Page 17 of Saving the CEO

Scarlett grabbed the carton and brought it closer. As she took two mugs from a cabinet, she wondered what he meant bythat’s cute. The wordcutehad always rubbed her the wrong way. Growing up, people always called her cute, whereas her older sisters were referred to as smart, strong, or pretty. Being seen as cute might be a compliment to some people, but for Scarlett, it was the last thing she wanted. She knew she ought to keep her mouth shut, but her pride wouldn’t let this go.

Planting her hands on her hips, she spun around to face Devin. “What did you mean bythat’s cute?”

He lowered his glass. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“But you did. You wouldn’t have said it otherwise. There’s a reason you saidthat’s cute and rather appropriate.” She held his gaze without blinking. “What was it?”

“The real question,” he challenged her, “is why does what I said bother you so much?”

“If you must know, I hate it when people use the wordcute. When you’re the youngest of four, you hear that word a lot.You’re so cute. Aren’t you the cute baby sister? Look at the cute thing Scarlett’s doing.That word always made me feel like a little kid, like no one ever took me seriously.” She blew out a heavy breath that sent some wayward strands of her hair flying. Now that she’d addressed the elephant in the room, she felt better. But a little worse, too. So much for having self-control and not letting Devin get to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bite your head off. It’s just a big pet peeve of mine.”

One side of his mouth lifted into a smirk. “It’s a good thing I kept my reasoning to myself then.”

Scarlett balked. “You can’t say that now and not tell me what you meant!”

“Oh, yes, I can. I believe in self-preservation.”

“So you did saythat’s cuteand appropriateas an insult?”

“Not exactly.”

“What doesnot exactlymean exactly?”

“It depends.”

“It depends? What is that supposed to mean?” Shaking her head, Scarlett threw up her hands. Why did every conversation with Devin make her want to pull her hair out? “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Forget I asked.”

He answered her with a raised brow.

“I’m gonna go make hot chocolate now. Thanks for the milk. And for sending me your choices later,” she added with a terse smile before heading for the pantry.

With some distance between them, she could finally breathe freely. At least she kind of ended the conversation on a positive note, which was more than she could say for the emotions brewing in her gut. The rest of her evening would surely get better. As long as she steered clear of Devin Kendall, she’d be fine.

She hoped.

Scarlett marveled at the size and orderliness of the walk-in pantry. It was larger than her bedroom closet that she used as a makeshift recording studio. She looked up and down the shelves that had been stocked with a variety of goods until she spotted what she was searching for. There on the top shelf sat the hot cocoa powder just out of reach.

Oh, the woes of being height-challenged. That was another thing she’d hated as a child, not being as tall or as strong as her sisters. But no matter, she’d figured out how to get things done back then, and she’d figure out a way now.

She stood on her tiptoes, stretching her arm as far as it would go. Her fingernails scraped the round canister, but she couldn’t get a firm hold on it. Frustration tightened her shoulder muscles when she realized she was about as helpless as a fish on dry land.

Unless she could find a stepstool! There had to be one somewhere. With renewed determination, Scarlett spun around, only to come face to face with Devin.

Great. He was the absolute last person she wanted help from. How long he’d been watching her from the doorway, she didn’t know, but judging from his smug smile, it was obviously long enough.

“Need some help?” he asked.

Now just how badly did she want that cocoa?

CHAPTER9

Devin

Devin leaned against the doorframe, his hands stuffed into his shorts pockets. He’d witnessed Scarlett’s meager attempts at getting the cocoa powder and had to fight hard to keep from laughing. The characteristic she’d said she disliked was the very one she embodied. Despite being a grown woman, she was the essence of cute. With her braids and those ridiculous pj’s on, not to mention her pouty expression, she possessed an air of innocence bordering on naivety. Of course, he wouldn’t say this to her face. She seemed to have enough of a complex as it was. He would try his best to hold back his laughter for as long as possible.

She crossed her arms, covering up the cartoon frog on her chest. “Are you going to stand there and laugh at me all night or are you going to help?”

“Who said I was laughing?”

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