Page 16 of Sugar Pie
She smelled fresh like strawberries when I passed. “We’ll manage.”
The shirt I’d lent her was next to the bed. We needed to get her some clothes. She would feel more at home that way… or she could walk around naked.
I pretended I wasn’t excited by thinking about her body. The shower water helped me clear my head. I wasn’t starting without any skills. I wasn’t sure how my brothers might have handled a year without having everything we ever wanted at a snap of the fingers. My adopted parents must have spent a short amount of time when they moved to the country in places worse than where I was, but they’d moved up fast.
Maybe that was what I needed to remember. I could try to channel my father’s sharp mind to revise my business plan since I’d lived there for a few days.
After I dressed and left the bathroom, I blinked as I saw Kerry making coffee. She was so close, even though we were in different rooms. My chest swelled. If she stayed with me, every day would be better, and it wasn’t just her delicious dinners.
I sniffed the earthly aroma of her coffee and heard the sizzle of the frying pan. My mouth watered when I saw her.
“Did you search the real estate ads for leads on houses you’d want to flip?” she asked.
My stomach rumbled. Eggs and toast would fill me. I rubbed my belly and made plates for us when the food was done. “No. Not yet.”
She grabbed our coffee mugs. “Then what’s the rush?”
I licked my lips and glanced at the percolated coffee in the pot. I wasn’t sure I remembered what home-brewed coffee tasted like, as it wasn’t my drink of choice. I would try, though. “I… I need to revise my business plan to make money fast, now that I’ve seen some of the town.”
“Towns are smaller than cities.”
My skin grew warm, and my heart beat differently near her. I was tempted to kiss her, but I put our plates on the table to get away from her.
“And it must be set here, in Greenville?”
I narrowed my gaze and returned to the kitchen for the coffee mugs. “It holds a personal place in my heart.”
She shrugged but let me carry her cup for her. “I hope you’re successful. You inspire me.”
Likewise. She made my pulse quicken. For no reason at all except that she was close, I felt whole. No woman had ever brought me both fire and cool calmness into my life. She was exactly what I needed. “Nothing to inspire. It’s just facts.” I needed to focus more and continue my research to get a clear picture for my construction company. “The area’s growing, an hour from the beach and two hours from Raleigh.”
She hadn’t moved, so I went back, grabbed the utensils, and stood over her.
“None of that makes me think ‘wow’ and think of anything needed for a business,” she said.
For a second, she reminded me of my father. He always said to study the area, look for places where there was a need or a want, and then deliver to clients what they wanted. I raised an eyebrow. “Where were you living before?”
She glanced at me. “Connecticut, which is total suburbia.”
My hair stood on end. The need to kiss her hit me, but I knew she wouldn’t appreciate that gesture. So I winked instead. “That makes sense for you. You’d be a pretty Stepford Wife.”
“Hey.” She put a hand on her hip and stood in front of the mugs. “You’re hating on Connecticut before I’ve even given you this plate I made.”
“I was just teasing you, not the place, but I’ll stop.” I placed a hand on my heart. “You know my weakness. I’d do anything for breakfast.”
She picked up the mugs and walked away. “I can’t live without it, either. Where are you from, Warren?”
I followed behind her and imagined my mansion in Beverly Hills. “LA and New York. I’ve been bicoastal for most of my life.”
She looked me up and down. “You do have the golden-boy thing going on. Were you trying to be an actor?”
I reached for the coffee, but she covered it. I raised an eyebrow. “No. Do I look camera perfect?”
“You know you do.” She moved her hand.
“What are you going to do today?”
She took a deep breath. “Find a job and get out of your hair.”
