Moving over to Cooper’s six-burner commercial range that had barbecue vents to the outside, she wondered if she should even try to operate it. There was a distinct possibility she would burn down his house.
Never one to be a quitter, she decided to give it a go. While her bacon cooked, she roamed the kitchen, falling instantly in love with the giant walk-in pantry, again stacked with items she’d never heard of before. She really needed to introduce Cooper to the joys of basic grocery staples. The idea of turning his world upside down with the delight that comes from having a secret stash of Oreos had her smiling.
This kitchen was highly intimidating with its dark granite counters, custom wood cabinets, built-in espresso machine, and appliances that looked far too smart for her to operate. She desperately hoped the cottage was a little more down to earth.
Just as she was sitting down at the breakfast bar, she realized she wasn’t alone.
“Make yourself at home.”
Cooper moved to the counter facing her, pulled down a coffee cup, and filled it before taking a nice long swig. Then he turned and leaned against the counter and smiled at her.
“I’m sorry. I thought you’d already left. I’m going to replace the food. I just haven’t had a chance to shop yet,” she told him, hoping he’d leave before her eggs got cold.
“Go ahead and eat. I don’t get very many opportunities to cook. My mom likes to keep me stocked full of groceries even though I’m gone so much I don’t get to enjoy them half the time. But then she feels like she’s doing her job as a mother, she tells me.” Hadn’t Sherman told her she might need to shop for him? It seemed that wasn’t true.
“Well, I’m still going to replace it,” she said.
When he stood back and said nothing more as he drank his coffee, she decided not to let her food go to waste. She looked down and slowly finished her plate while he threw a bagel into the toaster. Then he pulled out cream cheese and smoked salmon from the fridge.
“How about we have dinner together tonight?”
His invitation scared her. She took her plate to the sink while she thought about her answer. Confusion filled her at how much this man’s presence affected her moods, her body, and her mind. She wanted to plaster herself against him and see if her memory of their one night together was nothing more than her vivid imagination or if it really had been as spectacular as she remembered.
She wanted to run screaming in the opposite direction, too. Because she had a feeling that six years had only improved Green Eyes. He was larger than he’d been back then. Well, at least his shoulders were. She wasn’t so sure a woman could handle other parts of his body being larger without him ripping her in two.
Shaking her head, she tried to push away her erratic thinking. Nothing was helping. This man was haunting her and now he was far too close on a daily basis for her to chase her ghosts away.
“Come on, Stormy. It’s just dinner.” There was something in his eyes that was different today, something she didn’t trust and was making her nervous. She shifted on her feet as she stepped away from him.
Say something, anything, she commanded herself. Why in the world was she so damn speechless? Silence had never been something she was known for.
“We’re living here together, so if we’re both here at the same time, I guess we could have dinner,” she finally said.
Cooper looked at her for several moments, his expression utterly unreadable. He didn’t seem upset or happy. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.
“Good, then it’s a date,” he told her before moving toward the front door.
“Well, it’s not a date,” she called out after him.
He stopped and turned back toward her, a smile on his lips.
“What is it then?” he asked, a sparkle in his eyes.
“It’s just . . . well, it’s just . . . um, two people living in the same house, sharing the appliances,” she finally said, wanting to kick herself once the words were out.
“Okay, Stormy, we’ll share the appliances tonight then,” Cooper said before turning back around and moving to the front door.
He walked out and Stormy let out a low growl as she cursed herself all the way up the stairs. She didn’t think it possible for this situation to get any more awkward if she put on a tutu and started dancing around topless.
Okay, that might make things just a tad crazier. But then at least she could be committed to a crazy house and not have to face Cooper ever again. The man had kissed her and still didn’t know who she was. It was pretty humiliating. Though he had paused and wondered for a moment if he knew her, at least.