Page 43

My instructions were clear. I could use Tansy’s kitchen, but I better leave it in the exact pristine condition in which it was handed over. I’m scrubbing a roasting pan so hard, it’s past shining, and in dangerous territory of me scrubbing the metal coating right off. It’s been about twenty minutes since I’ve been out there. Either they are lip-locked, or they’re gone. I sincerely hope it’s the latter.
If they left, I missed my opportunity. I should’ve gotten an autograph for Charlie.Damn my pride.She would’ve lost her mind. Thankfully, Charlie is at her sleepover at Claire’s. If I would’ve had to bring her tonight, Shaylin and Nathan wouldn’t have gotten a word in. Charlie would’ve crawled up in Shaylin’s lap like a stray puppy begging for a new home. Maybe that’s why I didn’t get the autograph.
She took my guy. I don’t want her taking my sister too.
“Ugh,” I grumble out loud. Stupid, intrusive thoughts.He’s not my guy.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shit!” I squeal, the soapy sponge flying out of my hands, leaving a splash of bubbles all over the counter I just wiped down. “Dammit, Nathan. I told you not to come back here.”
Advancing toward me, he is not remotely dissuaded by my command. “Call me Nate.”
“Okay. I told you not to come back here,Nate.”
He’s looking at me like an adorably huffy toddler. “Let me guess, Tansy had to run out?”
I glare at him through narrowed eyes. “Great guess. She had to excuse herself to go take her pain medication.”
“Right. We wouldn’t want her ears to start hurting.” He flicks his earlobe coyly.
“What the hell do you want?” I’m not even going to try to hide my bitterness. It’s too much effort.Ah.Let the lava of my rage flow free.
“You never brought the bill.” To my surprise, he loosens his tie, then unknots it and lets it lazily hang free around his collar. Next, he frees two buttons on his light gray dress shirt. I don’t think he’s hypnotizing me on purpose…
But he is.
“There’s no working register. She’ll just send an invoice to the office.”
“Makes sense.”
He swaggers over to the other side of the counter where my Tupperware is neatly stacked. I couldn’t tell by his perfect dictation, but the way he’s walking gives him away. Long, lazy strides, like he’s moving but has nowhere to be. He’s tipsy. The restaurant bar is already stocked. I wonder if he helped himself. I make a mental note to tell Dex to tell Tansy she may need her restaurant to bill us for what I’m assuming was a very expensive bottle of liquor. While Nathan isn’t ostentatious with his money, he also doesn’t strike me as a hooch kind of guy.
“What’re you doing?” I ask as he removes the blue lid from the Tupperware holding the remaining egg rolls. There’s only a couple left. I wanted to bring them home to Charlie.
“These were my favorite. Everything was superb tonight, but these were…” He blows out a deep breath, seemingly unable to come up with an adequate description. “Did you try them?”
I shake my head before nodding to my protein drink on the far counter. The flavor is awful. Leave it to Protein Milk Extreme to ruin vanilla cupcakes. “I’m dieting.”
He scrunches his face in a mixture of disdain and confusion. Yet, at the same time his eyes sweep over me in a way that makes heat radiate across my skin.
“Why?”
I match his befuddled expression. “Usually people diet to lose weight.”
“Yes, believe it or not, I’m aware of that, Spencer. I’m asking whyyoufeel the need to lose weight?” There’s something hazy and warm in his eyes—like they’ve feasted, and they’re satisfied. It makes me feel suddenly self-conscious but also…seen. When’s the last time a man has looked at melike this?
Hovering my hands over my body from my shoulders to my knees is my only response.
“It’s confusing to me,” he mumbles as he removes the lids from a smaller container filled with the mustard dipping sauce.
“What is?”
“You’re so clever and intelligent. Yet you don’t see what everybody else does.” He dunks the egg roll into the sauce and crosses the kitchen with purpose. Cupping his hand underneath the coated end, he holds the egg roll to my mouth. “One bite won’t ruin your diet.” His eyes lock with mine, at first. Then they fall back down to my lips.
“No, thanks.”
“Spencer. It’s life-changing.” He flashes me a wicked grin that’s lined with flirtatious energy, jolting straight to my core.