CHAPTER NINE
THE SOUND OF someone humming brought Ivy awake. She glanced at her clock and saw the time was just a little past seven. It took her a minute to remember where she was and why. Tiki Island. Pretend lover of Nolan Madaris.
The week vacation she thought she’d won had been nothing more than a setup thanks to her grandmother. Frowning, she pulled herself up in bed and grabbed for her phone to call her grandmother. It was time to put her and Nolan’s plan into action, and Helen Chapman was about to get an earful from her.
After Nolan went to bed it was as if she was alone in the cottage and she appreciated that. She had needed that time to reflect on all that had been said since she’d returned from her walk on the bay to find Nolan in her kitchen. It was really his kitchen, she reminded herself.
As soon as the bedroom door had closed behind him last night, she had grabbed a bag of chips and an apple from the welcome basket. She had heard his shower going while making a ham sandwich and a glass of iced tea.
The breeze off the Galveston Bay had relaxed her while she sat outside on the patio to eat. The quiet peacefulness gave her an opportunity to mentally rehash her conversations with Nolan. He had been right. Pretending to be lovers had been her idea and she needed to own it. It had taken another walk on the bay after her meal to finally accept that the plan she’d come up with would work if, like Nolan said, it was believable. More than anything she was determined that it would be.
“Hello?”
Her grandmother’s voice sounded soft, almost like a whisper in her ear. “Nana, this is Ivy.”
“I know, dear. I recognize your voice.”
“Then you know why I’m calling.” Ivy paused for a minute and then asked, “Nana, how could you? Why on earth would you and Ms. Laverne set me and Nolan up again?”
“You’re calling him by his first name. That’s good.”
“Excuse me?”
“The last time we talked about him, he was Mr. Madaris. Now he’s Nolan and I think that’s a good sign.”
Ivy shook her head. “There is no sign. Nana, we need to talk about this.”
“We talked already, dear. Remember?”
“Yes, I remember but you didn’t listen.”
“You’re right. I didn’t listen because I know what’s best. Where are you, by the way?”
“I’m still on Tiki Island. Nolan was kind enough to allow me to stay a couple of days. I appreciate him for not blaming me for what happened.”
“Of course he wouldn’t blame you. And where is he?”
“Not sure. He’s around here somewhere. I’m just waking up. Luckily, this place is plenty big enough for the both of us with the two bedrooms and private baths. Split concept. I doubt if we’ll run into each other much while I’m here.” She figured her grandmother was frowning about now. That’s probably not what she wanted to hear.
“Who’s doing the cooking? Not you I hope.”
Her grandmother knew of her dislike of kitchen duties that required more than putting cold cuts between two slices of bread. “We’re on our own.”
“What a pity. Nolan is a great cook. He’s also a nice man.”
“Whatever. We will talk again when I get back, Nana. If you keep this up, I’m going to think you’re not in your right mind.”
“I’m in my right mind,” her grandmother assured her. “In the end you are going to thank me.”
Ivy doubted that. “We’ll talk, Nana.” She heard the sound of humming again and realized the noise was from the television mounted on the wall in the living room.
“We’ll see. Enjoy your time on the bay.”
And then her grandmother hung up on her. “Oh, you are so wrong for that, Nana. You are wrong for all of this,” Ivy muttered, easing out of the bed. She thought about what Nolan said regarding them getting to know each other. That meant spending time with him and she’d rather not do that. She didn’t like admitting it but heat would curl in her stomach whenever she was around him. She smiled when an idea came into her head. Instead of spending time with him, she would text information to him. All he needed to know was stuff like her favorite foods, music, movie, color and pertinent facts like that. She would suggest that he did the same. Ivy smiled, convinced that would work.
* * *
NOLAN USED THE outside shower to rinse sand from his body. There was nothing like an early-morning swim in the bay. After a good night’s sleep, he had awakened at the crack of dawn ready for a hot cup of coffee to get his day started. He had walked through the house toward the kitchen in the nude before remembering he had a houseguest. Rushing back to his bedroom, he had quickly donned a pair of swimming shorts.
Now two hours later, after his coffee, he had taken a leisurely swim and was ready to start his day. And do what? Nothing. He had come here to do nothing but knew with Ivy Chapman under his roof that was no longer an option.
