by Lynn LaFleur
She’d become another notch on his bedpost. Or whatever method guys used to keep track of gals they’d fucked.
While finding a man to love would be nice, Paige would be happy to simply be involved with someone she could go out to the movies or to dinner with before making love. She liked waking up with her back to a man’s chest and his arms wrapped around her. Early morning sex always gave her energy for the whole day.
Shara arrived with the meals. Talia had ordered the chef’s special of seafood Alfredo. After a moment of thinking about it, Paige ordered the same thing. One look at the food on her plate made her glad she’d followed her friend. One bite had her thinking about kissing Emma’s feet.
“My God, this is incredible.”
“I know.” Talia stabbed a thick scallop with her fork. “I’d eat here every night the restaurant is open if I could afford it just to have Emma’s chef’s special.”
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Emma said as she stepped up to their table.
“Hey, Emma.” Paige wiped her mouth with her napkin. “This Alfredo is to die for.”
“I tried some different spices this time. I like the way it turned out.”
“I should get a to-go order for Dylan,” Talia said. “Then I can convince him to share it with me.”
Emma smiled. “Be sure and save room for dessert. My new assistant chef made two pumpkin cheesecakes for a dinner party. There are four pieces left. I’ll save two for you and Paige. My treat.”
Paige stopped with her fork raised halfway to her mouth. “New assistant chef?”
“Yes, I hired him today. Cort Brennaman. I told him he was hired if the party liked his cheesecake. Everyone raved about it.”
Cort Brennaman. Paige liked that name. It fit him. “He, uh, came into Spencer’s this morning and asked for directions to get here.”
“So you saw how gorgeous he is.”
Talia straightened in her chair. “How gorgeous?”
“He rates right up there with Dylan and Griff. Tall, dark hair, brown eyes, killer body. Very nice ass.”
“And you met him this morning?” Talia asked Paige. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was nothing to tell. He was in Spencer’s for ten minutes, tops.”
Talia turned back to Emma. “Is he moving to Lanville?”
“We haven’t discussed that. He’s from Garland, so I doubt if he’ll want to commute that far.”
“I’m moving out of Janelle’s house next week. I don’t think she plans on putting an ad in the paper until I’m gone, but I’ll check with her to be sure. If he’s looking for a place to rent, it’ll be available after the fifteenth.”
“I’ll let him know.” She glanced toward the entrance to the kitchen. “Cindy is waving at me, so I’d better get back to the kitchen. I’ll tell Shara to bring out the cheesecake after you finish your meal.”
Paige thought about what Talia said regarding the house she rented from Janelle while she and Talia ate their meal. Talia’s boss may be kind and generous, but she also knew how to pinch a penny until it screamed. Paige wouldn’t be surprised if an ad for Talia’s house already appeared in the newspaper. “Are you sure Janelle didn’t put an ad in the paper for your house?”
“No, I’m not sure. She told me she would, but I assumed she’d wait until I was gone.”
“The paper comes out on Wednesday. I’ll bet there’s an ad in there for your house even though you paid rent through the fifteenth.”
Talia sipped her tea. “Maybe, but Janelle won’t pressure me to leave early so she can rent it to someone else. Like you said, I’m paid through the fifteenth.”
“But rentals are in short supply in Lanville, especially cute little houses like yours where the rent is reasonable. If Cort needs a place to live, that house would be perfect. Emma may have gotten busy in the kitchen and didn’t mention it to him. That means we should.”
“Janelle will probably raise the rent on the next tenant.”
Paige waved a hand, as if to erase Talia’s statement. “It’ll still be a great deal. We should talk to him before he leaves.”
“We haven’t had our dessert.”
“We’ll tell Shara we’ll take it with us.” Paige laid her napkin by her empty plate. “C’mon, let’s find Cort.”
Cort signed his name on the W-9 form and dated it. He now officially worked for Café Crystal as an assistant chef. He never would have imagined his pumpkin cheesecake would get him exactly where he wanted to be.
