‘I thought we weren’t going to mention that.’
‘It’s fine in jest.’ She pointed to his mouth. ‘Besides, I almost made you smile.’
Considering he hadn’t felt like smiling since his mum had delivered the bad news that he’d be tied here for the next year, she’d almost achieved the impossible.
‘Come on, I’ll show you where you’re staying and then we’ll tour the farm.’
To his amusement, Elora’s stomach grumbled loudly, and she winced as she pressed a hand to it. ‘Could we eat after that?’
‘You expect me to cook for you?’
A faint pink stained her cheeks, making her blue eyes pop. ‘Ferne said the kitchen would be stocked so I could help myself.’
‘My mother takes hospitality to extremes. Not only are we paying you, you’re getting free accommodation and food?’
Her blush deepened and he mentally kicked himself for being churlish.
‘I’m happy to drive back to town and do a grocery shop. And no, I’m not expecting you to feed me. I’m perfectly capable of cooking for myself.’
‘It’s fine. I’ll be cooking anyway, and it makes sense for us to share meals so we can discuss business. Plus, there’s only a small fridge and a microwave in the studio, so you can’t do much more than reheat meals.’
She wanted to disagree; he could see it in the way she glared at him, like she’d stepped in a pile of manure.
‘Please, Elora, I enjoy cooking and it’s crazy for us to have separate meals.’ He grimaced. ‘If sitting opposite a grouch doesn’t make you lose your appetite, that is.’
The corners of her mouth tilted upwards in amusement. ‘I’d be a fool to knock back your food, considering you’re my favourite chef in Melbourne. Do you take requests?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Okay, then. Let’s start with your signature slow-cooked lamb shanks with rosemary and garlic and then see what else I can come up with.’
She winked and, for a moment, his mind drifted to requests beyond food, and how he wouldn’t be averse to anything she may suggest.
CHAPTER
5
Elora had always had a feel for places. She stepped into an apartment, house, shop—anywhere, really—and got an immediate sense of good or bad, so when she entered the tiny, self-contained studio attached to the homestead, a surprising sense of peace enveloped her.
Like she’d come home.
Bizarre, because she preferred the bustle of Melbourne to the quiet of a country town, but after she’d dumped her overnight bag in the corner, along with her wheelie suitcase, she slid her arms around her middle and gave herself a hug, like she couldn’t quite believe her luck.
‘This’ll do,’ she murmured, as she walked around the room. A wrought-iron four-poster bed that looked like it had been designed by an interior decorator—all creams and pale blue pillows, doona and ruffle—dominated the corner opposite a makeshift kitchenette with a toaster, microwave and bar fridge. As well as the bed and kitchenette, the studio had a leather recliner, a bookcase stacked to overflowing and a huge floral-patterned rug covering the honey oak floorboards.
She opened the door next to the bed to discover a powder room: toilet and handbasin, but no shower. Which meant she’d be using the bathroom in the main homestead to bathe.
A vision of seeing Cruz exiting the bathroom in nothing but a towel popped into her head and she blinked to dispel it. It had been hard enough acting blasé when she’d first laid eyes on him earlier; no point adding to her angst.
Thankfully, he’d been just as eager as her to not talk about what had happened between them last night, but ignoring it wouldn’t make it go away. She had a vivid memory of the sparks they’d created, of how badly she’d wanted to have sex with him.
Her new boss.
Fate had been her friend since she was a kid and she’d believed in it ever since. Though her parents had moved constantly, she’d rarely been picked on as the new kid in class, she’d had great teachers, and despite a bad bout of the flu in Year Twelve that meant she missed a month of school, she got the ATAR required to enter her preferred university and course. After finishing her three-year marketing degree, she’d landed a job at a prestigious advertising firm in the CBD and thrived, and when she set out on her own a few years later, they hadn’t begrudged her doing it.
The only time fate had let her down involved crossing paths with Jason at a book launch for one of her clients. Later, he’d told her he shouldn’t have been there that night; it had been a last-minute, spur-of-the-moment decision after his housemate had begged him to go in her stead.
Housemate. Yeah, right. Turns out, Jason’shousematewas a friend with benefits, an arrangement that continued even after he’d started dating Elora.
