“It’s a nickname?” she asked, a tiny prick of curiosity in her tone. Dulcie dipped his chin. “How’d you get it?”
Dulcie shrugged and smiled. “I’m Mexican by descent and, according to my asshole brothers—excuse my language—I’m sweet as sugar. They thought it would be hilarious considering what we did for a living.”
“Dulcie means sweetie, though, not sugar,” she said. “Dulce would mean sweet.”
His brother’s eyes lit. “You know Spanish?”
“Un poquito,” she replied.
“You’re right. But they decided Dulcie was easier to say than Dulce. I don’t know why. Gringos,” he added with a shrug. Monk rolled his eyes.
“What’s your nickname?” she asked, turning to him.
“Monk,” both Dulcie and Helia said at the same time.
“I don’t think I want to know the origin of that name,” Kendall said, making the rest of them laugh.
“You don’t. Now let’s get inside and make some lunch. It’s getting colder, and I could do with a fire, too,” he said.
“You get the fire, I’ll get lunch,” Helia said, leading the way inside. He followed behind her but didn’t miss how Kendall tentatively came up alongside Dulcie, bringing up the rear.
“You’re installing cameras?” she asked.
“Yeah. Monk’s father didn’t have any, and with the break-in the other day, we thought it was time. Probably past time. Roger had his reasons, none of which are valid anymore, so security, rather than privacy, is taking over.”
“What kind?” she asked. “Of camera,” she clarified.
And then they were off. He left the two talking brands, specs, bugs, and all sorts of tech things as he made his way to the fireplace. He got the fire going, checked in with Helia, then hauled the bags of clothes from the car to the laundry room. He considered starting a load but knew Kendall had purchased some personal items that she might not be comfortable with him seeing. And since she and Dulcie had slipped back outside so he could show her the setup, Monk left the clothes and wandered into the kitchen to find Helia bent over, peering into the oven.
He stared at her ass for longer than he should, remembering the feel of it in his hand when they’d kissed that morning. Forcing his mind back to Kendall, he cleared his throat.
Helia straightened and spun. “You startled me.”
He made a face. “Sorry, moving quietly is habit. What did you decide?” he asked, nodding to the oven. They’d bought enough food for several meals.
“BLTs and french fries. The sandwiches are ready to be assembled, just waiting on the fries.”
His stomach rumbled, making her smile. “I wanted to get some of those clothes washed for Kendall, so she has clean pajamas and…stuff. But she might not like me going through some of those things. Would you mind…?”
“Say no more. I’ll start a load if you keep an eye on the fries?”
“Deal.” He moved into the small kitchen.
Helia paused in front of him on her way out. Then reaching up, she patted his chest, went up on her toes, and kissed his cheek. “You’re a good man, Collin,” she said before disappearing out the door.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Helia folded a shirt and set it on the growing pile on the shelf beside the dryer. Kendall had offered to do her own folding, but Helia thought she could use a little spoiling. She hadn’t talked much about her life, but she’d dropped enough tidbits for them to know she’d been the adult in the relationship.
A burst of laughter filtered down the hall from the tasting room. Dulcie and Kendall had moved on from blackjack to Texas Hold’em, and she guessed one or the other had landed a sneak attack.
“You all good in here?” Collin asked, stepping through the door.
“You’re good with her,” she responded.
“I’m hoping she’ll trust us enough to tell us her mom’s name so we can help find her. You’re helping with that. By spending time with us.”
“You ever thought about having kids?” she asked, knowing the question had implications, even unintended ones. The kiss they’d shared that afternoon had been playing on repeat in her head all day.