From his position at the desk, he could see the bustle in the kitchen. Although petite, Emma Keeton ruled her domain. Yet she didn’t yell or admonish someone roughly, even when one of the busboys dropped two plates that shattered on the floor. She calmly told him accidents happened and to clean up the mess.
It would be interesting to work here while he took care of his other plans.
He thought he heard a female voice mention his name, but decided he had to be mistaken. No one other than the people in the kitchen knew him. The next moment, the blonde from the gas station appeared in the doorway, along with another blonde who appeared as petite as Emma.
“Remember me?” the Spencer’s clerk asked with a smile.
“Of course. You’re Paige.” He stood. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Forgive us for bothering you, but Emma told us she hired you. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll really enjoy working here.”
Paige looked at the other woman, as if urging her to say something. The other blonde stepped forward. “I’m Talia King, Paige’s friend. Emma mentioned you’re from Garland. If you plan to move here and need a place to live, I’m renting a small, two-bedroom house in the city limits that I’ll be vacating on the fifteenth. If you’re interested, I can tell the owner, who’s also my boss. It would save her the hassle of putting an ad in the paper and interviewing prospective renters.”
It surprised Cort that these two women would be so willing to help a complete stranger. “That’s very kind of you, but you don’t know me. How do you know I’d be a good renter?”
“Emma is a great judge of character,” Paige said. “If she hired you, that’s enough for us to trust you.”
The trusting souls in this small town would make his task much easier.
“We can show you the house now,” Talia said, “if you think you might be interested in renting it.”
“Why are you giving it up?”
“I’m moving in with my boyfriend. I can call him and tell him and his two friends to meet us there.”
Smart girl. Taking a strange man to your home wouldn’t be a good idea. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I’d appreciate it.”
Talia stepped to the side to make her call. Cort studied Paige, admiring the way she looked in a blouse the color of oyster shells with a denim jacket that matched her jeans. She stood about five-five or five-six with a slim build. The ends of her curly hair teased her breasts. Very nice breasts.
Lust curled in his belly. With him being on the move most of the time, he rarely had the chance to indulge in sex. The last time had been a one-night stand several weeks ago that he’d regretted as soon as it ended.
Approaching thirty had him examining his life and what he wanted to do with it. Staying constantly on the move no longer appealed to him. He had this final task to complete, then he might consider a different way to make a living, one that would give him time to get involved with someone.
She turned her head and looked at him. Heat flared in her eyes as her gaze passed over his shoulders, down his chest, to his fly. It lingered there for several seconds before she looked back at her friend as Talia approached.
“They’ll be there in five minutes, so they should get to my house about the time we do.”
“I’ll follow you and Paige after I ask Emma when she needs me to be back.”
After finding out Emma wanted him at The Inn Monday morning to meet the manager, Kelcey Ewing, Cort followed the two
ladies out the back door. He walked them to their cars, then went back for his motorcycle. They led him to a small brick house a couple of blocks from the downtown square and parked on the street in front of the house.
Two pickups and a classic Mustang Fastback pulled up behind his motorcycle before he had the chance to turn off the key. A tall man emerged from each vehicle. One of them had him beat by a couple of inches in height and a good thirty pounds. His long black hair practically screamed “badass.”
The men approached him the same time the women did. Cort offered his hand to the buff man first. “Cort Brennaman.”
He accepted Cort’s hand. “Quade Easton. This is Stephen McGettis and Dylan Westfield.”
Each man offered Cort his hand to shake. Cort had become an expert at picking up vibes from people. He didn’t sense any distrust or suspicion from any of the men. Either they hid their true feelings, or Cort’s cover of an assistant chef looking for a place to live held.
“Come in, everybody,” Talia said.
She slipped her hand into Dylan’s. He must be the boyfriend. Cort noticed Paige didn’t touch the other two guys, so must not be involved with either of them. That didn’t mean she wasn’t involved with someone else. Although the way she’d devoured him with her eyes in Spencer’s and Café Crystal, he didn’t think so.
