“It is. We order from him a lot,” I want her to relax a little. She seems nervous, and putting her at ease right now is my main goal.
“Did closing up the cafe go smoothly,” I ask her. My hope is that she will start talking about work and stop worrying. She perks up a bit at my question.
“Oh, yes—I skipped sweeping. Decided to do that tomorrow. Almost gave myself a heart attack though. I can be such an idiot,” she says and laughs at herself. Her hands are covering her cheeks.
“Don’t call yourself that,” I scold her. But then get curious. “How did you almost give yourself a heart attack,” I ask her. She takes a deep breath sips her beer.
“I’m losing my mind. I had taken the trash out earlier, and was in the dining area wiping down the tables. I thought I heard a noise in the back by the kitchen,” she states and takes a bite of her second slice of pizza. My mind is racing. Outwardly, I remain calm.
“So for a second, I listened out. Thinking someone was in the kitchen, I took out my phone and crept to the back. Of course, once I got back there I realized there was no one there. I just didn’t close the door all the way. There it was creaking in the breeze,” she laughs at herself. I remain silent. My silence obviously makes her nervous because she continues on.
“I know, I know. You think I’m paranoid from the whole debacle with Brookins,” she starts to minimize the situation.
“I do not think you are paranoid. In fact, are you sure you didn’t close the door behind you when you came back from the trash,” I interrupt her to ask. She pauses and looks at me. She shakes her head.
“I can’t be 100% positive, but what other explanation would there be,” she shrugs. I know she is probably right, but I can’t shake the feeling in my gut that something is wrong.
“I don’t like it, Piper. I also am not a huge fan of you running towards what could be a dangerous situation. I wish you would have called me. I could have come and checked it out,” I said softly. Right now, Piper is kind of jumpy. I don’t want to make it worse. Really, I want to spank her ass for being so reckless.Again.She shrugs her shoulders.
“I know, but you can’t rescue me all the time. Come on Holt, I am a grown woman. I own a business. I can’t call you every time there MAY be an issue. You have other things to do,” Piper explains to me as she takes a few more sips of beer.
I know that she doesn’t understand. I didn’t really get it either, until she spent a few days at my place recovering from having Brookins shove a gun in her face. Once she left, I realized how right it felt that she was in my space. Realized, that she was right where she belonged. Now I just have to make her see that. And by the little tirade she just gave, I have my work cut out for me. I opt to change the subject, because my direct answer is only going to start shit.
“Want to get another slice and chill on the couch,” I ask and grin at her, willing her to go along with my suggestion. She looks down at her empty plate for a moment. Contemplating.
“I don’t know—,” she starts to refuse. I’m not sure if she is refusing another slice or sitting on the couch, but I’m not going to let her refuse either.
“Head on over to the couch, I’ll bring you your plate,” I order. I keep my tone of voice light, but it is a demand. She doesn’t seem to mind. I watch her stand up and make her way to what will become my bed for the night. The couch is a decent size, but for my 6 foot 4 inch frame, it will still be a tight fit. I have slept in way worse spots.
She is toeing her beat up converse off and settling down in one corner of the couch. Tucking her feet under her, I notice that her socks don’t match.Cute.Jesus Christ, I don’t remember the last time I thought anything was cute.
I hand her the plate with another slice and another beer. Her slightly round cheeks flush and she looks down.
“Thank you,” she murmurs softly. I nod at her and then head back to the table to grab my plate. I take another minute to look around. The space is cozy with quirky second hand vintage items scattered throughout. Only Piper could pull this off and make it look youthful and not geriatric.
I also notice how her decor isn’t exactly winning any security awards. The sheer curtain that is dressing the window over the sink is doing nothing to give her privacy. The sliding glass door that leads out onto her deck has a flimsy lock on it, and I have catalogued about 20 other things that I will need to work before I’m even close to satisfied.
I know she will fight me every step of the way, and honestly, I’m looking forward to it. Piper is a spitfire and verbally sparring with her is one of my favorite pastimes.
I head back to the couch, and sit down next to Piper. I make sure I give her a little breathing room, I don’t want to crowd her. She has turned the television on and is flipping through the options.
Chapter 7
Piper
“So, what do you want to watch,” I ask him. I’m avoiding his inspection of me. I’m not sure what he finds so interesting—but I’m just going to ignore it. Escaping his probing stare is probably best done by watching some mindless television. His light brown, almost blonde, eyebrow raises a bit and he smirks knowingly.
“What do you usually watch,” he asks. I am so jealous of his laid back nature. I weigh my answer. I can’t exactly tell him that I have been enthralled with the latest bodice ripper romance adaptation. That would beawkward. I go the safest route.
“Whatever true crime special they have on,” I answer, truthfully. He chuckles and my stomach flutters slightly at the sound.Jesus.
“That works for me,” he answers as he finishes the last of his pizza. He places the empty plate on my coffee table. As he leans back he puts his arm along the back of the couch. We aren’t touching, not even close, but his proximity makes my skin prickle.
Blindly, I select one of the first options, and try to focus. I’m hyper aware of everything that he is doing. I look over at him out of the corner of my eye. I can’t believe this man is sitting in my living room. His sharp jaw is covered in light stubble, his full lips are tilted in a slight grin. I shake my head and once again try to pay attention to the program.
My phone buzzes next to me and I look down. It’s Meg. She is probably checking on me. I swipe to open her message and can’t help but huff and roll my eyes. As I respond to her sage words of wisdom.
Meg: Don’t overthink it Piper.
