by Laura Ann
“Nuh uh, girlie, don’t even go there. When you are attracted to a man, he’s at least going to know how to use a comb.”
BRODY CHUCKLED AS HE walked down the hall away from Tia’s classroom. “That woman sure is a spitfire.” He thought of the annoyance in her voice and how she had obviously worked to reign it in in order to fulfill her part of the bargain. He liked her independence and had to admit that he found her snark attractive.
“Don’t think the feeling’s mutual though,” he muttered under his breath as he reached up and tugged on his beard. Truth is, he wasn’t necessarily a fan of all the hair he had sprouted in the last couple of years, but he had found it made him feel better. He felt hidden, safe, and away from the prying eyes he had been trying to escape when he took on this job.
“They’d never recognize me like this.” A pit hit his stomach at the thought. He missed his old life, but wasn’t sure he was ready to admit that out loud, nor go back and try to fix the bridges he had burned. “No matter how good a bed sounds,” he said.
“What was that?” A perky voice interrupted his thoughts.
Spinning around, he caught sight of one of his favorite people. “Hello, Mrs. Merryweather,” he said with a genuine smile.
Beaming, Mrs. Merryweather closed the distance between them. “How are you Janitor Gruff? Anyone make your job particularly difficult today?”
“Nah. Just the normal stuff; dust, lipstick stains in the bathroom and stinky boy locker rooms.” He grinned. Mrs. Merryweather had taken him under her wing when he had first arrived and had become a grandmotherly figure in his life. Would she still treat you like that if she knew who you were? He shoved the thought aside. This woman was kindness personified, surely she wouldn’t hold his past against him.
“Glad to hear it.” Mrs. Merryweather looked up and down the hall as if searching for something, before locking eyes with him again. “Now.” She folded her arms over her rounded waist. “It’s time we had a talk, Mister.”
The smile fell from Brody’s face. Uh oh.
“I heard you have a certain deal with a certain lovely woman.”
Brody remained silent; refusing to confirm or deny her accusation.
“A certain woman who cooks?” Mrs. Merryweather was persistent, raising an eyebrow as if to egg him on.
Widening his stance and folding his arms across his chest, Brody stared the tiny woman down. “What exactly have you heard?”
Mrs. Merryweather pursed her lips and tapped them with her finger. “I heard you saved a family heirloom. And that she is indebted to you.”
“Hmph.” Brody snorted. “Gossip spreads faster than morning glory in this place.”
A smug smile crossed the elderly woman’s face. “What I want to know is what she is going to do for you.”
Brody’s mouth twitched. “Weeelll ... she’s starting by making me a cheesecake.”
“Ooh, very nice. It’ll probably be the best thing you’ve ever eaten.”
Brody nodded slowly. “Might be. I hear she’s pretty talented.”
“Oh, she is. And you know what they say ... “ Mrs. Merryweather leaned in as if to impart a secret. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
Brody’s eyes widened and he stepped backward. “Wait a minute here. There will be no hearts involved, through a stomach or otherwise.”
Mrs. Merryweather bustled forward until she stood right in front of Brody. Reaching up she patted his cheek. “It happens to the best of us, dear.” Then she spun on her heel and bustled back the way she had come.
Brody shook his head as she left. “If only she knew what that home ec teacher really thought of me.” He chuckled. “She wouldn’t be so quick to talk about hearts.”
CHAPTER 3
Tia grumbled as she walked through the grocery store, grabbing ingredients for the cheesecake. “Make his own stinkin’ cheesecake,” she muttered as she threw a few more bars of cream cheese into her cart.
After a few moments of murmuring, she huffed and let her shoulders drop. “Come on, Tia. Noni would scold you good for this. The man did you a favor and has every right to ask for something. A cheesecake is the least you can do.” With a decisive nod, she pulled herself together and decided she was going to make that man the best cheesecake he had ever eaten. “He’ll wish he had saved more than an earring when I’m through with him.”
