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“Better not. I sign your paychecks.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbles but grins.
“I’m taking him to Thanksgiving tomorrow. We’re all going to Gemma and Noah’s father’s house. Belinda’s cooking, so it’ll be a good opportunity for him to hang out and lower his guard.”
With those words, the door chimes, and our first customer of the day enters. Between helping people, decorating, and getting all the Black Friday signs hung, the day stays busy.
When I leave, it’s almost dark. As I pull onto the main road toward the grocery store, I see the same black Escalade parked outside the boutique. It’s probably someone’s family visiting for the holidays and spending the evening shopping downtown.
Belinda is preparing a feast for us tomorrow, and I've offered to bring my infamous dessert. I only bake it a few times a year and look forward to it each time. On a whim, I stop and pick up a couple of steaks. After chatting with Archer this morning, I realized he probably hasn’t eaten a decent meal in years. While I’m no Chef Ramsay, I can make meat and potatoes.
Sassy barks the second I walk into the house. My arms are filled with grocery bags, so I can’t pet her.
“Chill, girl. Let me set these down before you bite my ankles off.”
As soon as I kick the front door shut, Archer’s in front of me, grabbing the bags from my grip.
“Let me help.”
“Oh. Thanks. In the kitchen’s fine,” I say, tossing off my heels.
“I know where it all goes,” he tells me.
I mentally slap myself for insinuating he wouldn’t.
“Hope you’re hungry,” I say as I unpack everything.
“Sure, I could eat.” He flashes a boyish grin. “Can I help?”
Before I can answer, Sassy’s at my side, begging for attention. I set the steaks on the counter, then lean down to pet her.
“Were you a good girl today?”
“Only nipped at me three times,” Archer responds. “Better than the five yesterday.”
I try to hold back a laugh but fail. “With that progression, she’ll be your bestie in about two days.”
“You bought ribeyes?” he asks, eyeing the items I haven't put away yet.
“Yep. Hope you like baked potatoes and sweet corn. Went to the store for cake ingredients and came out with a week’s worth of stuff.”
“I do, but you didn’t have to do that for me.”
I lift my head and meet his eyes. “Would you rather watch me eat instead? I heard some guys are into that fetish…”
He scratches his cheek. “Hm, yeah. Tyler warned me you were a smart-ass.”
I smile widely at the compliment and playfully poke his shoulder. “And it’d be best if you didn’t forget it.”
After I ask him what temperature he’d like his steak, I get to work in the kitchen. An hour later, we’re both full and satisfied from the impromptu feast I made. We talked some while we ate, but he’s guarded with his past. I don’t push him and am okay with what he’s comfortable sharing.
“That was the best meal I’ve ever had,” he tells me as he rinses the dishes.
“Wait till you taste my dessert.”
“W-What?”
“Oh my God, that sounded way more sexual than it should’ve. I meant the cake I’m baking for tomorrow.”
