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EIGHT
The aroma of eggs and bacon wafted into Adelia’s room, permeating the most delicious dream. At first, she was being carried down the beach by Tony with his dog running along beside them. The sun was shining, and a warm breeze blew in from the lake. But as they walked, the sun rapidly dropped below the horizon, and she was suddenly being carried up the stairs, through the house, and down the hallway. When she nuzzled into Tony’s neck, his smooth-shaven face had turned scruffy, and she lifted her head to discover Oliver was the one carrying her. He lay her on the bed and hovered over her, caressing her face with his fingertips before pressing a kiss to her forehead then her nose, then just as his lips were millimeters away from contact, her eyes opened.
She fully expected to be back home in her bed, but quickly remembered she was in the Schultz’s guest room. Her mind returned to the dream before all the details faded away. Why was she dreaming about her bodyguard?
She shook her head as she flipped back the covers and rolled out of bed. They’d had a nice conversation last night. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt so comfortable with a guy she’d just met before. And he wasn’t hard to look at either. But she couldn’t think about him that way. He’d been hired to protect her. He’d only showed up in her dream because of how well they got along. And maybe because she’d been staring at his sexy five o’clock shadow for a little too long. But that was all it was.
Throwing on a robe, she shuffled out to the kitchen to see what Oliver was getting himself into.
“Breakfast is served,” he announced at the sight of her.
She took a seat at the table, and he walked over and set a plate before her, which caused her to instantly drool over the fluffy scrambled eggs, golden pancakes, and crispy bacon. She inhaled the aroma as she poured a small puddle of syrup onto her plate then took her fork, cut a little bit of egg, a square of pancake, and a chunk of bacon, assembled them on her fork in that order, and dipped them into the syrup. She closed her eyes at the first bite, savoring the taste.
“Mmm. So good.” She opened her eyes and discovered Oliver’s gaze was fixed on her. “What?”
“Nothing.”
She quirked her brow and tilted her head. “I don’t believe you.” Again, she put the combination of eggs, pancake, and bacon on her fork and found him watching her again. “Seriously. What? Do I have food on my face or something?”
“I’m just fascinated by the way you eat.”
“I eat like any normal person does.”
“Not everyone cuts their food into bite-sized pieces and puts them on the fork like that.”
She held the fork in front of his face. “A little bit of egg, a piece of pancake, and a little bacon. The perfect bite!”
“Perfect, huh?”
“Yes.” She gobbled it up.
“I’ll take that as a compliment, since I’m the one who made all this.”
Adelia nodded. “It’s really good. But I could do without being watched while I eat.”
He chuckled. “Sorry.”
She watched as he took his fork, copied what she’d done, and took a bite.
“Pretty good. But would I call it perfect?” He stabbed and devoured a full slice of bacon. “Now that was perfect.”
She shook her head and went back to eating the way she wanted to. She didn’t actually care if he was watching her. And after the dream she’d had, she kind of liked it.
In the middle of their breakfast, the door suddenly opened, and Gus and Merritt entered the house.
“Morning, Deals.” Gus walked over and kissed the top of her head.
“Morning. Want some breakfast? Olly made it.” She gave Oliver a sly smile.
He rolled his eyes. “There are leftovers if you want some.”
“We already ate,” Merritt replied as she took the seat next to Adelia.
“What are you two up to this morning?” Adelia asked.
“We’re leaving for California today, and we wanted to check on you before we go,” Gus replied.
“That’s sweet, but isn’t that what you hired a bodyguard for?” She stared at Gus. “Without talking to me first, I might add.”