Page 26 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

He grabbed a stick of butter and cut off a tablespoon. It sizzled and popped in the skillet. He poured the egg batter and reached for a handful of cheese, dropping it in.

“I’ll be honest with you. I have someone who cooks for me, and I don’t know why I’ve never paid attention. But watching you… I mean, I know it’s just bacon and eggs, but your attention to detail makes it seem like an art form.” She stood beside him, watching him stir, and when she smiled at him, the strangest thing happened.

Something fluttered in his chest—like a flock of birds scattering at someone’s approach. It was so bizarre that he ruined the moment by saying, “Put the bread in the toaster.”

“Um, I don’t think I saw any.” She checked the refrigerator and the empty grocery bags. “Did you leave it in the car? I can go get it.”

He eyed the round loaf of crusty sourdough bread tucked into a paper bag and realized she must’ve been looking for a bag of sandwich bread.

Quietly, he pulled the serrated knife out of the block and set it on the counter. It only took her a moment to connect it with the paper bag. “Oh. Duh.” She found the cutting board under the sink and sliced paper-thin slices. They crumbled and fell apart.

Setting the knife down, she turned to face him. “Sir, I can’t cook to save my life, and I’m going to ruin this beautiful breakfast you’re making.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He appreciated her total honesty. “This’ll take me ten minutes, and I like cooking. Go warm up by the fire.”

She glanced out the window. “It’s still coming down.”

“It is.” He didn’t like that crease between her brows. “You worried?”

“I guess I am. I didn’t grow up with snow, so I’m not used to it. But it’s the remoteness that’s scary. If anything happened…it’s not like the fire department or paramedics could get out here.”

“I’ve got a snowmobile, so there’s nothing to worry about. And a propane tank that won’t run out this century. We’re not trapped, and we won’t run out of anything.”

“Okay.” She hiked herself up onto the counter, watching him cut thick slices of bread and drop them in the toaster. “Did you build this place or buy it?”

“I bought it, but I’ve made a lot of changes over the years.”

“Oh, cool. Like what?”

“Well, it’s on the Historic Register, and the prior owners had given up on getting the council to approve modifications. I got it for a great price because it had fallen into disrepair.”

“How did you get it renovated then?”

“I convince people for a living.”

She smiled. “No kidding. You got under my covers last night.”

ChapterSix

“Hey, now.”Booker checked her eyes to be sure she was okay with it. “I was invited.”

“I’m kidding.” The sparkle in them confirmed it. “You were incredibly thoughtful. I know how exhausted you were, and you stayed up until I felt comfortable enough to fall asleep. Seriously, I appreciate that.”

He quit stirring the eggs to grab jam from the fridge. “In any event, the place was practically uninhabitable, and I presented plans that honored the integrity of the original structure and used sustainable products.”

“It’s absolutely gorgeous.”

“Worth twenty-five thousand a month?” he asked.

“Oh, hell, no. I mean, where’s the folder giving you coupons for local pizza parlors? You could at least have shampoo and conditioner dispensers in the shower.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for my next guests. Oh, wait. I won’t have any.”

“Ha ha. You put all this work into it. Why don’t you come here more often?”

“I don’t have the time.” But he got her point. “It helps to know it’s here. That if I need an escape, I’ve got someplace to go.”

“Like now.”

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