Page 4 of Protecting Clove (Loved by the SEAL #5)

R ider didn’t see Clove until Wednesday. He’d had a rough day at work and was coming home very late. It was almost nine, and he was surprised to see Clove sitting outside. She stood when she saw him and shoved her phone in her pocket.

“I wasn’t waiting out here for you. I was on the phone until just a moment ago.”

He lifted his chin. “Didn’t think you were.” The scent of something delicious hit him, and he groaned.

She cocked her head to the side, looking way too cute for his tired mind to deal with. “What?”

He should have said nothing and gone inside, but he was exhausted and hungry. “That scent is heavenly. What is it?”

“Chicken pot pie. Want some?”

He closed his eyes. He shouldn’t. It would be wrong to take her food.

They weren’t in a relationship, and he shouldn’t even encourage a friendship.

But the chicken pot pie smelled so good, and he only had sandwich fixings for dinner.

What made it worse was he hadn’t eaten since lunch.

They’d been dragged into a meeting and held until late.

Right now, all he wanted was to eat and go to bed.

“I don’t want to take it all.”

“Please, how much do you think we eat? I needed to try out a new recipe for crust before I teach it next week.”

He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. He paused for a second, weighing the options as he glanced over at his door, then back to her. “Let me store my stuff, and I’ll be over.”

“Sure.”

In less than five minutes, he was at her door, knocking softly. She opened the door and let him in.

“Neo sleeps deep, so don’t worry about waking her. Would you like anything to drink? I have wine and beer.”

“I’d better not. I have to be back at base at seven. I need a clear head.”

Clove pulled a plate out of the microwave and put it in front of him. The slice was large, and he appreciated that she took into account he would eat more than her.

The scent was better than anything he’d ever eaten, but the first bite was even better.

It was like a party on his tongue. He closed his eyes and let the flavor sit in his mouth as he experienced it.

The first bite almost made him want to cry and shout for joy.

This was the perfect meal to come home to after a really bad day at work.

“You like it?”

He opened his eyes and zeroed in on her, seeing the worry on her face. “This is the best food I’ve ever eaten. I mean, really, it’s so good. I guess it’s because you’re a real chef.”

“Well, I’m a pastry chef, but I do know savory, too.”

“What’s the difference?” He shoved another bite into his mouth, thinking he could eat this every day for the rest of his life and be happy.

“Pastry chefs specialize in bread and sweet treats. I know savory, too, but only because I spent a few years being a line cook, then a sous chef at a restaurant.”

He swallowed his latest bite and met her gaze. “So when did you switch to teaching from working in a kitchen?”

“When I was pregnant with Neo. Before her, I worked ten hours a day, and you can’t raise a child that way. I started teaching in another state, and then when I took off, I moved to Colorado and just got the job here in San Diego last year.”

“Do you like it? Teaching?”

She shrugged. “It allows me to be home with Neo in the afternoon and evening. I’m trying to save up money to send Neo to a private school, which is why I deliver groceries on the weekend. I know she won’t last long in public school.”

He nodded. “Yeah, she’s something else. However, I don’t know much about the school system. I think they have some really good schools for smart kids, though.”

Clove shrugged. “She is a good kid, but I worry about her. She has a few friends at daycare, but they don’t understand her. She blows the workers away, too. At the last place we were at, the director asked me to leave because she was arguing with the workers.”

“Arguing about what?”

Clove shrugged. “Simple stuff. How far the sun is from Earth, the color of the sun, the closest star, and what kind of star it is. You know, kid stuff. And don’t get her started about dinosaurs.”

He chuckled as he ate more, marveling at how good it tasted even after consuming half of what she’d served him. She’d gotten everything perfect, and it didn’t taste like any chicken pot pie he’d ever had before. This was heaven compared to the food he’d grown up on.

“I gotta say, this is the best food I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know what you did to it, but this is amazing.”

Clove’s smile stretched wide though she waved off his compliment. “It really is a simple recipe.”

His phone buzzed, and he groaned. Her eyebrows bunched together as she narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “Is something wrong?”

“I hope not. Getting texts after a bad day isn’t a good thing. Let me look.” He pulled out his phone, relieved to see the message from Trip. They didn’t have to be at base until noon. He sighed and sat back, relief pouring through him.

“Good news?”

“Yeah. I can sleep in.”

Clove giggled. “I’ll make sure Neo is quiet in the morning.”

His lips tipped up. “Sorry about being a jerk that morning.”

“No, I get it. I should have thought about where I’d asked them to place the piano. Honestly, I should get rid of it and get a keyboard she can plug headphones into. Keyboards are better now and can give a real piano feel.”

“Why did you move the piano with you? I assume that increased the cost of moving.”

She shrugged. “It was my mother’s piano, and she asked me to never get rid of it. I mean, that’s a nice sentiment, but it needs to go. I should donate it to a school and buy something else that is easier to move.”

He was almost done with the meal she’d heated for him and he wanted more but didn’t want to be rude and ask for another piece after she stated again that her finances were tight.

“Thank you for the food. I really appreciate it.”

“Would you like more?”

“No, I’m stuffed.” The lie slid off his tongue so easily, and he noted her raised eyebrow. He blanked his expression, trying to hide the truth that he wanted more.

Her lips spread into a smile. “You have a tell. I bet you didn’t know that.”

He shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

When she rolled her eyes, he wanted to pull her close. “You do have a tell, and I saw it.”

“How?”

“It was fast, and if I hadn’t been paying attention, I wouldn’t have seen it.” She grabbed a plastic container and filled it half full. “Here. Take this home. If you eat it tonight, that’s okay.”

He stood, and took his dish to the sink, rinsing the food off before loading it into the dishwasher.

Her unit was almost the same as his, but the appliances weren’t as good.

The previous owners of his place had upgraded everything before selling.

It had increased the price, but he appreciated the extra touches.

“Thank you for dinner. It made today not so bad.”

“You’re welcome. I often have items I test out. They are usually sweet treats. I don’t know if you eat those.”

“I’ll eat some, but not every day. But you don’t have to give any of them to me.”

“I have extra, and Neo can’t eat them all.”

Laughter came easy with Clove. He wasn’t sure why it was so easy to chat with her, but it really was.

They could be friends. It wasn’t impossible to be friends with a woman.

He didn’t have any women friends, but that was because he spent so much time with guys.

He could do this. They could keep their relationship platonic.

Sure, she was sexy, and he was attracted to her, but he didn’t need to do more than just be friendly with her.