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I take a step back, grab the bag of oranges I had dropped at my feet, point to a garbage bin and lift my eyebrow. She picks up on my unspoken question. “No, don’t throw them away. They’re perfect to prepare orange pound cake.”
“So, you bake?” I ask, taking a step forward, and she follows me.
We start walking and join the rest of the crowd. When I turn my head and look down at her, I realize how short she really is. It’s true that pretty much anybody is shorter than I am unless they’re a professional athlete, but this little beauty with the honey-colored eyes can’t be taller than five-two or five-three.
“I love to bake and I love to cook. I don’t really have a choice.”
“How so?”
“My mom and my grandmother are both professional cooks. Believe it or not, my grandmother, who’s sixty years old, still works as a cook for a big hotel chain. I guess the fact that she’s from Northern Italy explains her fervor for cooking. She likes to joke that she’s been cooking for as long as she’s been able to see above her mom’s kitchen counter and I believe her. She’s amazing at it.”
“My grandmother used to also love to cook as well, but her baking skills were out of this world.”
“You said used to. Has she lost the desire to cook and bake?”
I tighten my lips. It’s still quite difficult to talk about her. “Sadly, my grandmother, Beatrix Rose—I used to call her Nana Rose—passed away three months ago. I remember fondly how I used to pretend to help her in the kitchen just to spend time with her. Baking was definitely one of her favorite activities.”
“Oh, gosh. I keep asking the wrong questions, don’t I?”
“Not at all. How could you possibly have known?”
She smiles and lowers her gaze. “Thanks for saying that. I don’t feel so bad anymore.”
“You wanted to know how come an unwed straight guy spends time on a Saturday morning at a market. Well, this was one of my grandma’s favorite hangouts. After so many years of accompanying her, it’s also a place I come to clear my head and chill out. The fact that there’s so much amazing local food is a bonus.”
“What an endearing story about your grandmother. I’m really close to my Nona Antonina, but I couldn’t even tell you if my dad’s mom is still alive or not since I’ve never had any real relationship with her,” she says, pensive.
“Funny. It’s the contrary for me. I have very little contact with my mom’s mom, but my paternal grandmother was an important influence in my life.” My Nana Rose meant the world to me. “I hate to be predictable, but do I detect an accent?”
“Yes, sir. Not much I can do about it at this point in my life, I’m afraid.” She smiles.
“Keep it. It suits you and it makes you stand out in a city of sameness.”
“Sameness? I’ve never heard anyone refer to the cookie-cutter phenomenon I’ve noticed since moving out here two years ago quite so accurately. I don’t fit the mold anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not a leggy model, singer or actress with zero body fat who survives on rice cakes,” she laments.
And that’s a problem how? “I think you’re selling yourself short.”
“How can you say that? Have you seen the friggin’ women in LA? Look at me. How can I possibly compete with those Amazons?”
If you knew how much I was looking, you’d have your attorney serve me with a restraining order.“Your beauty is so much more natural than most girls I meet. You don’t need a trace of makeup. Your hair is up in a bun like it was the first time I met you and clearly you didn’t spend two hours on it. That’s sexy, by the way. Your dazzling smile is genuine. Not that I noticed”—I pause—“but when you move, your boobs move with you because they’re not filled with silicon like too many women’s in this city. And don’t get me started on your indecent curves. Again, not that I was ogling or anything like that.”
“Oh.” She grins shyly and looks away. “Tell me how you really feel, Hunter.”
“I just did.” I wink. “Give me a few weeks to really know you and I can add to that. I’m sure there’s a whole lot more goodness missing from my list.”
She looks up at me from under her lashes and I can tell my words have the desired impact because she’s breathing hard. My cock instantly hardens. “Who says you’ll have a chance to get to know me better?”
I take a step closer and lean into her. The energy between us is insane and I can’t possibly be the only one feeling it. “I can be very persuasive when I want to.”
“I bet you can,” she says in a deep husky voice while furiously batting her eyelashes. She’s blushing so hard, it takes everything in me not to laugh.
Sensing her discomfort, I veer the conversation. “It’s only when you leave LA and come back that it really hits how many people dress the same, act the same, and talk the same way.”
“I totally agree.”