As he dried off and slid into a pair of shorts, he thought about the agreement they’d made last night and the terms that had come with it. He’d been too tired to think about them last night and after his shower he had gone to bed, falling into a deep sleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Hearing the ring of his cell phone, he picked it up off the patio table. He recognized the ringtone and knew the identity of the caller. Apparently, Mama Laverne couldn’t wait for him to call her so she was calling him. He eased down into a patio chair and clicked on his phone. “Good morning.”
“Glad to know you’re in a good mood, Nolan.”
He raised his eyes toward the sky. “I’m not in a good mood, thanks to you. How can I be when my great-grandmother is trying to manipulate my life?”
“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“That’s the way it looks to me,” he said, leaning back in his seat.
“Then we need to get you a new pair of eyes.”
Nolan fought back a grin. Although this certainly wasn’t a laughing matter by any means, you just had to love her. And he did. But he would not allow that love to control his personal life.
“I understand you still have a houseguest.”
He lifted a brow. “And how do you know that?”
“I have my ways.”
He figured she did. It was his guess that Ivy had spoken to her grandmother either last night or this morning. That meant their plan was in process. “The only reason she’s still here is because I felt it was the least I could do. You and your cohorts had her believing she’d won some contest. Imagine how she felt to discover it was a lie just to get her here with me.”
“You will thank me one day, Nolan.”
“It won’t work, Mama Laverne.” He knew to make their plan believable, it was important that he and Ivy show resistance. They would expect that.
“It will work. I suggest you show her how good you are in the kitchen.”
“She won’t be staying that long. Like I said, the only reason she’s here is because I felt bad for her. You set her up. You set me up. We aren’t happy about that. The least I could do is let her stay a few days.”
“That was kind of you.”
“I’m a nice person.”
“Of course you are. That’s the reason you were chosen for her.”
Nolan took note of what his grandmother had implied. He was chosen for Ivy and not the other way around where she was chosen for him? “I prefer not being chosen for anyone.”
“Too late now.”
We’ll see about that, he thought, deciding it was time to end the call. But not before saying, “I will be paying you a visit when I return to Houston.” He knew another meeting with her would serve no purpose but he had to put up a front.
“It always brings me joy to see you, Nolan. I look forward to your visit. Have a good day, and prepare your crab cakes. Ivy will love them. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Mama Laverne.” He clicked off the phone. Shaking his head, he grabbed the wet items and headed toward the house.
He heard the sound the moment he walked through the back door. Ivy was laughing, and the rich, jubilant sound soaked into his skin, making goose bumps appear on his arms. He wondered what on earth was going on. He paused long enough to toss the wet clothes into the washing machine and followed the sound of her voice.
He found her standing in front of the television. She was watching cartoons. He glanced at the television screen but only for a second. His main focus was on her and those sinful-looking shorts she had on. They weren’t Daisy Dukes by any means, but on her they so adequately revealed she had the body of a goddess. Curves in all the right places. Femininity to the core.
Her hair was back to that severe-looking knot on her head but that was fine. He’d seen her hair down yesterday and liked it, but he was noticing things about this particular style as well. How it outlined the contours of her face, making sharp angles appear soft and delicate. She wasn’t a big woman. Nor was she small. Instead she fell somewhere in the middle. He also noted she wasn’t wearing any jewelry. Not even a pair of earrings. But she did have a watch on her wrist. And it wasn’t one of those that resembled a bracelet. It looked to be just what it was—a watch with a black leather band. He knew he shouldn’t be standing there ogling her like this but at the present, he was too captivated not to. His gaze roamed all over her again, and this time it zeroed in on her perfectly shaped backside. Not in a thousand years would he have guessed such a well-developed body had been hidden beneath that business suit she’d worn to his office the day they’d met.
She laughed again and the sound flowed through him. Her amusement was contagious and he couldn’t help the smile that touched his lips. She hadn’t detected his presence and he moved to stand directly behind her. He leaned forward and whispered, “A woman who enjoys watching cartoons is a woman after my own heart.”
* * *
IVY JERKED AROUND so fast she nearly lost her balance. To keep herself from falling, she reached out and grabbed hold of Nolan. Namely his naked chest. His very naked, hairy chest. Did she include muscular? If not, in that case, his very naked, hairy, muscular chest. She glanced down and saw not only was he shirtless, but a line of hair trailed downward to be hidden by an indecent-looking pair of athletic shorts.
She jerked her gaze back up to his and at that moment noticed how hot his skin felt beneath her fingers. So hot she snatched her hand away, which made her lose her balance and tilt forward, right into his arms.
