AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before getting out of the car, Trent grabbed the items he wanted from his briefcase stuck them inside his jacket pocket, then headed up the walkway. Since his last visit, she’d added some potted mums to her steps, another distinct sign of fall. Today the front door remained open and Mick Jagger’s voice reached him from the other side of the screen door. Ringing the doorbell, he waited.
In a matter of seconds Addie appeared in the narrow hall that led into the kitchen, a dishtowel over her shoulder. “Come on in,” she said before turning back into the kitchen.
Trent followed, the delicious smells emanating from the kitchen were stronger the further he walked in. “I wanted to surprise you, but I got home later than I intended,” Addie said from in front of the stove. An off-white tablecloth covered the small kitchen table that was set for two, complete with wine glasses and candles. “Dinner needs about ten more minutes,” she said as she lifted one lid and mixed its contents. “But the pasta e fagioli is ready.” She pointed to the soup in the pot.
“Whatever you’re cooking smells wonderful.” Trent came up behind her, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her neck.
“Chicken cacciatore,” she answered. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. I hope you like it.” She put down the wooden spoon and turned in his arms. “And I made zeppoles for dessert.” She gave him a peck on the lips. “Have a seat.” She walked around him toward the counter. “I already opened the wine.”
He stood and watched her retrieve the bottle and then pour it. He’d never had a girlfriend cook him a meal. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
“I know, but I wanted to.” Addie walked back to him and tugged his hand. “Now sit down so we can eat.”
Trent did more eating than talking during dinner. The meal Addie prepared could only be described by one word—fantastic. She’d mentioned she’d gotten home later than intended, which meant she’d worked that day as well. He had no idea how she’d managed to prepare such an out of this world meal in such a short period of time. “I can’t eat another bite,” Trent said after he swallowed the last of his zeppole, the custard leaving a sweet taste in his mouth. “If I’d known you cooked like this, I would have started coming here every night for dinner weeks ago.”
“You can stop by for dinner whenever you want, but most nights I don’t cook much more than some leftover soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.” She raised her own zeppole to her mouth and took a bite, some of the custard from inside lingering on her lips.
Before she wiped it away with a napkin, he leaned toward her and licked it away with his tongue. “Mmm, tastes almost as good as you,” he said, intent on kissing her, but instead Addie laughed, stopping him dead in his tracks. “What’s so funny?”
“You. You probably say that to all the women you kiss.”
Only on one other occasion had she mentioned his past, which he appreciated. This time, however, he wanted her to know she wasn’t like the women he’d dated in the past. “Whatever I said to other women in the past doesn’t matter. Only you matter.” Now seemed like the perfect opportunity to give her the key. “I want you to have something.” He dug into the pocket of the jacket he’d tossed across his chair and pulled out the key. “You already have the elevator code, but I want you to have a key, too. That way you can come and go whenever you want, even if I’m not home.”
Addie accepted the key, studying it as if it were a foreign object. “I’m not sure if I’ll stop by if you’re not there, but thank you.” She stuck the key in her jeans pocket. “I have an extra key in my desk that you can have.”
“I have something else for you,” Trent said as he retrieved the lease agreement. “There’s some office space available on the fourth floor of my building. I thought you might be interested in it.”
Addie accepted the papers he held out but didn’t unfold them; instead she dropped them on the table by her plate. “Trent, I can’t afford the rent in your building. Besides, I have one more month on my current lease.”
“You’ll be able to afford it. Open the agreement.” He picked it up and handed it to her again. Addie eyed him with suspicion but complied with his request. He watched as her eyes moved across the page and knew when she’d hit the line stating the monthly rate. Her eyes snapped to his.
“What is this? The rent isn’t even half of what I pay now. Are you renting me a closet?” She folded up the agreement and then held it toward him. When he refused to take the papers back, she dropped them on the table again. “I can’t accept this, Trent. Where I am now is fine, and my landlord agreed not to raise my rent if I sign another two -year lease.”
Stubborn woman. “This is more for my benefit than yours. With you just a few floors down, I can see you whenever I want. And the lower rent will cut down business expenses so you can quit the bakery. Again, that means more time for me.” He caressed the skin on her arm.
Addie stilled his hand with her own. “I appreciate the offer, Trent. Please don’t think I don’t, but I can’t accept this.”
Trent opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. “And don’t try to tell me that is what everyone pays for rent in your building.”
“Come on, Addie. What’s the big deal? You get a bigger office and a little break on rent.” He’d expected resistance if he offered her the space but assumed she’d come around. Her tone of voice and posture said otherwise.
“I don’t want your charity, Trent. If my business is going to succeed I want it to be because of me, not because I got some special deal.”
He admired her determination, but at the moment he wished she’d let it go a little. “Will you at least consider it?” he asked.
“If at some point I can afford the rent in your building, I’ll be happy to move my office. Until then, I’ll rema
in where I am.”
Her tone told him she was done with the discussion. Out of ideas, he raked a hand through his hair. “Damn it, Addison. What good is having money if I can’t use it to help the woman I love?” The words flew from his mouth with no conscious thought on his part, but once he said the words his brain kicked in as did his shock. He hadn’t intended to say he loved her, heck, he’d never even thought it before now. With the words out there between them, he realized it was true. Addie had managed to do what no other woman ever had—worked her way into his heart.
Next to him, Addie’s eyes remained wide and she sat motionless. Then, as if she’d just been sent back to her body, a small tentative smile formed on her face. “I love you, too.” She bit down on her bottom lip before she spoke again. “Is this that important to you?”
Almost there. “I worry about you working so much, and I want you closer to me.”
Addie picked up the lease agreement and scanned it again. “Okay, but I don’t want any other special treatment in terms of this lease. If in two years when this lease is up everyone’s rent goes up, I expect mine to go up as well.”
“We can worry about that then,” he answered. By that time she’d be his wife and money would no longer be an obstacle for her.
