“Well, I’m still going to replace it,” she said.

When he stood back and said nothing more as he drank his coffee, she decided not to let her food go to waste. She looked down and slowly finished her plate while he threw a bagel into the toaster. Then he pulled out cream cheese and smoked salmon from the fridge.

“How about we have dinner together tonight?”

His invitation scared her. She took her plate to the sink while she thought about her answer. Confusion filled her at how much this man’s presence affected her moods, her body, and her mind. She wanted to plaster herself against him and see if her memory of their one night together was nothing more than her vivid imagination or if it really had been as spectacular as she remembered.

She wanted to run screaming in the opposite direction, too. Because she had a feeling that six years had only improved Green Eyes. He was larger than he’d been back then. Well, at least his shoulders were. She wasn’t so sure a woman could handle other parts of his body being larger without him ripping her in two.

Shaking her head, she tried to push away her erratic thinking. Nothing was helping. This man was haunting her and now he was far too close on a daily basis for her to chase her ghosts away.

“Come on, Stormy. It’s just dinner.” There was something in his eyes that was different today, something she didn’t trust and was making her nervous. She shifted on her feet as she stepped away from him.

Say something, anything, she commanded herself. Why in the world was she so damn speechless? Silence had never been something she was known for.

“We’re living here together, so if we’re both here at the same time, I guess we could have dinner,” she finally said.

Cooper looked at her for several moments, his expression utterly unreadable. He didn’t seem upset or happy. She couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

“Good, then it’s a date,” he told her before moving toward the front door.

“Well, it’s not a date,” she called out after him.

He stopped and turned back toward her, a smile on his lips.

“What is it then?” he asked, a sparkle in his eyes.

“It’s just . . . well, it’s just . . . um, two people living in the same house, sharing the appliances,” she finally said, wanting to kick herself once the words were out.

“Okay, Stormy, we’ll share the appliances tonight then,” Cooper said before turning back around and moving to the front door.

He walked out and Stormy let out a low growl as she cursed herself all the way up the stairs. She didn’t think it possible for this situation to get any more awkward if she put on a tutu and started dancing around topless.

Okay, that might make things just a tad crazier. But then at least she could be committed to a crazy house and not have to face Cooper ever again. The man had kissed her and still didn’t know who she was. It was pretty humiliating. Though he had paused and wondered for a moment if he knew her, at least.

She could have told him. But that would make it so much worse for her pride.

None of that mattered. For now, it was time to go to the store, get the paper, and start job searching.

The town of Gig Harbor was small and quaint. She could easily make her way through it walking. That would mean she couldn’t carry as much, but that was okay for now. It was just her and Cooper. She’d keep it simple. It’d be a nice contrast to the emotional turmoil her housemate had stirred up inside her.

By the end of the day, there was an extra skip in her step.

The problem with her successes of the day, though, was that now she felt like she might not want to leave Cooper’s after all. After only a day, she was becoming accustomed to the wonderful little town that felt oddly like home.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Stormy was unsure of whether she should come down the stairs that night and have dinner with Cooper or not. But she so wanted to tell him her good news. She wanted to tell someone at least, and he was the nearest person to her. Instead of doing just that, she paced in her room.

She had heard Cooper come home an hour ago, and now she could smell something cooking. And the smell coming up the stairs was making her stomach rumble.

“Stormy, it’s time to start sharing appliances.”

Cooper calling up the stairs made her jump, though she didn’t know why. Now if she didn’t go down, she was going to look really bad. She had to join him, didn’t she? After all, he was offering her a place to stay for practically nothing.

Okay, she could do this.

She opened her door, crept to the top of the staircase, and slowly descended. Still unsure about the situation, she hesitantly entered the kitchen and found him in an apron stirring something on the stove.

“Can I help?” she asked.

“Nope, sit down and enjoy my talents as a chef.”

“A pilot and a chef?” she asked with a laugh. “Any other talents?” Where in the world had that come from?

“Oh, Stormy, I have many talents,” he said. He paused and looked into her eyes, and she lost her breath. When his lips turned up, she knew exactly what was on his mind.

Her cheeks instantly flushed. She knew of some of the man’s talents, and they were definitely noteworthy.

She tried to help again, but he wasn’t having any of it, wanting to impress her. He was doing a good job. After he’d poured a glass of wine for her, she sat on the stool as he whipped around the kitchen. The smells continued to make her stomach rumble.

“How’s the wine?” he asked as he pressed against her back, making her jump and a tiny bit of wine drip down her chin.