Again she was touching him and what was doubly bad was that he was touching her. His arms were wrapped around her. Tight. Frowning, she stared up at him. “Have you lost your mind? You scared me.”
In addition to that, she was convinced that him touching her was causing irreversible damage to her skin. There was no way she would not remember him touching her arms. OMG! He was still touching her arms. She tried to jerk away from him and he held on tight. Her frown deepened. “You can let me go, Nolan.”
He stared down at her with those penetrating dark eyes. “You sure? I wouldn’t want you to fall.”
“I wouldn’t have lost my balance if you hadn’t sneaked up on me,” she snapped. “You could have let me know you were in the house.”
“Maybe I should wear a bell around my neck so you will hear me whenever I approach,” he said, speaking through clenched teeth.
“Or you can do the decent thing and announce your presence.”
“Or maybe you shouldn’t be so clumsy,” he said, releasing her and then fencing his arms around her as a shield just in case she tumbled over again. Seeing him do that annoyed her. But at least they were no longer touching.
Ivy pressed down on her lips, refusing to go tit for tat with him. It was barely eight in the morning. The one thing she liked about being self-employed was she got to make her own work hours. Thank God for that because she was definitely not a morning person. Getting up at noon was fine with her, even if it meant her workday extended to midnight. She could deal with that. She rarely got up before noon and seldom went to bed before midnight.
“You’re right, I should have alerted you of my presence. I apologize.”
His apology took some heat out of her fire. It changed the mood. “I should apologize as well. I should not have snapped at you, but one of my major faults is that I’m not a morning person.”
He raised a brow. “You couldn’t convince me of that. You were laughing. Almost hysterically.”
Yes, she had been but there was a good reason for that. “I love watching cartoons.”
“Umm, I gathered as much.”
“And Sylvester and Tweety are my favorites. They’ll get a laugh out of me no matter what time of day it is.”
“That’s good to know.”
“What is?”
“That you enjoy watching cartoons and Sylvester and Tweety are your favorites. And just so you know, I love watching cartoons as well.”
She raised a brow. Very few macho men would admit to such a thing. They would put cartoons on the same shelf as romance novels. “Do you?”
“Yes. And my favorite is Tom Slick. I never got into Sylvester and Tweety. But I did enjoy The Jetsons.”
She smiled. “So did I.” In fact they were on her top ten list.
The room got quiet when conversation between them ceased. Unfortunately that was when she remembered what he was wearing...or wasn’t wearing. But then this was his house and if he was used to walking around half-naked, then so be it. However, she knew that meant she needed to put as much distance between them as reasonably possible while they were under the same roof. She might be a techie but she was also a woman who could appreciate a good-looking male body when she saw one. It was bad enough seeing him in those jeans and T-shirt yesterday. But to see him like this was a little too much.
“I take it you’re an early riser,” she said, to get the conversation started again. She began moving toward the kitchen and unfortunately for her, he followed.
“Yes. Normally, I’m up by the crack of dawn. I believe in that saying ‘Early to bed, early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.’”
She chuckled. “I believe in that saying ‘The best time to get any work done is late at night when all the world is sleeping.’”
He nodded. “And whose quote is that?”
“Mine. Made it up myself and I swear by it.”
“I guess we can’t have all things in common,” he said.
“By the way, I came up with an idea.”
“Another one?” he asked, moving toward the refrigerator.
“Yes.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I figured instead of us having to spend time together to get to know each other, we can exchange text messages with information.”
He looked at her and shook his head. “I doubt it will work. To really get to know each other will require personal interaction.”
“I disagree. Let’s try it and see what happens.”
“Suit yourself but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it won’t work.” He opened the refrigerator and pulled out eggs, cheese and bread.
She watched him. “You’re cooking?” she asked.
“Yes.” He moved to a cabinet and pulled out a frying pan.
“Do you plan to share?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave her a look as if she’d asked a silly question. “Of course.”
“I’ll make the coffee. How do you take yours?”
“Black and light on the sugar.”
So did she. Another thing they had in common. “No problem.” She moved to the opposite counter where the coffeepot was. After grabbing two mugs from the cabinet, she began making their coffee.
“I understand you talked to your grandmother already.”
She glanced over at him. He was standing at the stove. Did he not worry about popping grease? Evidently he felt comfortable being shirtless and wearing just his shorts. Was she a prude for thinking he was barely dressed? Outside the bedroom, Damien had always worn a shirt and the bottom part of him had always been covered in jeans or pants. Come to think of it, she’d never seen Damien in shorts. The most logical reason could be because they’d dated during the winter months.