Talia unlocked the front door, flipped a switch to turn on a lamp on either side of the couch. “Excuse the mess, Cort. I’m still packing.”
“There’s no bigger job than moving.” His gaze swept the living room, neat despite the boxes stacked in the corner. “This is nice.”
“Thanks. Dylan and I are still trying to decide which furniture to keep and which to sell since we have duplicates of everything.”
“I like my bed better, but her couch is nicer,” Dylan said.
She continued to speak as she led the group to the small kitchen. “The appliances come with the house, so at least we don’t have to try and sell a stove or refrigerator. The laundry room is through that door. We both have washers and dryers that are within a year of each other, so we’ll probably keep his and sell mine. I’m having a yard sale next Saturday. Hopefully, I’ll sell everything I no longer need.”
Cort wandered through the kitchen, checked in cabinets that contained no food. Talia had apparently already moved most of the kitchen supplies to Dylan’s home. “How about if you sell whatever furniture you don’t want to me?”
“You don’t have any furniture?” Talia asked.
“Not of my own. I live in a furnished studio apartment now.” He shrugged. “It’s just me and I’ve never been one to collect stuff. I have dishes and sheets and blankets. That’s about it.”
He thought he saw pity in Paige’s eyes. Her sympathy to what she must consider his sad loneliness could work to his advantage.
Talia turned to Paige. “If Cort buys the extra furniture, I won’t need to have the yard sale.”
“What about all your knickknacky stuff you said you’d sell?” Dylan asked. “I don’t have room for all of it.”
Talia’s cute little chin lifted an inch. “Then you’d better make room, because I changed my mind and want to keep all my knickknacky stuff.”
Stephen chuckled. “It’s called compromise, my friend. Get used to it.”
“I have stuff to get rid of, too,” Dylan said. “Since I have to make room for the things Talia has decided to keep, I think we’d better stick with having the yard sale. Whatever doesn’t sell, we’ll donate to The Thrift Store, like we planned.”
She smiled at him. “Okay.”
Stephen elbowed Dylan in the ribs. “See? Compromise can be easy.”
“I don’t know how easy it is, but she’s worth it.”
A lovely blush colored Talia’s cheeks. She stood on tiptoe and gave Dylan a gentle kiss.
Cort shifted his gaze to Paige to find her watching the couple. Then, as if she felt him looking at her, she turned her head toward him. Cort would swear something flared between them, something hot and impossible to ignore. His heart slowed to a heavy thud while blood rushed to his dick. He’d have a full-blown hard-on in moments if he didn’t break the connection.
“So you’re sure you want to rent the house?” Talia asked.
Grateful for the excuse to look away from Paige and get his hormones back under control, Cort faced Talia. “Yeah, if the owner agrees to rent it to me.”
“I’ll introduce you to her Monday. The fact that Emma hired you to work in her restaurant is the best reference you could give Janelle.”
“Why don’t you come over to my house tomorrow, Cort?” Dylan asked. “You can look at the couch and other items I’ll probably sell to make room for Talia’s nicer things.” He wrapped one arm around Talia’s shoulders. “With your help, maybe we can finally decide what to keep and what to sell.”
“I’ll write down the address and directions for you,” Talia said. “Do you want to look through the rest of the house now?”
“Sure.”
He followed Talia and Dylan to the two bedrooms and one bathroom with Stephen trailing them. He noticed neither Paige nor Quade went with them. Maybe he’d been mistaken about Paige not being involved with anyone. Perhaps she had a thing with the big guy.
The tour didn’t take long since the house couldn’t be over eleven hundred square feet. Cort stepped back into the living room to see Paige and Quade talking with each other, their heads close together. Their conversation stopped when they saw him.
Little shivers danced up and down his spine. Maybe his vibes had been wrong and Quade Easton didn’t buy Cort’s assistant-chef cover.
Damn it.
