Page 5 of Protecting Clove
Neo narrowed her gaze. “What do you mean?”
He shrugged, trying to make his answer not sound too adult-like. “You’re obviously very smart, but learning how to deal with other people is important. It’s one of the biggest parts of my job. Maybe you could treat this year as an exploration of people. Learning how they operate and how to interact with them.”
Neo’s lips thinned, and after a moment, she nodded. “I’ll take it as a challenge. But humans are chaotic. Have you heard of chaos theory?”
Neo moved into a conversation about chaos theory with Kevlar, who was asking her questions about the theory and how it differed from string theory.
Bud glanced around and saw Clove deep in conversation with Remi and Andi. They looked very serious. He hoped they weren’t bugging Clove. He knew the women were great, but for some reason, he feared them pushing her on him. He didn’t want a relationship. Maybe he needed to take them aside and get themto understand he didn’t want to be in a relationship with his neighbor.
He was about to move away from Neo and Kevlar when Kevlar turned to Remi. “Hey, Remi, what are you all discussing so seriously?”
Remi laughed and shook her head. “We’re talking about cakes.”
Clove lifted her hands and shrugged. “I’m trying to convince them that every cake that uses oil needs butter.”
Andie turned to them. “I told her I put oil in the cake I made.”
Rider moved to Andie and pulled her into a hug. “I like your cake.”
Andie chuckled and slapped playfully at his hand. “Hush. You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”
Bud watched as Clove’s cheeks turned pink. He shouldn’t be watching her. She wasn’t his, and he wouldn’t even try to make her his, but she looked really good. She had on a blue shirt that wasn’t low cut, but it made her breasts look amazing. Her shorts almost hit her knees and might have been a bit long, but then again, this wasn’t a club, and she had her daughter with her. No, he didn’t need to watch Clove or think about how nice it would be to put his arms around her and pull her close before brushing her lips with his.
He spun around, stopping the thought. That was how it started. He couldn’t spend his time putting them in situations in his mind that never would happen.
Clove had been trying not to let her gaze swing to Bud too often, but like a moth to a flame, her gaze was drawn to the man. He seemed to have excellent command of his body, moving so smoothly, even with Neo racing around them.
Dinner had been perfect. She lied and said the cake was wonderful, but it lacked the moisture and flavor she would get with butter. It tasted okay, but it wasn’t outstanding. Then again,she’d spent years studying how to manipulate recipes to make them perfect. Her day job was teaching at the culinary school. The drive was far, but she needed the lower cost of living here if she ever wanted to build something for her and Neo. She had the suspicion that soon enough, she would have to send Neo to a private school. Public school wasn’t going to be enough for her daughter, and she didn’t think she would qualify for a scholarship.
After the cake, she thanked Andie and gave Remi a quick hug, promising to stay in touch with them. It probably wouldn’t happen, though. Remi and Andie were these guys’ wives, and she was just the next-door neighbor to Bud. Neo seemed to like them all, which was a plus. Still, it was too much to hang out with this crew as a fifth wheel. Bud wasn’t her boyfriend and never would be. She was just some stranger who they were being nice to.
4
Rider didn’t see Clove until Wednesday. He’d had a rough day at work and was coming home very late. It was almost nine, and he was surprised to see Clove sitting outside. She stood when she saw him and shoved her phone in her pocket.
“I wasn’t waiting out here for you. I was on the phone until just a moment ago.”
He lifted his chin. “Didn’t think you were.” The scent of something delicious hit him, and he groaned.
She cocked her head to the side, looking way too cute for his tired mind to deal with. “What?”
He should have said nothing and gone inside, but he was exhausted and hungry. “That scent is heavenly. What is it?”
“Chicken pot pie. Want some?”
He closed his eyes. He shouldn’t. It would be wrong to take her food. They weren’t in a relationship, and he shouldn’t even encourage a friendship. But the chicken pot pie smelled so good, and he only had sandwich fixings for dinner. What made it worse was he hadn’t eaten since lunch. They’d been dragged into a meeting and held until late. Right now, all he wanted was to eat and go to bed.
“I don’t want to take it all.”
“Please, how much do you think we eat? I needed to try out a new recipe for crust before I teach it next week.”
He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. He paused for a second, weighing the options as he glanced over at his door, then back to her. “Let me store my stuff, and I’ll be over.”
“Sure.”
In less than five minutes, he was at her door, knocking softly. She opened the door and let him in.
“Neo sleeps deep, so don’t worry about waking her. Would you like anything to drink? I have wine and beer.”
