Page 9 of Loving Words
?Chapter 3
?Kennedy
The glow of light atthe window signaled it was the beginning of the day. I threw on my favorite robe and stepped to open the curtains. The view from my parent’s room, aka the red room, was spectacular. It had snowed again, a fresh blanket covering everything.
“There goes a run down to the Perky Bean.” My only option for coffee now was to learn how to work Gran’s percolator.
The house was silent as I ventured downstairs, the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room highlighting a winter wonderland outside. Pausing, I smiled. Even during the bad times, Christmas had always been special in the mountains. I padded my way into the kitchen, turning on as few lights as possible. From a lower cabinet, I pulled out the tall, silver percolator. At least it was electric and not one I had to use on the stove. I grabbed the coffee from the cupboards above the stove, smiling at the label, and inhaled the scent of my favorite Christmas blend. I may not have been able to make it into town, but Gran had made sure I could still have my favorites. After unlocking my phone, I pulled up a how-to video and paused it. I could learn anything on the internet these days.
In one of the drawers, I found the milk frother I’d bought two years ago so I could make my own cappuccinos and fancy coffee drinks. My elbow hit the pot as I moved, making it rattle. The lid popped off, slid across the counter, and fell to the floor with a loud clang. I winced at the sound.So much for being quiet, I thought as I bent over to pick it up.
“Now that’s a pleasant sight to wake up to.” Jack’s sleep-rasped voice startled me.
“Ahhh!” I jumped, the lid flying out of my hand and landing on the floor once again. “What the hell are you doing?” My gaze snagged on the pair of gray sweatpants and a navy-blue T-shirt he was wearing.Look at his eyes, Kennedy Lee!
“I was working in the living room and came to see what all the noise was about.” His cocky half smile did something to me. “Walking into a gorgeous ass on display was worth being dragged from my work.”
After retrieving the lid once again, I rinsed it off in the sink. “You can turn right back around and go back where you came from.” I hadn’t seen him when I had come down. I could already tell Jack was going to be a thorn in my side.
He ignored my words and joined me in the kitchen, walking behind me to the counter where I had set the percolator. The heat from his body caused my belly to do a flip. His snort pissed me off. I dried off the lid and turned to get back to work on my coffee. Jack stood there looking down at my phone.
“A how-to video? Seriously?” He raised an eyebrow.
“You can learn anything online, and I don’t have one of these dinosaurs at my house. After last night’s snow, I don’t want to chance driving down the mountain, so yes, a how-to video.” I pushed past him, brushing against him in the small area between the counter and island, and started the video. I did my best to ignore the tingles racing through me at that small touch.
I followed the person’s instructions to a T, as Jack leaned against the kitchen island and watched me work.
The basket and lid weren’t settling back into place well, and I couldn’t figure out why. I finally just pushed things together until the lid stayed in place, plugged it in, and pressed the on switch. It took only a moment for the contraption to start. I smiled to myself as it rattled and sputtered. I thought I had conquered the tall silver pot from hell, until it started moving across the counter. It continued to get louder and then started screaming.
Jack jumped beside me and pulled the plug from the wall.
“Are you trying to kill us?” He laughed.
“No, I was making coffee.” I crossed my arms, covering my body’s reaction to his still-raspy voice.
“That was not making coffee. Here, let me.” He grabbed my hips and moved me a couple of inches away.
I stumbled over my feet in shock, but his firm grip kept me from falling. The heat from his hands went straight to my girly bits. Shaking my head, I tried to ignore the pulsing need between my thighs and opened my mouth to reply, but no words came out. I could still feel the heat from his hands when he moved away.
“Let me make your coffee. I learned how to use one of these on a retreat a couple years ago.” He deftly went to work emptying, cleaning, and setting things up the proper way. He added the coffee grounds and the water and put it all together before he plugged it in and turned it on. This time the only sound was a quietpsh psh psh.
I watched him move fluidly through the kitchen, checking cupboards until he found what he wanted. He pulled down two mugs, grabbed the milk from the fridge, and moved the sugar dish from beside Gran’s kettle. He filled the frother and turned it on before he turned back toward the fridge and pulled out the bottle of caramel sauce.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. I forgot you’d be joining us for Christmas,” I said.
“No worries. Harrison didn’t want me to spend it alone, and honestly, neither did I.”
