“I’m not usually one for breakfast, but last night worked up an appetite.”
“And this morning’s workout,” he reminds me, leaning over the bar to capture my lips with his own.
“And this morning,” I repeat against his lips.
He steps back, and I force myself to lower my gaze to the plate in front of me. Neil is right. This isn’t just a slice of toast with some avocado spread on top. He toasted some ciabatta bread—my favorite type—topped it with butter, sliced avocado, tomato, an egg, and that everything but the bagel seasoning that everyone loves.
“Is this balsamic on top?” I question, looking down at the dark brown liquid on top of both slices.
“Yup,” he responds as he takes a seat next to me with his plate. “Let me know if the eggs are too runny for you.”
I shake my head. “No such thing. The runnier, the better.” I take my first bite and clutch my fist to my mouth, holding in the squeal that wants to escape.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he says, laughing at my facial expression.
“You better. This is delicious.” I dive in for my second bite, this time realizing he’s melted cheese over the tomato and between the egg. All the ingredients combine to create a cornucopia of flavors in my mouth.
“I forgot to get the coffee started before I made the toast. I can make some if you’d like.”
I shake my head. “Who needs coffee? Between that wake up call this morning and this toast, I’m up.”
He tosses his head back and laughs, and my nipples pebble. I place my half-eaten toast on the plate and rise from the stool, reaching over to kiss the side of his cheek. However, when I move to retake my seat, I’m prevented by Neil’s arm around my waist. Wordlessly, he pulls my plate closer, making it evident that he and I are now sharing this one stool.
I don’t have a problem with that.
“You know, when I open my bakery, maybe we’ll offer breakfast items as well. Only avocado toast, though. And only you can make it, which means you’ll have to come and work for me.”
He chuckles as his hand moves down, cupping my butt and squeezing. “Sorry, babe, I happen to like my day job. Now, if you said this toast would keep you in my bed every morning, I’d reconsider your offer.”
There’s an uptick in my heartbeat even as I laugh at his joke. However, there is an air of seriousness that belies his tone. Between that and the earnest look in his eyes, there’s a piece of me that wonders if he’s truly joking.
I don’t let myself go too far down that road. I’ve learned it’s best to stay in the moment and not let my hopes of the future turn into unmet expectations.
Turning toward the one window in the kitchen, I watch the fat snowflakes continue to fall. “It’s still snowing. Let’s go make snow angels,” I say, standing abruptly and widening my gaze as I look at Neil.
I half expect him to brush me off and tell me to get serious, but I should’ve known better. Instead of calling me ridiculous, he stands, taking my plate and his over to the sink. Then he turns to me and says, “If we’re going to play in the snow, you’re going to need some real clothes.”
“Shoot.” I glance down at the T-shirt and shorts I wear, forgetting all about the fact that I only wore a dress, heels, and leather jacket the night before. None of which is appropriate for going out in this kind of weather.
“No sweat, I’ve got us covered.”
I don’t know how but Neil managed to have jeans, a shirt, sweater, and a coat complete with gloves, scarf, and hat delivered in under an hour.
“So, this is how the other half lives, huh?” I tease, looking at Neil once dressed in my new clothes.
He lifts an eyebrow. “What other half?”
I shake my head, laughing to myself. “Nothing, nevermind.” I take a step around him, but he stops me with his arm around my waist. His expression turns serious as he stares down at me.
“What’d you mean by that?”
I push out a breath and return his stare, shrugging. “Nothing much, just that it has to take some kind of pull to get clothes delivered just like that.”
“There are all types of delivery services nowadays.”
“I’m familiar. Trust me. I have most of my baking ingredients delivered when I’m too busy in the kitchen to go out to the store. But my groceries aren’t delivered by my building’s concierge service.”
Neil shakes his head. “It’s not that big a deal.”