A PLEASED SMIRK SAT on Tia’s face as the school bell rang on Friday afternoon. She had worked hard the night before, creating an entirely new recipe for the lemon cheesecake. Her homemade lemon curd had turned out divine and her swirling looked like a piece of art.
After the last students were gone, she pulled the cheesecake out and laid it on a cake-stand; a doily underneath the display to give it a little bit of added elegance. Pleased with the effect, she grabbed her phone and took a picture, posting it to her Instagram following. Then she placed plates, forks and a knife next to the dessert before she declared it done.
With a contented sigh, she turned to her sink, planning to clean up the dishes before Janitor Gruff arrived.
She was almost done when the door slammed open. The sound startled her, but Tia quickly pasted a smile on her face and turned to welcome her guest. “Hello, Janitor Gruff. Can I interest you in a piece of cheesecake?”
The big man seemed to see straight into her soul with his intense stare as if he was discerning all her secrets.
Tia stood still, keeping the smile cemented to her face. Kill him with kindness, kill him with kindness.
With a huff, he stomped the rest of the way into the room. Pulling up a stool, he snatched up a fork and dug it directly into the middle of the cheesecake.
Tia’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?” She screeched.
Startled, Brody dropped the fork and stuck his hands in the air as if surrendering to the police.
Tia rushed over and snatched the stand, holding it away from the shocked man. “How could you do that? Have you no heart? Or appreciation for the finer things in life?”
Brody slowly lowered his hands and narrowed his eyes. Tia could almost feel the rumble of his voice as it worked its way out of his chest.
“It’s food. Isn’t it meant to be eaten? What did you plan to do? Keep it as a pet?”
With a sigh, Tia brought the dessert back to the counter. “No. Not a pet. But after the hours spent on something so flawless, it is meant to be savored. Not dug into like a common piece of pie.”
Tia reset the stage, using the knife to fix the hole in the middle as best she could. When she was satisfied, she ran over to the sink and rinsed off the knife. Walking back, she explained, “we need it clean to slice nicely through the cake, or else it will tear instead of cut.”
Janitor Gruff snorted, then grabbed the stool and sat down once again. Watching Tia, he folded his arms, causing his biceps to bulge.
Holy cow, those are not the arms of an old man. Tia felt heat rush up her cheeks and she bit her lip to try and hold it at bay. Not attracted to the caveman, absolutely not attracted to the caveman.
Pulling out a perfectly cut slice of cheesecake, she delicately set it on one of the plates. Pushing it across the counter, she set it and a clean fork in front of Brody.
He stared at her, looked down, then back up at her. “Can I eat it now?”
Tia felt a twitch at the corner of her lip but held it back, refusing to find amusement in his sarcasm. “Yes. But slowly. Take a bite and savor it on your tongue. Let the flavors meld.”
“Meld.”
“Yes.”
“Savor.”
“Yes.”
Dumb.”
“Y-hey!” Now it was Tia’s turn to fold her arms. Raising an eyebrow she left the challenge unsaid as she looked into his grey orbs.
A deep chuckle sent a shiver down Tia’s spine but she held herself still; waiting to see what he would do.
Shaking his head, Brody picked up the fork and cut a small bite. Holding i
t up as if toasting Tia, he then put it in his mouth.
Tia found herself mesmerized as she watched his lips slowly close over the sweet treat. She swallowed convulsively, trying to bring moisture back to her suddenly dry mouth. Averting her eyes, she cleared her throat, not looking back until she had herself under control. This is ridiculous.
“Ooooh,” Brody moaned. His eyes were closed and he tilted his head back as if in ecstasy. “Mmmmm ... “
Tia’s eyes snapped back at his noises and then widened as she watched him,
“Who made this?” He drew out the words, overdramatizing the question.
Tia bit her lip, but the laughter she was trying to contain bubbled over anyways. Giggles erupted and she soon found herself wiping tears from her eyes as she struggled to catch her breath.
A deep, rumbling laugh joined her, which only caused her to laugh more.
