Chapter Fourteen
LEANNA AWOKE TO the sound of dishes clanking together downstairs. The pillow smelled like Kurt, masculine and earthy with a hint of something sweet, floral. She turned toward the window and saw a vase full of fresh wildflowers beside the bed. How did she get lucky enough to meet the kindest guy on the planet? By the time they arrived at his cottage last night, she was so tired she could barely stay awake, and he’d tucked her in beside him and held her while he read—and she slept. Like a log.
His bedroom, like most of the house, was outfitted in white—white walls with stained wood trim, white fluffy comforter. A breeze whisked the sheer white curtains from the open bay window. There was a thick and inviting tan seat cushion built into the bay window, with brown, tan, and red accent pillows. A thick, white throw rug covered the wide-planked oak hardwood floors between the bed and the window. A house that was primarily white might feel sterile to some, but it felt just right for Kurt. He was clean and neat, with a dash of pizazz in all the right places.
She buried her nose in his pillow and inhaled his intoxicating scent.
Pepper barked, and she pulled her nose from his pillow and found Kurt smiling down at her with a cup of coffee in his hands.
“I’m not sure if that was creepy or sweet,” he said with a warm smile.
She cringed. “Let’s go with sweet. You should bottle your scent. You’d make a fortune.” She’d slept in one of Kurt’s T-shirts, and when she sat up and crossed her legs, it billowed around her.
Pepper jumped on the fluffy white comforter and Kurt slid him a dark stare.
“Down.”
Pepper obeyed and lay down beside the bed.
“I’m not sure I want a bunch of guys smelling exactly like me.” He sat beside her and kissed her cheek, then handed her a cup of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it, so if it’s wrong, I’ll bring you a fresh cup.”
“Thank you, but I can come downstairs for coffee.” She took a sip of the hot coffee. “This is perfect.” She touched his wet hair.
“I went for a jog; then I took a shower, made breakfast, read the newspaper.”
“I slept through all of that? I’m not that lazy, really. I swear.”
He laughed. “No one said you were lazy. I loved waking up with you beside me, and if I didn’t have a word count to chase, I’d have stayed in bed with you.” He leaned over and kissed her.
She stuck her lower lip out. “Dang word count.”
He glanced at the clock. “I promise we’ll make up for it later. There are fresh towels in the bathroom. Make yourself at home. I’ll be out on the deck writing if you need me.” He kissed her again. “I’ve never had trouble getting out of bed and writing until today. For the first time in my writing career, I really want to climb back in bed and let the writing wait.”
She pushed playfully at his chest. “Go. Write. I can’t be responsible for the world not getting their next Kurt Remington thriller.”
After she showered and put on her bathing suit and shorts, Leanna looked out the bedroom window at Kurt on the deck below. It was a hazy morning, and there was a pretty yellow-gray glow over the water. Kurt’s hands flew over the keyboard, and she wondered what went on in his mind. He was careful when he spoke, and sometimes he looked like he was mulling over a complex equation in his mind. Other times, like this morning when he told her he wanted to climb back into bed with her, tenderness softened his eyes and mouth. She thought of the first night they met and the way he’d seemed annoyed by the disturbance. She knew now that he’d been writing, and she had interrupted him. She hadn’t pictured him as having a tender or romantic side. He was a wonderful surprise.
Leanna didn’t hesitate to open a drawer and see if he was as neat in the hidden parts of his life as he was on the surface.
“Yup.” She ran her fingers over the stack of perfectly folded shirts. Wanting to feel closer to him, she withdrew a navy blue tank from the top of the pile, slipped it over her bathing suit, and tied it at the waist. Then she set out to explore. She wandered down the hall and peeked into a nicely appointed guest bedroom. She peered into the next room and was surprised to find a full gym, complete with free weights and Nautilus machines. She tried to picture Kurt working out as he took breaks from writing. Then she modified the thought. Working out before or after he was done writing. She peered out the window and was surprised to see another cottage a short distance away. It was the size of her cottage, with weathered shingles, an arched front door, and shaded by the only trees on the property.
She heard Pepper bark and made her way down the wooden staircase, where she found Pepper panting up at Kurt outside on the deck. Kurt sat before his laptop, typing away. He shifted his head in Pepper’s direction, then turned back to his computer. Pepper barked again, and that’s when she noticed Pepper’s food and water bowls beside Kurt, and attached to Kurt’s chair was Pepper’s leash.
She watched as Kurt untied the leash from his chair and walked Pepper down to the beach. Leanna stepped outside and watched them walk along the water’s edge. Kurt’s feet were bare as the water lapped at his toes. His broad shoulders were relaxed, his stride comfortably slow. He seemed perfectly content, though she knew he had to be wishing she’d take over so he could write. She took another minute to drink in the sight of him. He was so handsome that he took her breath away, and walking beside Pepper, he warmed her heart. She realized that he looked like the type of guy she and her girlfriends would point out on the beach and stare at until he disappeared into the distance. Only Kurt was her boyfriend. She’d never managed her life very well, so it was no surprise that she’d never managed having a relationship well, either. This felt different. She felt different. She wanted this to work.
Leanna took the stairs down to the beach and caught up to Kurt. “Hey, want me to take over?” She reached for the leash.
He switched the leash to the other hand and draped his arm over her shoulder. “Nope. But I want you to walk with us.”
