Page 28 of Idle

Shrugging, Bo replies, “Suit yourself.” He presses a button to turn on the blender. Over the whirring, he yells, “Shit. I forgot the chia seeds. Could you get me the bag? It’s over there.” He uses his chin as a pointer.

Even though Jesse’s next to the cabinet Bo indicated, he doesn’t move to respond. Of course he doesn’t.He’s a cave dweller. To be fair, he’s been pretty considerate since we’ve been here, hitting several items on my checklist. Still, he’s not hitting them today.Certainly not boyfriend material.I walk over to the cabinet, take out the bag, then stomp back to the island and hand it to Bo. “Here you go.”

He shuts off the blender. “Thanks, doll.” He grabs the chia from my hand, twists the lid, and plants a tiny kiss on my cheek. This is our first sexual contact. I wait a beat for a zap of energy to ring through my body . . . but it doesn’t. Must’ve been too brief an encounter.

“I’ll leave you two be.” With that pronouncement, Jesse strides out of the kitchen.

“That guy’s a real winner, Paige. How’d you get teamed up with him? He doesn’t seem your type.”

Like yourself? Actually, Bo’s a good fit for me. Tall and good-looking with manners in spades that tick off the items on my checklist, like putting a package of flavored water in the fridge for me. Hell, he even stayed late to help me clean up the apartment after the graduation party. Jesse sure didn’t.

“He’s friends with my brother and cousin.” I respond. “My older brother and even older cousin,” I clarify.

“Ah. Now it makes sense.” He pours the green shake into a glass. “Are you excited to start in on the kitchen area today?”

“I am.” My automatic response is punctuated with the buzz in my body that was missing from his kiss. “I really am.”

“Yeah. Kitchens are my favorite rooms in the house. They allow for so much creativity.”

“True. Although, I’m a primary bedroom suite type of gal myself.” I can’t wait to get my hands on this debacle in our apartment, assuming we make it to the finale. Oddly, after one round, I nowwantto make it to the end of this contest and not only as a way to stay out of my parents’ house. This is actually fun.

After Bo rinses the blender, I hand him his mug of coffee. “It’s black. Didn’t know how you like it.”

His eyebrows wiggle. “I’ll take it however you want to give it to me.”

Heat rises up my neck. “I meant the coffee.”

“I didn’t.”

With that, Bo turns and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me breathless. Taking a few minutes to calm down and finish my yogurt, I place my spoon in the dishwasher and sit on the stool to drink my coffee.

Frank and Robbie walk into the kitchen. “Hi there. How’s it going?”

“Good. You?”

“Great,” Robbie replies for the pair. “While this isn’t Miami, the weather’s still good and we took a long walk on the High Line after breakfast. Love the sculptures.”

I sip my coffee, listening to the men discussing the various things they saw during their walk. They make a cute couple. Hope this isn’t only for show, though. My parents seem to be the perfect couple out in public but at home, it’s a different story. Remembering the vases breaking, I amend. Averydifferent story.

“So, are you guys ready to tackle this week’s assignment?”

“Sure are,” Frank says. “We felt badly that the sisters were kicked off, but we understand they didn’t finish their moldings. Can’t expect to win this if you don’t finish.”

I place my empty mug down onto the counter. “Yeah. Too bad, though. Considering—”

Nancy’s voice in the living room carries.

Frank answers for all three of us. “Weallknow.” Everyone chuckles.

I check the time on the microwave. “Guess we should start our days. Good luck, guys.”

“You, too.”

Picking up my tote bag, I walk into the living room and spot Jesse sitting on the sofa talking with Mary Anna. For a split second, my entire body freezes. Shaking my head, I yell, “Hey, Jesse. Ready?”

The perfect length of his sandy brown hair swishes when he reacts to my question.Why did I notice that?He places his hands on his thighs and stands. “Let me get my notes and tools and I’ll be right out.” He disappears toward the bedrooms.

Mary Beth asks, “Excited for today?”

---