“Sorry.” Tia wiped at her mascara again. “I guess I might have gone a little overboard.”
With a grin still sitting on his face, Brody raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak.
“Okay, maybe a lot overboard. But geez, that thing,” she waved toward the plate, “is a work of art. It should be treated as such.”
“Don’t struggle in the self-confidence area, do ya?” He picked up another bite and stuffed it in his mouth, not bothering to savor it the way he did before.
Tia snorted. “I’m not vain ... just self-aware of my talents.” She put an innocent look on her face.
“Fair enough.” He smiled and went back to the treat. “It really is good, though. One of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten.”
Tia tilted her head to the side. “You don’t look like you’ve eaten too many cheesecakes.”
Brody’s eyes flashed up at her before focusing back on the plate in front of him. “You might be surprised.”
Tia waited, assuming he would explain more, but he didn’t speak again. They lapsed into a comfortable silence as he finished his slice.
“Would you like another one?” Tia had the knife poised above the stand.
“Nope. Thanks. You can have a slice if you want though.”
Standing up, Tia went to the cupboards and pulled out a styrofoam container. “Nah. I tested stuff as I cooked last night, not to mention I already enjoy more of my cooking than I should.”
Brody snorted again before pushing the plate away from him and standing up.
Tia frowned as she brought the take-out container over, but didn’t respond. What does that mean? Is he agreeing I’m fat? “Here. We can box up the rest for you to take home.” Tia jumped when Brody stopped her by putting his hand on her arm.
“I can’t take it home. Can we keep it here?”
Tia tilted her head and studied him. Why can’t he take it home? “Sure ... “ she drew the word out as she mulled over the situation. “There’s a fridge in the corner that I use for ingredients, we can keep it in there.”
“Thanks,” he rumbled. He turned and stomped toward the door. “It was, uh, good. Thank you,” he said quickly before darting out into the hall.
Tia stood and watched him go; confused at his quick departure. “Did I say something wrong?” She wondered out loud. “He ran out of here so quickly ... “ With a small huff, she rolled her eyes and pushed the enigmatic Janitor Gruff out of her head and went back to packaging up the cheesecake.
NICE MOVE, MORON, NOW she thinks you’re crazy. Brody growled as he pushed the janitorial cart down the hallway towards his next cleaning destination. But how could I tell her I don’t have a home or a fridge? At least not one that I have access to.
While he mopped the floor of the bathroom, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to the interactions between him and the beautiful Ms. Frogg. He gave a laughing snort as he thought of her screeching at the way he had started to eat the lovely dessert. “And it was lovely. Gordon Ramsay himself couldn’t have done better,” he admitted. The crust was golden brown and was just the right thickness. The cake was creamy white with swirly streaks of yellow that glistened like little rays of sunshine. There was the slightest amount of browning at the edge, just enough to make it appear done and add a bit of color difference.
“Not to mention it tasted like heaven,” he muttered. With a heavy sigh, he dunked the mop and went back to work. “It’s going to take me a few days to get through that thing if she’s not going to help me eat it.” His lip quirked. That might not be a bad thing, spending a few afternoons with little Ms. Tia. Even if she doesn’ t necessarily agree. “She probably thinks you’re an uneducated jerk.” Wouldn’t she be surprised if she knew the truth?
When he was done for the day, Brody climbed into the beater that he had purchased two years ago and chugged his way down the street to his friend’s house. Once there, he unfolded himself from the small vehicle and walked in without knocking.
“That you, Brodes?” A masculine voice called from the kitchen area.
“Yep.”
A tall, lean man came around the corner, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He sported an apron that said, ‘Kiss The Cook’. “How was it?”
Feigning ignorance, Brody replied, “same ole, same ole. Kids are still messy, boys still stink and girls still—”
“Knock it off, idiot, you know exactly what I meant. How was dessert with the lovely Tia?” The man wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
Brody scowled. “You make it sound like a date, Hank.”
