She breezed past me and to the fridge. “I cook every day, but Grayson barely ever touches it. If you can make something he’ll actually eat, go for it.”
I spotted the numerous plastic containers, all labeled with what was inside and the date it had been cooked.
Curious, I wondered how much he actually worked. “Does he not eat dinner at home?”
“Barely ever. I’ve taken to packing him a lunch or he wouldn’t eat anything until late at night. That boy works too much.”
“I was thinking of cooking steaks with scalloped potatoes and a salad?”
Grayson used to love steak, and I hoped he still did. The suggestion must have been a good one, because even though she didn’t smile at me, her face carried a hint of approval. “That’s a great idea. It’s his favorite.”
She rummaged through the fridge, humming. “I have to get steaks. What salad were you thinking of making?”
We worked out what I needed for dinner, and Leslie gathered her things to go to the supermarket. Surprise flitted over her face at my objections, but she quickly composed herself and waved me off, heading out the door.
I busied myself with getting everything ready. When she got back an hour later, I was already peeling potatoes.
“You don’t want me to peel the potatoes?” she asked, walking back into the kitchen with a bag in each hand.
I helped her unpack, my eyes widening at the huge steaks she’d gotten. “I’m good. I haven’t really cooked in a long time, and I miss it.”
“Another workaholic,” Leslie murmured, shaking her head. “There’s more to life than work.”
“Oh, I know. And I plan on eventually slowing down. But my bakery is only just making a steady profit.”
And I loved what I did, so I would never fully step back. If I ever got the capital together for a second location, my plans of slowing down would have to be put on hold as well. The first few years of starting a new business were always the hardest.
After much coaxing, Leslie agreed to keep me company. I even convinced her to have a cup of tea. She was sitting on one of the barstools lining the kitchen island when we heard footsteps coming down the hall.
A glance at the time confirmed it was only five. We shot each other a look as if one of us was supposed to know who that was. When Grayson came around the corner, Leslie was wearing the same startled expression on her face that I must have had.
“Honey, I’m home,” he called out, a breathtaking smile on his face.
He leaned down and kissed me, keeping the kiss PG, much to my disappointment. But we had an audience. I didn’t want to start things off with Leslie on the wrong foot.
“Hey, Leslie,” he greeted his housekeeper, at the same time pulling me in to his side.
I put down the lettuce I’d been washing and wound my arms around his middle, sinking into him with a happy sigh.How could I have missed him this much after only a few hours apart?
It would be impossible to leave after our few days together were up.
Leslie got up, looking at us with the first genuine smile I’d seen on her face since meeting her. “I better get going. I have to pick Sasha up from rehearsal.”
“Sasha is her granddaughter,” Grayson explained. “She’s a talented ballet dancer. I believe she’ll be inThe Nutcrackerin a few weeks?”
The housekeeper blushed at the comment, pride shining in her eyes. “She will. And she has you to thank for it.”
After that cryptic comment, Leslie left with a promise to be back the next day at nine.
I turned in Grayson’s arms, bringing us chest to chest. “What did she mean?”
He leaned down and placed a whisper-soft kiss at the corner of my mouth. “I pay for her dance lessons. Well, not directly, since Leslie would never accept it. But I donated money to Sasha’s dance school with the agreement that they would waive her tuition.”
I went up on my tippy toes, winding my arms around his neck. “We should be strangers after all these years, but every time I uncover a new layer of your life, you show me how much you’re still the person I used to hang out with.”
His lips hovered over mine, his eyes on me. “I’ll always be that person to you. Nothing will ever change how I feel about you. How much I want you. It’s always been you.”
I breached the last of the distance between us, crushing our mouths together in a searing kiss, letting go of the pent-up longing and passion I’d been trying so hard to deny.How do we still have so many feelings between us after all this time?
