Page 24 of You Are Enough

Leila’s shoulders drooped forward a little, and her face fell into a frown. “Really?” She walked away from him across the lawn. She had no clue where she was going, but it didn’t matter. She just had to move.

He quickly caught up with her after excusing himself from the other man he’d been talking with. “What’s up with you?”

She shot him a look she hoped might make him drop dead. But of course, she didn’t get what she hoped for. Did she ever? “You’re going to make sure I’m fully satisfied with your services?” She stopped. “You were just meaning satisfied with your help with the fundraiser, right?”

His smile ticked up. “What else would I mean?” His eyes held hers, and after a beat he winked.

Her stomach did that flopping thing it really needed to quit doing. “You’re despicable.” She shook her head and continued toward the pasture. There were some horses in the fields. She went to the fence and leaned on it, watching the horses graze. The hills went on forever and seemed to meet the blue sky. She felt Adler’s presence beside her. “It’s really beautiful. How much land does your family own?”

“A hundred acres or so. This front part is for the horses. The back’s for a small herd of cattle.”

She glanced at him, and her butterflies became alive again. He looked natural with his boot on the bottom rung of the fence andhis arms draped over the top. He was in a Warfield Meat T-shirt and jeans, and she had to admit, everything about him looked good.

He turned quickly. “What?” That crooked, toothy grin appeared.

She shook her head as a tingle grew in her groin and her heart fluttered. Dammit, that smile finally got to her. She turned to the fields again, hoping her face didn’t give away her feelings.

The summer sun was high in the sky, and the humidity was already thick, causing sweat to pop up on her shoulders. She was glad she’d chosen a tank top to wear with this skirt. It hung loose around her and didn’t stick to her skin. Her hair, though, was stuck like glue to her back. She should have worn it up. She reached behind her and gathered her hair into a ponytail, twisting it around her fingers into a lose bun. Hopefully it would hold long enough to keep her from looking as hot as she felt.

Adler clutched her elbow and led her over to a large oak tree. The leaves and branches did a decent job of providing relief from the oppressive heat and humidity. There was a wooden bench under the tree. “We can talk about what you need here, or we could go to the main house and sit in the air conditioning. Your choice.” He sat on the bench.

Main house? Who uses those words?Even though she was so out of her comfort zone with someone who had so many houses on their property, one was deemed the “main house”, air conditioning and a cold glass of water sounded amazing. Being by herself with Adler, in the main house, was not going to happen. Here was just fine for her.

She sat next to him and took her notebook and a pen out of her purse. “Okay, I need to know how many people you can fit under the tents. We’ll need one for food with tables and another with just chairs. A stage will need to be up front, and long tables taking up a side, depending on how many items we have for thesilent auction. Once I see how large the tents are, I’ll be able to come up specifics on how we should set up.”

He stared out into the fields. “We’ve had small get-togethers with just over a hundred, to really large gatherings with more than four hundred.” He faced her and gestured around him. “We’ve done so many fundraisers. Most of them have been here, but some have been other places. We can accommodate almost anything you need.” His eyes caught hers. “Dream big, and we’ll make it happen.”

Their gazes locked, and she found herself immersed in the deep pools of his chocolate-brown eyes. It was as if time stopped as they sat there just looking at each other. Leila began feeling flush. She blinked and looked away.Get a grip. It’s just the heat.

“Come on. Let’s go to the main house and get out of this heat.” He stood and pulled her up. As they started walking, he placed his hand on the middle of her back. “Our cook makes an amazing, sweet tea, and I’m sure he has some cookies fresh from the oven. My dad insists on them almost daily.”

Wow. He just said they had a cook. She probably shouldn’t be surprised, looking around. Anyway, sweet tea would be perfect. She was slowly melting in this heat. “That sounds great. I’m from Florida, and I’m used to heat, but this humidity is crazy. I guess I was spoiled with the beach not far and the pool we had in our apartment complex. If it was hot, we were either inside or swimming either in the pool or at the beach. This is sweltering.”

“Yeah, but hopefully August will be a little better. August nights are nicer. Not as much humidity. That way you’ll get a good turnout for the auction.”

She followed him up sprawling steps and through a large set of French doors which led into a bright room with floor-to-ceiling windows. She was in awe at the beauty of the space. The windows brought the light from outside in, and the light graywalls with white cabinets made a clean and airy space out of what was the largest kitchen Leila had ever been in.

The chef, complete with chef’s jacket, was cutting vegetables at the counter. An amazing sugary sweet smell filled the air. He looked up from his work as she settled at a large circular table with chairs enough for six.

“Hello, Mr. Adler. How are you?”

“Doing great, Nico. Thanks for asking. This is Liela. We’re working on a fundraiser together and came in for some tea and whatever you made that smells amazing.” Adler reached in a cabinet and grabbed two glasses, filled each with ice, took a large glass pitcher from the biggest refrigerator Leila had ever seen, and placed them on the table.

“Working on a fundraiser, eh?” Nico glanced from Adler to Leila.

Suddenly the short skirt and tank top Leila had chosen made her feel oddly uncovered. The knowing look in Nico’s eyes sent shock waves through her. She tugged on her skirt as she cleared her throat. How many girls had he seen Adler with throughout the years? Did he think she was just that—another of his one-night stands?

Adler laughed deep and loud as he placed a plate of cookies on the table. “Yeah, funny Nico. My mother handed off the planning and organizing of the Crisis Pregnancy Center’s fundraiser to me, and Leila’s from the center. You’d better be nice, or you won’t be asked to work extra hours for it. I’ll get my dad to bring in another chef.”

“Oh, you’re funny Mr. Adler. You know your dad won’t do that.” Nico placed a plate of vegetables and meats on the table in front of them also.

Leila was surprised, as she hadn’t even seen him fix it. Oh well. It looked delicious, and she was suddenly famished. “Thank you.So much. This all looks delicious.” She reached for some meat and a green pepper.

“Oh, no problem. If you’ve spent time with Mr. Adler, I’m sure he didn’t think of feeding you.” He wagged his eyebrows.

Oh, my gosh! Seriously?Leila looked out the window as she took a drink of her sweet tea, and finally Nico left them alone with a deep chuckle.

“Hey?”

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