Hank pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. “Let me see, a beautiful girl, a delicious dessert, a classroom all to yourselves? Sounds like a date to me!”
Brody rolled his eyes.
“Was that some emotion I saw there?” Hank moved his head around to get a better look at Brody’s face. “It’s so hard to tell with all that stringy hair covering every part of your head. I think you should cut it off and donate it to Locks of Love, dude.”
“Watch it,” Broady warned, “or I’ll take you up on your offer.”
Hank frowned. “What offer?”
Brody raised his eyebrow and purposefully looked at the apron then back up at his friend.
Hank glanced down and scowled. “Come near me and I’ll knock those perfect teeth out.”
Brody grinned and took a few steps in Hank’s direction.
Hank made a fist and shook it at Brody. “Don’t make me hurt you.”
Brody laughed. Hank wasn’t short, but Brody had a couple of inches plus several pounds on the man. Their fight would be short-lived and Hank wouldn’t be the winner. But in order to help his friend keep his masculinity intact, Brody put his hands up in surrender and shook his head. “Nothing happening here.”
“Yeah ... better keep it that way,” Hank muttered under his breath as he turned back to the kitchen. “So answer the question.”
“It was fine. The cheesecake was delicious.”
“Yeah? I don’t see you carrying anything, did you eat the whole thing?”
“Nah. Left it at the school.”
Hank stopped, turned slowly back towards Brody and asked, “Why the heck would you do that?”
Brody crossed his arms and spread out his legs. “I’m just going to have to go back every afternoon until it’s gone.” He smirked.
Understanding lit Hank’s eyes and he smiled. “You sly dog.” He turned back towards the stove. “Boy’s got game.”
“Boy? Really?” Brody growled.
Hank glanced over his shoulder at the large, angry man, but didn’t act the least bit intimidated. “Callin’ it like I see it, boy. Until you man up and come out of hiding, you’re still a boy.”
Brody deflated. “Touche,” he said softly.
Hank gave him a sympathetic grin. “So, you gonna shave it all off for this girl?”
Brody snorted and pulled on his beard. “Absolutely not. The day I shave this off for a girl is the day I admit I’m whipped and that, my dear friend, is never happening.”
CHAPTER 4
Monday afternoon found Tia just a
s nervous and restless as Friday had. She had wrapped and put the cheesecake in the freezer over the weekend to keep it as fresh as possible and was now waiting for Brody to show up again for another slice.
“Stinker can’t just take it home and eat it while it’s fresh. Never the same after it’s been sitting in the cold for a few days,” she mumbled.
“There a problem?” Janitor Gruff’s deep voice echoed in her empty room.
Gasping, Tia spun around, her braids whipped against her head and soap suds flew from her hands. After realizing she hadn’t heard him come in, she fisted her hands on her cocked hips, ignoring the water and glared at him. “Didn’t feel the need to knock?”
Brody raised his eyebrows. “Have I ever knocked?”
“Well, maybe you should start.” Tia dried her hands then stomped over to the fridge, where she had put the cheesecake that morning to thaw and pulled it out. “Go around scaring people half to death with that beard and hair,” she muttered as she worked.
Brody pressed his lips together, holding in a grin. “I didn’t realize my hair had anything to do with not being heard. Maybe if you didn’t talk to yourself so much you would have heard me come in.”
Now it was Tia’s turn to raise her brows. Before she could open her mouth, her mom’s favorite saying echoed through her head. Kill ‘em with kindness. With a deep breath, she swallowed the retort she had been about to say and put a smile on instead. “I’m sorry. I’ll listen better for you next time. Are you ready for a slice of heaven?”
Brody chuckled and the deep sound resonated through Tia’s chest. STOP! IT! She scolded. You will not be attracted to the big, hairy man. Not, not, not.
Janitor Gruff walked across the room and plopped himself on a stool, then looked at her expectantly.
“Am I your servant now?”
A slow grin lit Brody’s face. “Nope. But last time I dove in I got screamed at for not doing it properly. Do you trust me to handle this on my own?”
