you.”

My entire body feels flushed under his gaze. I blame it on the wine. Things are meant to be professional. I’m the one whotold him it was unprofessional for me to take the job in the first place. I’d be a huge hypocrite if my body was warming under his icy blue gaze.

It’s the wine, Lucy.

“I give plenty of compliments,” I offer, twisting the end of my ponytail around my finger. “Plus, it’s rich for you to say that. Do you ever give compliments?”

Cal shifts his body in the chair. His legs are so long that his leg accidentally bumps against mine under the table. “Should I be offended you think so low of me? I’ve complimented your cooking plenty of times.”

My mouth snaps shut. He’s right. I narrow my eyes on him as I attempt to hide the upward curve of my lips. “You’re right.”

He winks.

My stomach tightens.

I realize that despite his hard, grumpy exterior, he’s extremely charming. And that charm is working on me.

“I’m always right,” he points out as he stands up. “About time you realized that.”

I roll my eyes, following his lead and grabbing our empty plates. His arm softly brushes against mine as he reaches for the empty wine glasses. “It’s impossible for anyone toalwaysbe right.”

“Fine. I’m right almost all of the time.” He follows me into the kitchen. I set the plates in the sink and look around to determine how much of a mess I made. I try to keep my workspace as clean as possible when preparing a meal, but it’s impossible to keep everything pristine.

It’s quiet for a few seconds as we both get lost in our own thoughts.

I enjoyed tonight. I enjoyed spending time with Cal, something I never thought I’d say. There’s more to him than I thought. He’s got layers, layers I’d love to peel back and learnabout, even though I know that isn’t the most professional desire.

“Thanks for not letting me eat alone tonight.” My voice is quiet and rushed, not sounding anywhere near as confident as I hoped it would be.

“Thanks for the meal. It was delicious. And it was nice to have a normal conversation and not talk about business for once.”

“Didn’t you golf all day? Is that really all business?”

Cal lifts a shoulder as he tucks his hands into his pockets. “Everything is business here, Lucy.”

I pull my gaze from his and focus on the sink in front of me. I turn the water to its hottest setting, letting it rinse the plates and utensils in the sink before I soap them. “I’m happy to not talk business with you anytime.”

He smiles wide and freely, the gesture even reaching his eyes. “I’ll have to take you up on that.”

We stare at each other for a few moments, both of us locked in the moment. He’s the one to look away first. He pulls out his phone and looks at something on the screen for a moment before looking back at me.

“I’ve got to get back to the club. See you in the morning.”

I smile. “See you then.”

He doesn’t say anything else before leaving. The moment he’s out of view, I let out a dramatic breath, grabbing onto the edge of the countertop to steady myself on my feet.

I tell myself the reason I’m feeling light-headed is because of the hefty glass of wine. It wasn’t because of the butterflies that took flight in my stomach at Cal’s wide smile.

It absolutely wasn’t that. Right?

FOURTEEN

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