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“No, ma’am,” he said. “You did not. I took a wild stab that a fine Texas woman like yourself would like steak.”
“Andyoulike steak,” she pointed out.
“Guilty,” he said. He rounded the island and started opening drawers. “Knife, knife.”
“Far left drawer,” Lauren said. “Harrison keeps the knives in there.”
Blake opened the drawer she’d suggested, and sure enough an array of knives sat in slots, waiting to be used. “For a second there, I thought I might have to go outside and rummage through his outdoor kitchen.”
“Surprisingly, he keeps a lot of stuff in here,” she said. “I don’t know why, but I’ve never used an outdoor kitchen.”
“I’ve grilled outside,” Blake said. “Does that count?”
“In my book, yes,” Lauren said. “I don’t cook much at all, so grilling is like the fancy kind of cooking.” She gave him another light laugh, and it was such a nice gift.
He took out a serrated knife and cut the monster-sized Philly cheesesteak in half on the bias, the way a real chef would do. He didn’t put it on a plate, however, because one simply fisted a cheesesteak to eat it.
Using the tip of the knife, he nudged her half closer to her. “Go on,” he said. “Try it.” Blake didn’t know Lauren super well, and he thought she might be the type of woman to take a dainty bite, deem it delicious and leave the rest. She hadn’t eaten much at the wedding, he remembered that.
Today, though, she picked up the cheesesteak, pushed the foil wrapper back, and bit into the sandwich like she meant business. Blake didn’t want to have heat shooting from the soles of his feet to the back of his brain—it just happened.
“Wow,” he said, chuckling. “Youwent all-in.”
Not only that, but her shoulders, which she always kept so boxed and rigid, fell. She sighed and then moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as her eyelids fluttered closed. He could only stare then, which he could do without shame, because her eyes were shut.
She was the picture of “stunning.” If he flipped through the dictionary, he’d only find Lauren under that word. Her eyes opened as she finished chewing, and her smile filled her face after she swallowed.
“That is amazing.” She took another bite, and Blake told himself to wake up. Get out of this trance he’d fallen into. She grinned at him, and he took a bite of his half of the sandwich. Pure flavor filled his mouth, from the perfect caramelization on the onions to the seasoned beef. He groaned too, and Lauren hid her mouth behind a napkin and giggled.
“So,” he said between bites. “What are you doing today?”
“Moving in,” she said. “Always.”
He nodded. “Moving takes too long.”
She agreed and looked out the window. “Then, I don’t know. I think I’ll go lay on the beach. Feels like that’s something an unemployed person would do.” She looked at him, and Blake wasn’t entirely sure, but she almost held a challenge in her eyes.
“The job,” he said. He hastened to put down his sandwich. “It’s not exactly marketing. I work with a national firm, in a private office.”
“I know how financial investors work,” she said. “You have the backing of a big company, but you have to fund your own office. You have to find your own clients. All of that.”
“Yes,” he said.
“We did marketing for the big companies,” she said. “Signage, logos, commercial campaigns. All of it.”
She was extremely overqualified for what he needed.Don’t tell her, he told himself. The last thing he needed to do—again—was embarrass himself. He reached for the cola he’d brought. “I got you a Diet Coke,” he said, indicating the cup.
“Thanks.” She smiled at him. “Yours isn’t diet.”
“No.” He took a long drink of his sugary soda. “I like the hard stuff.” They’d talked about this at the wedding. He’d been texting her a lot too, and Blake had just been told she wanted to attach strings. He could do that, and he wondered if she knew she already held quite a few of his heartstrings in the palm of her hand.
Probably. Women like Lauren knew.
Her dark eyes drank him up, her smile wide and revealing those straight, white teeth. She didn’t wear any makeup, but she was still flawless, and Blake wanted to cancel his whole afternoon and stay here with her. He wasn’t even sure what his afternoon held, which was why he needed Lauren.
“It’s an assistant position,” he said. He cleared his throat. “I can pay decently well, but nothing like I’m sure you were making at your marketing firm.” Or even close. “I don’t know what Harry’s rent is, or what you need. There’s some medical and vision benefits. It’s a full-time position.”
Lauren kept eating, nodding as he talked. He told himself not to say more. She could ask questions if she wanted additional information.
