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She finished showering and dressed in a pair of black pajamas. When Caleb returned, she was seated on the sofa with her laptop in front of her. He and another man brought in bags of groceries and took them into the kitchen. She heard the man tell Caleb he’d be back in the morning but that someone from his team would guard the condo tonight. Then, the man left.
Tiera walked into the kitchen. “I thought you were getting takeout. You went shopping. Do you want me to help put away the groceries?”
“No. I will handle the groceries. I went shopping because, after the day we both had, I thought some comfort foods would help us relax.”
“This has been a crazy day with that man following me and you bribing me to come here.”
“And don’t forget that you shocked me. That was crazy, too,” he jested.
She shifted the topic. “Whatever. Can you even cook?”
He smirked. “What kind of question is that? Of course, I can cook.”
“Well, I remember you coming to my house and asking me to make ramen noodles. You didn’t know your way around a microwave back then,” she teased.
“Yeah, but I’m about to make steak and potatoes for you, so I guess you can call me Chef Fitzgerald now.”
“Steak? No way, you’re about to make my favorite meal. I have to see this.”
He winked. “You’ll love it. Just promise me you’ll eat it slowly.”
She gave him her middle finger. “Just cook the steak.”
“And I’m also making brownies.” He smiled at her. His smile chipped away at the ice around her heart. She didn’t want his smile to do that. She needed that ice to remain forever. Their forever that once was warm and fuzzy would always be icy.
Come on, heart. You’re stronger than this. Don’t be swayed by food, winks, smiles, and big dick. Don’t let your resolve slip. Pull up your big girl panties and fight this attraction.
“You don’t owe me anything. You don’t have to cook for me.”
“I want to do it, so just sit back, relax and wait on dinner.”
She went into the living room, sat on the couch and pulled up her latest story. She began writing as she waited for Caleb to finish cooking. She thought about calling Vivian to let her know what had happened that day, but she knew she would tell Terrance, and she didn’t want him worried while he was in New York. She also didn’t want Vivian to worry about anything but the well-being of her niece or nephew.
Once dinner was served, she had to admit Caleb could cook a damn steak. She tried not to allude to the fact that his steak was probably better than her mother’s, but she had eaten it faster than she wanted, and he knew she enjoyed it based on the smiles on his face.
Over dinner, he told her about the man he suspected had been following her earlier that day. His former employee, Stuart Braswell’s financial misconduct with Fitzgerald and Wright, had led to his termination. Then, Stuart went to a competitor and started selling confidential information. After he was stopped legally, he lost everything and felt burned by Caleb and Terrance.
“Wow, so after all he took from you guys, he’s playing the victim?” she asked.
Caleb’s jaw ticked. “Exactly. We never recouped the money he stole from skimming off the top of our contracts. We decided not to pursue restitution because he’d already lost enough. However, we rightfully could have sued him for what he owes us.”
“Right! He sounds like an entitled prick to think he can steal from you and then get upset when you ask him to stop profiting off of your business,” she said.
“Which is why I’ve hired security for everyone close to me. The man isn’t logical. He’s lost everything, so he doesn’t care who he hurts. That’s why you’ll have your own guard, too.”
“You have a security detail on me?” she asked.
“You, Terrance, our parents, and Vivian. Since you’re going to stay here until your mother returns, your guard will be here.”
“Does Vivian and Terrance know about this?”
“Terrance knows I have a guy outside of their house, making sure nothing goes down there. He’s going to explain it to Vivian. He wanted to come home early, but I assured him Vivian would be safe. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t return early anyway.”
“He loves his wife. He won’t be able to rest until he has his eyes on her.”
Caleb’s smoldering gaze met hers. “I know the feeling.”
Surely, he wasn’t referring to her. It didn’t really matter. A smart woman always knows when to retreat. Tiera dabbed her mouth with the napkin before rising from her seat.