“But what about your word count?”
“I might have to work a little later into the evening, but I think you’re rubbing off on me. I don’t want to miss this. You. Us.” He kissed her cheek and glanced at his shirt, tied to fit her figure. “You look cute in my shirt.”
“I hope you don’t mind. I wasn’t snooping.” She put her hand on his stomach and leaned her head against his arm. “Well, that’s not true, exactly. I wanted to see how neat your drawers were. Weird, I know, but I wondered if you were a closet messy guy and the whole clean house and nothing-out-of-place thing was just for show.”
“Uh-huh. I have nothing to hide. I am who I am.”
“I like who you are. And now I know how you got those insanely big and sexy muscles. Arnold Schwarzenegger could work out in your gym.”
“I’m a private guy. I’ve never really liked public gyms.” They walked a little farther with their feet in the water. “Do you have to prepare anything for tomorrow? A presentation?”
“I told you, I don’t stress over this stuff.” But the more he talked about a preparation, the more she wondered if she should be preparing. She’d never really prepared for anything in life. She moved on a hope or a whim, and she assumed things would work out for her. Or they wouldn’t. Now she wondered if that was part of her issue. Was she unfulfilled because she hadn’t taken the interest or put in the dedication that it might have taken to dig a little deeper in everything she’d ever done? She pushed the thought away. She couldn’t stress about the meeting now, and the last thing she wanted to do was worry when it was such a beautiful day and she was with Kurt.
“Yeah, but—”
“I’ve got it covered.” I hope.
“Okay, duly noted. But I’m pretty good at putting those things together, so if you ever want to put together marketing plans or presentations, I’m right here.”
“Thanks.”
“Maybe the jam business is just very different from other businesses. When my brother Dex takes a new PC game to distributors, they want to see everything—business and marketing plans, product specs. Even in publishing, forward planning is critical. We develop business and marketing plans for each new release. It’s different, but kind of the same thing.”
“I know that’s how things are usually done, but I guess I think I want to try it my way first. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not really the presentation and business plan type.”
He kissed her temple. “I think you sell yourself short. You’re the anything you need to be type, but you know your business best.”
“I don’t know best, but I know so little about marketing plans and all of that, that I think I’m better off going in as me. If I’m wrong, I’ll figure it out later.”
“That sounds reasonable. I have faith in you, but if you do need more, I’m here.”
Kindest man on the planet for sure.
Pepper ran toward a mother walking with a young boy. Kurt reined in the leash. “Come here, Pepper.”
“He won’t bite.” Leanna stopped beside Kurt as he crouched next to Pepper.
“I know, but kids get scared. This way we’re near Pepper in case he tries to jump up on them.”
The woman and child were walking toward them. She had kind, dark eyes and a friendly smile. Holding her son’s shoulder, they stopped a few feet from Pepper. “He loves dogs. Is it okay for him to pet yours?” She wore a floppy green hat and a black one-piece bathing suit.
“Sure. He doesn’t bite,” Leanna assured her.
Kurt held Pepper’s collar while the little boy pet him and giggled.
“His name is Pepper.” Kurt smiled at the boy.
“Pepper,” the little boy said as he held his hand out for Pepper to lick.
“How old are you?” Kurt’s eyes bounced between the little boy and Pepper.
“Free,” the boy answered.
“Wow. You’re a big guy. Is this your first time at the beach?”
The boy shook his head.
Leanna felt her heart squeeze at Kurt’s tender tone. He’d be a great father someday. Oh my gosh. What am I thinking?
“Me either.” Kurt glanced up at the boy’s mother. “He’s really sweet.”
“Thank you.” She touched her son’s blond hair.
“Thank you.” The little boy reached for his mother’s hand as they walked away.
“He was sweet, wasn’t he?” They headed back toward the cottage.
You sure were. “Adorable.”
Back at the cottage, Kurt settled into writing and Leanna sat on a lounge chair a few feet away.
Kurt’s cell phone rang, and when he answered it, he spoke quietly. “Hey there.” He listened to the person on the line and then said, “I know. Okay. Yeah, I’ll get them something nice.” He paused. “Really, Siena? I think I can handle picking out a gift. What does that mean? A woman’s touch?” He paused again, then laughed.
Leanna was trying not to eavesdrop—no, that’s a lie. She was blatantly eavesdropping. Who is Siena?
“Okay, fine. Yes. I’ll look for something that’s not too manly. Do you want to just buy it and say I picked it out?” He paused again. “You’re a pain. I love you, too. Okay. Uh-huh. Bye.”
He ended the call and went back to writing. Leanna couldn’t see his face, and she wondered who he loved. Who was a pain? They were boyfriend and girlfriend. Didn’t that give her the right to ask? She watched him typing and resisted the urge.
“Leanna?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“You’re burning a hole in my back.” He rose from the table and moved her hip over, then squeezed in beside her on the lounge chair. “Siena is my sister. My family always says, I love you, and she was giving me a hard time about buying my brother Jack, who is getting married, a wedding present.”
“You didn’t have to tell me who you were talking to.”
“I didn’t have to, but I felt you worrying.” He ran his finger along her thigh, and it sent goose bumps down her leg.
“You felt me worrying? I didn’t even say anything.”
“You didn’t have to. We’re in sync, remember?”