Page 59 of The Marriage Bid
Tyler’s place had a breakfast nook in the kitchen corner that offered a view of the city. I sat at the end of the curved bench and watched as he juggled two plates and two cups of coffee. He placed them down on the table and sat opposite me.
He pushed my plate and cup towards me. I grabbed the hot beverage first and took a sip. The coffee ran down my throat, warming my body. Tyler liked his apartment cold, and I had never noticed before, probably because I was too hot for him. “I thought you were going to drop it all for a second.”
Tyler righted his plate and cut into his bacon. “My latent waiter training kicked in at the last second.”
I dropped the pancake I had picked up. “You were a waiter?”
“I worked for several years at a restaurant. My father wanted me to work for my stay in college.” He jabbed the bacon and a piece of omelet he had cut. Before popping the food in hismouth, he added, “Though it made no sense because my salary didn’t put a dent in the massive tuition.”
“Maybe he wanted you to fend for yourself.”
He shrugged. “Massive good that did to me. Seb and I still used his name and connections when we started the company.”
“Were you and Seb always this close?”
He paused, deep in thought. “Kinda. Yeah. Since we are both close in age, we’ve always hung out together. Some people thought we were twins.”
“But he’s younger than you, by what? A year?”
“Yeah, but I’ve never felt like an older brother to him than I do with Raine or Ivy. Are you going to eat your food?”
I glanced down at my food. The pancakes, eggs, and bacon were fascinating, but not as much as the man in front of me. For the first time in a while, it felt as though I could ask him anything and he would respond. He was so open in a way he’d never been before, and instead of being wary of the change; I wanted to lean into it so I could learn more about him before he got tired of me and decided I belonged to the cold once more. “Not until you tell me why you’re like this today? And yesterday.”
Amusement tugged at the corners of his lips. “Like what?”
“You know.”
“I told you. I’m tired of pretending I don’t like you.”
“When you say that, what does it mean? You like my body?”
He nodded. “Pretty much.” My heart sank. I don’t know what I expected. A declaration of love. That would be stupid. “I like your mind too. You’re very creative.” My heart leaped again. “And smart.”
“Thanks.”
“I don’t know. I want us to explore this thing between us in depth. What do you think?”
“I like the sound of that. So how are we going to do it?”
“What do you think of pottery making?”
I chuckled. “Like inGhost?”
“Have you ever done it?”
I shook my head.
He rubbed his hands excitedly. “You’re going to love it.”
Chapter 26
Saffron
Afit, elegant woman in her fifties, all fabric scarves and long flowing dresses, opened the doors of a refurbished warehouse ground floor. Her smooth brown skin did not show her age, but the streaks of white in her tied-up dark hair did. When she saw Tyler and me walking in with linked hands, she smiled and wiggled her eyebrows.
“First time taking a pottery class?” she asked me after we exchanged hugs.
“I’ve never created anything with my hands, and I am afraid I will make a mess of things,” I replied as we followed her into the room. From the little I could make out so far, it was a typical Manhattan studio with white walls, minimal decoration save for pottery objects hung on the wall.