“Here.” Talia held out a piece of paper to Cort. “The directions to Dylan’s house.”
“Thanks.” He slipped it into his jeans pocket. “I see no reason to go home tonight and come back tomorrow. Is there a reasonable motel in town? I assume The Inn on Crystal Creek is over my budget.”
Paige opened her mouth as if to speak. Quade shot her a sharp look. She frowned, but closed her mouth before saying anything.
“I have an extra room,” Quade said. “You’re welcome to stay with me.”
Cort had learned to mask his feelings and emotions a long time ago, so didn’t let the surprise at Quade’s offer show on his face. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“It’s an empty guest room. Won’t be any trouble at all for you to sleep there.”
So you can pump me for information? Cort had been in much worse situations than having an overprotective lover grill him. “Thanks, Quade. I appreciate the offer.”
Cort followed everyone outside. He wished he had the chance to speak to Paige alone, but it didn’t appear that would happen tonight. He said good-bye to the group, nodded to Paige, then straddled his Harley. A moment later, he pulled away from the curb to follow Quade.
3
The sprawling ranch-style house made of cedar blended in perfectly among the trees. Cort couldn’t see much of it due to darkness, but sconces on either side of the front door illuminated a wide porch with five steps leading up to it.
He grabbed the canvas bag he’d used to pack a few clothing and personal items from the storage compartment behind his seat. After hooking his helmet over the handlebars, he turned to find Quade waiting at the bottom of the steps.
There had been a moment on the way here that Cort thought about motioning Quade to stop so Cort could tell him he’d go to a motel after all. He decided not to. As quickly as Quade had offered a stranger the guest room in his home, Cort figured he’d be subjected to a lot of questions … ones he could easily dance around. Cort knew how to avoid offering too much information about himself.
He walked up the steps next to Quade. His host opened the front door and led the way into a spacious living room. Cort’s gaze immediately latched onto the lovely blonde sitting in a corner of the couch, holding an e-reader.
Damn, what’s with all the gorgeous blondes in this town?
&nbs
p; She looked at him with eyes the color of spring clover. A smile curved her lips, the kind she would give a stranger she passed on the street.
“Eve, this is Cort Brennaman. He’ll be staying in the guest room a few days. Cort, Eve Van Den Bergh.”
Cort tipped his head. “Eve, a pleasure.”
“For me, too.”
“We’re going to have a beer in my study.”
“Okay. There are fresh banana nut muffins on the island if you want a snack later.”
Quade smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
So Quade wasn’t involved with Paige after all. The tender kiss he gave Eve proved that.
Cort followed Quade down a wide hallway lined with bookshelves and through an open doorway into a masculine room that gave Cort chills.
Quade crossed to the built-in shelves and cabinets on the back wall and opened a mini-fridge. “Beer? Or would you prefer a Coke or coffee?”
“Beer sounds good.” After dropping his bag to the floor, Cort removed his jacket and draped it over the back of one of the leather armchairs and sat. A large, L-shaped desk occupied a lot of floor space, but the armchairs didn’t sit before the desk. Instead, they faced each other at a forty-five-degree angle in the center of the room, each with a small table beside them.
Interesting.
Quade removed the caps from both bottles, tossed them in the trash. He handed one bottle to Cort before sitting in the other chair. “I guess you’re wondering why I invited you here.”
“The question crossed my mind.” Cort took a drink of the cold brew. “I’m not much for Q-and-A sessions, so why don’t you just tell me?”
“You’re the undercover cop who’s tracking the thieves that have hit all around North Texas.”
Cort almost choked on his swallow of beer. Quade hadn’t asked the question, but made a statement. “How did you know?”
“Several things. I’m a counselor. It’s my job to read people. Brad McGuire, the sheriff, and I are good friends. He trusted me not to tell anyone about your assignment. He didn’t tell me when you’d be here, but I had this feeling in my gut the longer I was with you.” A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth. “And you don’t look like a chef.”
