Page 58 of Sunkissed Colorado

I looked around at what he’d spread out on the counter. On the way here, I’d seen a lot of this stuff in his grocery bags. Carrots, onions, canned pumpkin, gluten-free flour. Plus cocoa powder and chicken breasts.

“And this has something to do with work?” I asked skeptically.

“We’re going to test out allergy-conscious menu items. I think Hearthstone needs more options.”

My first reaction was that Callum was being ridiculously thoughtful, yet again. But something held me back from just going with it. “Isn’t that Alice’s job? As the head chef?”

“This is background work. We’re gathering intel. Doing recon.”

“Recon?”

Connor wandered in, grabbing a spoon from a drawer and the jar of almond butter from the counter. “Every once in a while, Cal drops into military speak.”

“Hey!” Callum picked up a wooden spoon and poked his friend with it. “I told you to stay out of here.” He snatched thealmond butter away. Connor looked bewildered. But Callum plucked a container of yogurt from the fridge and shoved it at Connor, who shrugged and wandered away.

I was pressing my lips together, but my smile snuck in at the corners.

“Where were we?” Callum asked.

I barked a laugh. “Cooking. Apparently. But I have no idea how to cook.”

“I can show you. It’s easy.” He was bustling around, organizing ingredients and grabbing mixing bowls.

“No, I mean it. I’m legitimately a terrible cook. Everything I make comes out tasting awful at best, food poisoning at worst. My nana learned when I was a kid that chopping veggies was the extent of my abilities.”

“Then you’re in luck. I’m a fantastic cook, and I’m going to teach you. While we both learn, together, how to do the gluten and dairy-free cooking thing.”

“Do I have a choice about this?” I asked.

Connor peered in through the pass-through, shoveling yogurt into his mouth. “You do not,” he said with his mouth full.

“We’re ignoring you,” Callum said, and I gave Connor an apologetic smile.

Okay. Callum O’Neal was going to teach me to cook gluten and dairy free. Because he wanted to do something sweet for me after the rough morning I’d had.

A more sensible woman would probably be thrilled at this prospect, but there was this weird pressure in my chest. A fizzy, unsettled feeling, like I didn’t know what I might do. Like cry. Or throw my arms around him.

My professors used to comment on how poised I was during class presentations. I’d used those same skills in my pitch meetings with investors. Yet Callum had me all shaken up like a can of beer that was about to foam over.

Callum stopped right beside me. “Don’t worry,” he said, voice low. “We’ll just go step by step.”

A languid sensation caressed my spine. “I guess I can follow your lead. It’s happened before.”

“And you’re always in good hands.”

The thought appeared in my head.I wouldn’t mind your hands on me.

Oh, no. There was no way I could have a crush on Callum O’Neal, so I was going to ignore it and act normal.

A foolproof plan.

It turned out we were making chicken pot pie with a gluten-free biscuit crust and brownies for dessert, which did sound pretty delicious. Callum set me to work chopping vegetables. That much I could handle, based on the knife skills Nana had taught me years ago.

“So,” I said as I diced carrots, “do you like having roommates?”

“Are you asking why I’m thirty-four and don’t have a place of my own?”

“I’m not one to talk.”