“They’re the real deal, but you look great.”
Looking great and being fit weren’t the same thing, butshe didn’t say that. As for weighing, she hadn’t except when she’d first gotten home. But the high number—no doubt due to the cast and the swelling from her injuries, but depressing nonetheless—had kept her off the scale. In her business, every pound mattered. Still, it was just one croissant.
“What can I get you to drink?” she asked. “Water, soda, beer?” She wasn’t one to drink during the day, but everyone was different. “Snapple.”
“Snapple’s great.”
“Let’s go in the kitchen.”
She’d figured they would start there to eat lunch, then move to the sofa if things got interesting.
She led the way and waved toward the table already set with the charcuterie board in the middle. Javiar stared at it and shook his head.
“What is it with women and those boards? It’s a thing.”
“Really? I don’t know that many people who make them regularly.”
“Shannon and her mom are fanatical about them. Once every week or so, Shannon puts one together with all the leftovers we have in the refrigerator. She says it was a tradition when she was growing up, so I guess she got it from her mom.”
Victoria did her best to process the information. Ava was also a fanatic about charcuterie boards. She’d once confessed her father hadn’t been that interested in traditional meals or sitting at the table to eat with her so she would take him little bits of food to tempt him. She’d done her best to make the plates interesting, with different elements.
For as long as Victoria could remember, charcuterie boards had been a regular occurrence in their household. Had Ava taught a teenaged Cindy the practice?
She wasn’t sure why the idea of it was upsetting, and yet it was.
“You okay?” he asked.
“What? Oh, I’m fine. Let me get your Snapple.”
“I can get it. You sit.”
He was up and heading for the refrigerator before she could even turn on her crutches. He grabbed two and brought them to the table, then smiled at her.
“Are you going to sit?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“You should,” he told her. “I can be good company.”
She dropped into the seat across from him and lowered her crutches to the floor. He passed her the open box of croissants. She hesitated before picking one and taking a bite. The slightly crunchy outside gave way to perfect layers and a buttery finish that nearly had her moaning.
“If you could see your face,” he teased. “I’m almost jealous.”
“You should be.” She took another bite, then sighed. “Heaven. I’ll have to do core work for an hour later, but it will be worth it.”
“Do you usually work out a lot?” he asked. “When you’re not on crutches?”
“It’s required for my job. Don’t forget I’m doing stunts for the female stars who are generally as big around as a toothpick. I have to be strong, agile, coordinated and in perfect shape.”
“Perfect, huh? That sounds exhausting.”
“It’s a commitment, but it comes with what I do.” She studied him, taking in the square jaw and very sexy eyes. “You’re in real estate, right? On the selling side?”
“I am.”
“Aren’t there days when the clients get on your nerves and you want to yell at them to shut up?”
His mouth twitched. “That would never happen.”
