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“I know, but you have a nice, canned pineapple chunk collection in your pantry.” I furrowed my brows.
“What’s wrong with canned pineapple?” He walked over to the cabinet, took down a mug, and brewed a cup of coffee.
“It’s weird,” I said.
“What is so weird about pineapple?” He turned and looked at me.
“Nothing, as long as it’s fresh. Who has ten cans of pineapple in their pantry? Seriously, who does that?”
“I do. I love pineapple. I don’t get to the store very often. Plus, fresh pineapple is a pain in the ass to cut up. The canned stuff is easier.”
“I bet you eat it right out of the can, too?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” He grabbed his coffee and took a sip.
The timer went off, so I walked over to the oven and took out the dish I’d made.
“What is that?” Carter walked over.
“Pineapple crisp. I hope you’re not mad that I used two cans of your precious pineapple. Next time I go to the store, I’ll replace them. I would hate for you to have an anxiety attack because a can of pineapple is missing.”
“You are quite the smart ass, Zoey Morgan.”
“I aim to please. Anyway, go sit your ass down at the island, and I’ll serve you some.”
Taking a plate from the cabinet, I scooped some pineapple crisp onto it, grabbed a fork from the drawer, and set it down in front of him.
“Okay. This—this.” He pointed his fork at the pineapple crip. “Jesus, Zoey.”
“You like it?” I smiled.
“It’s amazing. Aren’t you going to have some?”
“Yeah.” I grabbed a plate and scooped some on it. As I stood across from him on the other side of the island, I leaned over, planted my elbows on the granite countertop, and took a bite. “Not bad, but I still prefer fresh pineapple.”
“Have you ever made pineapple crisp before?” he asked.
“No.” I laughed. “I just threw it together. You really need to go shopping.”
“I know.” He sighed.
“So, Mr. Kind, tell me about your past illness.”
“I had a condition called Aplastic Anemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. That’s when I found out about my two brothers. Gabriel was my better match, so he donated, and I’m better now.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that, but whoa, Nelly. What do you mean that’s when you found out about your brothers? You didn’t know about them before you got sick?”
“No. And that’s all I’m telling you. I’ll tell you more on our next date.” He smiled and winked at me.
“First of all, that’s rude. You can’t drop a bomb like that and then refuse to tell the whole story. Second, I don’t have time for dating now that the work for Shaun is done. I have a bakery to get ready for and so much work to do, it’s making my head spin.”
“If there’s one thing I know about you already, it’s that you’re a fantastic multi-tasker,” he said as he took his plate to the sink, rinsed it off, and put it in the dishwasher. “You can juggle your bakery to-do list and go out with me.” He walked up behind me, gripped my hips, and whispered in my ear. “I know you’re intrigued, and I have a lot to tell. Your curiosity will get the best of you.”
My body trembled from his touch as my heart rate increased. Damn him.
“No worries. I’ll just ask Shaun.” I turned around with a smile.
“He won’t tell you. In fact, nobody in this family will.” A smirk crossed his lips.
