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“Coffee?” he asked without turning around. He’d gotten out bagels and cream cheese and had cut up a fresh tomato, arranging the selection on a plate that now sat on the table.
For a moment, there was no answer except for the wind, which thankfully was calming down. Then Martin heard Nick’s gruff, “Yeah.”
“Milk?”
Filling the portafilter with freshly ground beans, Martin flipped on the water switch and watched as the dark liquid began to spill into the mug he’d gotten out for Nick.
“Sure. And some for, um, the cat?”
“Help yourself to a bowl or whatever you need, and some breakfast.”
“I’m okay,” Nick insisted. But his stomach growled, making the words a lie.
It took everything Martin had not to growl back at him like an alpha wolf, insisting he eat.
“Have a damn bagel.” There. He’d managed to be civil.
Heaven forbid, Nick accept too much from him. Heaven forbid, Martin should want Nick to accept something, anything, from him.
He added hot water to the espresso, poured the warm frothy milk into Nick’s mug, and handed the concoction to him. Their fingers brushed, and Martin let his linger a beat too long. Nick’s blue eyes flashed up to his, making Martin wonder if he’d felt the same shock of lust Martin had.
He suspected the answer was yes. But he couldn’t go there. He wouldn’t take advantage. Although the idea that Nick would let anyone take advantage of him was laughable.
Grabbing a small bowl, Martin poured the extra warm milk into it and set it on the floor. The kitten, who Nick had been holding, squeaked and demanded to be let down. They both watched as it stuck its entire face into the container.
“Thanks.” The word sounded slightly less surly than Martin expected.
“How’s your back?” he asked as he leaned back against the counter.
The kitchen was barely big enough for the two of them and the cat. It was more the size of a kitchenette, but Martin had never imagined he might be sharing it with another person.
Nick grimaced as he shifted his stance and stretched. “About what you’d expect.”
He looked tired, and Martin wasn’t surprised to note the dark circles under his eyes. Abruptly, he remembered what Forrest had said about Nick getting shot and wondered if that had been the cause of his bad dream, or if it had been something else.
The kitchen was also too small for a true kitchen table. Instead, Martin had hunted down one designed for small spaces, one that could be expanded or folded down and out of the way. With one side tucked down and the other up, the little table fit perfectly under the kitchen window. He’d also found wooden folding chairs that could be stored away when he didn’t need them.
“Take a seat. Make yourself a bagel.” The second part was more of an order than an invitation. “I’ll grab the other chair.”
Setting his coffee down on the table, Martin left the kitchen. When he returned with the chair, Nick was, amazingly, sitting down, the cat in his lap while they both stared out the window. In his hand, Nick held a bagel with a big bite out of it.
The view looked to the northwest. If it hadn’t still been mostly dark out, they could’ve seen the line of cabins and the top of the hill that looked down over the beach. Trees still swayed with the wind but much less frenetically than last night. The storm was dying down. Thank goodness for that.
“So, where’d the kitten come from?”
“I found her on the beach the other day. Don’t worry,” he said quickly. “I’ll find a home for her.”
Martin eyed the kitten, who was ineffectively cleaning her face. “I like cats, been thinking about getting one.” He’d had the thought once and hadn’t followed up. This might be an easy, sensible solution.
Nick gripped the cat protectively, as if Martin was going to rip her out of his hands, and she mewed in protest.Sure, he was going to find someone to take her.Somehow, it didn’t surprise Martin that Nick had been adopted by a tiny stubborn kitten; it was the most appropriate pairing he could imagine.
“I can’t believe I didn’t know there was a storm coming.” Martin changed the subject, sitting down again and picking up his mug. Probably best to drop the subject of the cat.
“And a king tide,” Nick added after he swallowed his bite of bagel. “Not that it will bother us up here, but there’re probably some folks regretting their waterfront property.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think there’ll be damage in town? Who should we check in with?”
Nick’s eyebrows drew together in a familiar manner. “Probably, someone will check on you first. Seeing as you’re the new guy.”
