Page 16 of Beautiful Noise

Gwendolyn laughed lightly. “Absolutely not, butyouare.”

“How are you so confident that I’m normal or even worth the risk?”

“I’m trusting my gut…”

“Right, your gut,” I droned.

“We rely on what’s tried and true. My gut has never failed me. Now unless there’s anything else, I’m going to go for a moonlight dip in the ocean and I’m feeling frisky so I might just skip the bathing suit.”

“Umm…”

What the hell was I supposed to say to her admission of going skinny dipping in the ocean?

“Not to worry dear, the bungalows are spaced far enough apart that I have complete privacy, and if I don’t, then so be it. I put a lot of time into this body of mine and I must say, it’s still in fairly decent working order for an old lady.”

“You’re not old.” I grinned at the thought. She barely looked to be beyond her mid-thirties but considering Eccentric had just celebrated his thirtieth second birthday—yes I knew that about him—I had to assume she was at least early fifties.

“Old enough but I wear it well. Have a great day, Kori, and I’m only a phone call away if you need me. Nine hours difference but still just a phone call away.”

I cringed. She’d mentioned going on a vacation but hadn’t given full details of where andIwas disturbing her.

“Right, sorry to bother you.”

“It’s no bother, dear. We’ll talk soon.” She paused. “Oh and the steaks I had delivered are for Ezren. They’re his favorite. I assume you wouldn’t mind whipping up a meal or two for him as a thank you.”

I thought about the plate of untouched pasta waiting for me on the counter. He hadn’t eaten it. I wasn’t sure why that’d stung as much as it had. Maybe I felt slighted by a man who didn’t owe me a damn thing but at least I had been kind enough to share. So the idea of intentionally cooking for him…

I frowned at the thought. “He’ll probably skip the meal assuming I’m going to poison him, but no, I don’t mind.”

She chuckled again. “He’ll be fine. Just give him a few days to get used to the idea of you being there. Talk soon.”

The call ended and I slumped slightly, glancing around the kitchen. There was not one thing normal about this situation but I was here and going to make the best of it.

CHAPTER SIX

Ezren.

By the time I finally rolled out of bed, it was just after seven in the evening. My body felt weighted, sluggish but also well rested. Traveling was hard, mentally and physically. Hotel hopping, regardless of how luxurious the establishments, never replaced the comfort of sleeping in your own bed, under your own roof.

Dragging my stiff frame with more effort than it should have required, I was on my way to the kitchen to tend to my growling stomach. I prayed my mother stocked the fridge but there was a slight possibility she hadn’t. If I was lucky she’d hooked me up, considering she knew what I liked. Thoughts of my mother circled back to Kori and then to the food I’d skipped out on.

Damn I should have eaten that pasta last night.

I hated that I’d allowed my anger to get the best of me but what the hell else was I supposed to do? There was a stranger living in my house. A stranger I couldn’t get rid of without going to war with my mother and being on the front line in opposition with Gwendolyn Shaw was nothing to take lightly. She and I shared the same qualities—stubborn, determined, and the need to always be right being our most dominant traits.

I groaned at the way she could manipulate me to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, but hell, I loved that woman. I owed her my entire life. Without her, I wouldn’t be the success I was. So yeah, I allowed my mother to have her way even at the expense of my peace.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, my eyes landed on the counter where I’d left my food last night. The space was empty and the reality made my stomach growl louder than necessary.

“Chill, I’m working on it,” I mumbled, stalking to the refrigerator.

Jackpot.

Sitting lovely, tucked in the corner, were two glass containers with plastic lids. The same two that had been on the stove when I’d arrived home last night and discovered my unwanted houseguest.

Grabbing them both, I opened the one filled with pasta and made busy work of getting it in the microwave. After several minutes, when it was steaming hot, I placed a slice of bread in for a few seconds before grabbing a fork and diving into the pasta.

The minute the flavorful melody settled against my tongue and my tastebuds acknowledged the flavor, I nodded in approval, leaning against the counter with my legs spread wide, holding the dish in one hand while I overloaded my fork with the other.

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