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“I really do have to go. My dad went fishing with his friends this weekend, so I need to be up bright and early tomorrow to take care of all the minis.”
“I love that you call them that,” she says, smiling.
“It’s convenient.”
“I’ll see you on Monday morning at nine,” she says, but it sounds like there’s a question there.
“Nine is perfect. I’m already looking forward to it. You’re welcome to come over tomorrow too,” I say.
“I’d love to, but I’ve got a lot of work to take care of.”
“Okay then. I guess this is bye for now,” I say, pressing a brief kiss on her mouth. When I start to pull back, she grabs each side of my shirt, holding me in place.
“I think we can do better than that.”
CHAPTER16
CALISTA
Ryder meetsme at the back of my minivan.
“Good morning,” he says, wrapping me up in his muscular arms.
“Good morning.” I sigh contentedly. I spent most of yesterday working myself up into a frenzy over what happened Saturday night.What does it mean for us? Will it make things awkward with us?And with one hug, he wipes away much of my concern.
His arms reluctantly slip from me. “I figured you had a bunch of supplies to carry in and would need my help.”
“I sure do. I can use a pack mule, if you’re offering.”
He stretches his arms to each side. “Load me up.”
“Okay, you asked for it.” I snicker, hanging multiple bags from his arms. Grabbing the remainder, I close the hatch and follow him to the kitchen. We place all the bags on the island, and this time he helps me unload them.
When we’re finished putting everything away, he reaches in his pocket and pulls out a small plastic card. “This is for you. Every purchase you make for this job, whether it’s food or cooking utensils you need to have here, I want you to use this card. I’ll pay the monthly balance.” He hands it to me.
Calista Kastellanos.My name is on the credit card. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do this.”
“It’s the easiest way for me to make sure you’re not paying for things you shouldn’t.” He stares knowingly at me.
“I’ll save all the receipts so you can see what’s been purchased.” I already made a special folder for them.
“I trust you not to screw me. At least not financially.” He winks.
I poke his chest. “Whoa, pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
He catches my hand, pressing my palm to his heart. “I’m sure there’s something building between us that’s too powerful to deny, and there’s only one way it can go.”
Oh, I don’t know. I can think of another way that’s not so pretty. One that would leave me a heartbroken and pining mess over a man I have no business being with in the first place.
He raises my hand from his chest and presses a kiss to the back of it before letting go. “I have a couple of surprises for you,” he says, looking childlike in his excitement. He hurries over to the table and returns with a large gift bag in his hand. He sets it down on the island. “Open it.”
“You didn’t need to get me a gift,” I say, removing layers of tissue paper from the top.
He shrugs. “I wanted to.”
I pull out a neatly folded square of material. “What is this?” Unfolding it, I shake it out to its full size and laugh. It’s an apron, and across the chest it says “Goode Chef.” “I love it. Thank you.”
“You’re not done yet,” he tells me.
