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“Wow,” I manage again, utterly breathless. “This place is incredible.”
But before I can say any more, Travis sees me shiver and disappears down a hallway. Just as quickly, he returns with a hoodie over his arm.
“Here. I get chilly in this big place sometimes. Cavernous spaces cost a fucking fortune to heat, so you should keep that in mind while you’re house-hunting.”
I put the hoodie on and smile weakly.
“Duly noted.”
Then Travis grins again, taking my breath away with that charismatic smile.
“Can I offer you a bite?” he asks.
“Oh no,” I say quickly. “I’m just here for the tour.” But he’s already striding through a doorway, and I trail along in his wake. Sure enough, we enter a chef’s kitchen with granite countertops, an enormous silver refrigerator, and every gadget known to man. You could feed a crowd with the tools in here.
“I think my cook left some food around,” Travis says absent-mindedly, already opening the fridge to peer inside. “She knows I like to eat when I get back from walking Buster.”
Then he reappears with several Tupperware containers in his hands and fixes us each a plate with chicken, creamy mashed potatoes and bright orange carrots.
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly,” I babble as a warm plate is placed in front of me. Sweet aromas waft to my nose, and I almost faint at the smell. My mouth is watering and before I know it, I’m sitting at the counter, talking through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.
“Thank you so much.”
Travis grins, sitting down with his own plate.
“Don’t mention it.”
I take another big bite and moan deliriously. Tears literally spring to my eyes because I was so hungry, and I didn’t even know. “Oh, wow, this is delicious. Thank you so much. Please give your cook my compliments.”
He grins, taking a swig of his beer. “I will. I have the best cook in town, and she keeps me well fed. She even makes treats for Buster every once in a while and he adores them. You can’t get him out of the kitchen when he knows there are special snacks coming.”
I swallow hard because it’s clear we live in completely different worlds. I’m the cook in my house, and I only prepare the bare minimum using whatever supplies were on sale at the grocery store. Meanwhile, this guy has a chef for his dog. The chasm between us couldn’t be more pronounced.
“That’s amazing. Your lifestyle sounds fantastic.”
He shrugs.
“I’m happy to hear you say that.”
“What do you mean?”
Travis leans forward slightly, tapping a finger on the counter while taking another swig of his beer. Then he turns to me.
“Well, I wasn’t born yesterday, as you may have guessed. I know a damsel in distress when I see one.”
“What?” I ask, my cheeks going hot. I feel like I’m going to die of embarrassment right now.
Travis merely grins again. “Sweetheart, it’s not every day that my dog stumbles upon a beautiful woman sitting forlornly on the sidewalk in our neighborhood. More often, Buster scares the daylights out of a squirrel, or maybe a rabbit, if he’s lucky. So yeah, we both knew something was up the moment we saw you. It’s like a dream come true for him to find a new friend.”
I laugh a little, feeling a bit less awkward. This guy does seem nice, and maybe I can let down my guard a tiny smidge, even though he’s a strange man.
“Well,” I say, taking a deep breath. “You’re kind of right. I did have a place to stay up until a few hours ago.”
Travis’s black eyebrows go up.
“What happened? Was it an Airbnb gone wrong?”
I shake my head.
“Hardly. Do you believe in evil stepmothers? I know everyone believes in fairy godmothers, but what about evil stepmothers?”
Travis throws his head back and laughs, showing off gleaming white teeth.
“I’m happy to believe anything,” he remarks.
I giggle a little too. How is it that I’m in a terrible situation right now, and yet this man makes me laugh?
“Well, my stepmother, the evil one, threw me out of the house. With no notice. So I started walking, an wa-la! Ended up in your neighborhood.”
His brows go up.
“And am I the handsome prince who saves you from your fate?”
I pause for a moment, my heart beating hard. I know that I’m at a crossroads right now, and what I say could make all the difference in the world. Slowly, I reply.
“Why, do you want to be?”
For the first time, those blue eyes gleam a bit, and I realize that I’m out of my league. Not just financially, but also emotionally too. This man is smart with a plethora of resources at his fingertips, and he knows what he wants. What’s going to become of me?
But Travis doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he gets up to grab another beer before coming back to sit next to me at the kitchen counter.
