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“Morena,” she called to Tione, who was peering into the oven, wearing both a hair net and a beard cap.
“Ata marie,” he returned, reaching in and sliding out a tray of breakfast muffins.
“Mm, smells great. Mind if I steal one?”
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”
With deft fingers, she plucked a muffin and dropped it onto a plate before it could burn her. She split it open with a knife, scooped a dollop of butter into the middle, and was delighted when it immediately melted and soaked into the fluffy muffin. She pinched a small mouthful off the edge and tasted it, licking the butter from her fingers.
“You’ve outdone yourself,” she announced. “The best so far. What’s different today?”
“Added chives,” he said.
“Nice.”
Tione’s breakfast muffins were an ongoing work in progress, and every now and them, he ditched the recipe completely and started over. For a while, the muffins had been variations on fruit, nuts and spices, but recently he’d been opting for savory flavors.
Plate in hand, Kat left the kitchen and returned to her office. She dropped the plate on her desk and switched on the laptop. When it came to life, she checked her emails for new bookings, and then turned to the bills.
An hour later, as her focus was waning, someone knocked on the door.
“Sterling.” She greeted him with a smile, pleased for the opportunity to escape her paperwork. “Just the man I was hoping to see.”
“Can we talk business?” he asked. Since leaving the yoga class, he’d showered and dressed in a dark suit that should have washed him out but somehow managed to emphasize the blue of his eyes instead. He’d shaved, too. Kat didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. Getting this guy to loosen up was going to be a challenge.
“Not right now,” she replied, both because her brain needed a break and because she had a better idea. “Come with me. There are some people I’d like you to meet.”
“I really think our time would be best spent—”
She ignored him, sweeping through the exit and striding down the hall, her long legs eating up the distance quickly. She assumed he’d follow her, but turned and found him still in the doorway.
“With all due respect, Kat, it’s your turn to listen to me.”
She sighed. She obviously wasn’t going to get any more participation from him without giving something in return. “Come with me now, and I promise I’ll sit down with you later this afternoon.”
He eyed her warily. “No excuses later on in the day? No ‘emergencies’ keeping you busy?”
“No,” she promised. “Just you and me.”
“Okay.” He nodded, and made his way to her.
Releasing a breath, Kat led him to the first room in the west wing, which had been turned into a lounge. Comfortable leather sofas were spread throughout the large space, and a bookshelf occupied one corner. On the sofa directly in front of the garden window was Nancy Heath, a tiny birdlike woman with a head of steel-gray curls and full-moon reading glasses. She was making her way through one of the sexier volumes from the bookshelf, and slipped a bookmark into it as Kat and Sterling approached. Kat saw Sterling glance at the cover, his eyebrows shooting up at the sight of a naked male torso. Her lips twitched with mirth. Someone should tell the man that women were never too old to enjoy a steamy romance.
“Good morning, Nancy,” she said, sitting on the arm of the sofa. “How’s your book coming along?”
“Wonderful, dear. He finally got the guts to ask her on a proper date. It was terribly awkward, of course. What he doesn’t realize is that she doesn’t want to be wooed with expensive champagne.” Her gaze settled on Sterling, over Kat’s shoulder. “Who’s your friend? Oh, don’t tell me, you’re going on a date!”
Nancy, the eternal optimist.
“No dates for me. This is Sterling Knight. He’s staying here for a while. I thought you might like to meet him.” She winked at Nancy, whose cheeks became splotchy and red. Kat sensed a crush coming on. Tione would be pleased if the older lady shifted her adoration from him to Sterling. The cook had mistakenly believed showing Nancy his tattoos would put her off, but if anything, she’d become more intrigued and taken to reading bad boy romances with inked heroes.
“Lovely to meet you, Sterling.” Nancy fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Has anyone ever told you that with your name and the way you look, you could be someone’s knight in shining silver armor?”
“Actually, yes.” His lips twisted into a smile. The first sign of humor she’d seen on his handsome face. “My friend Mark likes to call me the company’s Sterling Silver Knight. He thinks I should have my middle name changed to ‘Silver’ but I think ‘John’ is perfectly serviceable.”
“Sterling John Knight.” Nancy said it as though she was practicing introducing herself as Mrs. Sterling John Knight.
“We’ll let you get back to your book,” Kat said. “But don’t be afraid to say hi to Sterling if you see him around. He’s staying all by himself.”