“Yes. This morning. How did you know that?”
“Mama Laverne.”
“She called you?”
“Yes. And I assume it was after you spoke with your grandmother. She knew you were still here and since I hadn’t sent you packing, she saw that as an ace in the hole. I’m sure that she, along with your grandmother, assume they got us where they want us.”
Ivy leaned against the counter while the coffee brewed. “I’m going to have to agree with you. Even when I played the resistance game, she sounded victorious.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
Ivy watched Nolan easily handle the frying pan and gasped when he flipped an egg like a pro. “I thought you were going to make a mess I was going to have to clean up.”
Again, he gave her a strange look. “If I make the mess, I clean it up. But rest assured there will not be a mess. I’ve been flipping over easy eggs for years. By the way, how do you like yours?”
“Not over easy that’s for sure. I like mine fried. Well-done. If they look burned around the edges you won’t hurt my feelings.”
He chuckled. “What about cheese?”
“Definitely. If I end up with more cheese than egg, it won’t hurt my feelings either.”
He chuckled again and she thought it sounded husky and deep. Even earlier in the living room, it was a deep, masculine baritone murmuring close to her ear that had frightened her.
“You have something against pigs.”
She slanted a brow. “No, why do you ask?”
“You didn’t purchase any bacon or sausage.”
“Oh.” Now it was her time to chuckle. “I don’t have a thing against pigs but I do have something against pots and pans. If I bought either of them I would have to cook it and I detest cooking.” She watched as he flipped her egg. “Fried eggs I can handle, but that’s as far as it goes. But I definitely can’t handle them the way you do, flipping them all over the place. I heard you can cook.”
“Who told you that?”
“Nana.”
“Yes, I can cook. In fact I enjoy doing so.”
She placed the coffee cups on the table. “Really?” She didn’t know of any man who liked to cook. Not her grandfather, her father and definitely not Damien. They’d always gone out to dinner or did fast foods.
“I had a great teacher.”
“Your mom?” she asked him.
“No, Mama Laverne. Cooking lessons were required of all her kids, grands and great-grands. And there’s no doubt in my mind that if she’s still around, when the time comes, her great-great-grands as well. She’s the best cook in Houston, hands down.”
He slid her plate in front of her before sitting down across from her. Her eggs were just the way she liked. They were pretty. The yolk had been broken evenly. She wondered how he’d done that. After they said grace she dug in. “Mmm. Perfect,” she said and meant it. Nothing half-cooked. It was well-done just like she wanted. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome and thanks for making the coffee.”
“No problem. That’s the one thing I can do in the kitchen.” She glanced over at his plate, wondering how anyone could eat a half-cooked yolk but decided to keep her opinion to herself.
“Want some of my eggs?”
She glanced over at him. He was smiling. She liked it when he smiled. “No, thanks.”
“You might like it.”
“There’s a bigger chance I might not. I rank half-cooked eggs right up there with oatmeal. They are both on my never-to-do list.” She took a sip of her coffee.
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“And I hope to never find out.”
They continued to eat, for the most part in silence but more than once she found herself staring at his bare chest. Why was she tempted to reach across the table and spear her fingers into all the hair? If he had that much hair covering his chest, then chances were he had just as much covering his—
“Does my being shirtless bother you? If so, I can remedy that.”
For him to ask meant he’d noticed her staring. “No, it doesn’t bother me,” she said. “It’s your house.”
“And you’re my guest. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“You don’t.” That was partly true. Seeing him shirtless didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. What it was doing was forming crazy ideas in her head. “Do you normally walk around shirtless?”
“Depends on where I am. Whenever I’m here, yes. And if you like, I have no problem with you walking around here shirtless as well.”
She couldn’t help but laugh and wagged her finger at him. “Don’t hold your breath for that to happen.”
She took another sip of her coffee. She didn’t want to admit she enjoyed his company. She enjoyed his playful side. And she liked his thoughtfulness. He didn’t have to invite her to join him for breakfast. He could have reminded her of their agreement to do their own thing.
Her grandmother had been right, Nolan was a nice man. But she’d dated nice men before. They were nice in the beginning but eventually proved her wrong. She glanced at her watch, wondering how long would it take for him to go from a prince to an utter toad.