Hi! she told him with a huge grin, right before she launched herself into his arms for a hug.
Delight warmed him. No one greeted him like this, with such raw happiness.
She seemed to exude it. Give it off in waves. The more he experienced it, the more he craved it.
Hi yourself. He squeezed her, smiling into her hair a moment before releasing her. Do you treat everyone like this when you see them or am I just that lucky?
Youre just that lucky. You could be again, later on if youre extra sweet to me today. Are you ready to go?
Hell yes. Let me put this inside before we go though. He held up a basket of food hed put down to hug her.
Oooh! What did you bring me? Her eyes lit with interest.
Supplies for a meal after we bring home all the pumpkins.
Youre going to feed me too? She clapped her hands without a bit of sarcasm.
Its the least I can do. Think of it as payment for introducing me to something new. And cooking for people was his way of taking care of them. Showing his love or concern, whatever.
The least you could do would be fast food. Or a bag of chips or something. A talented chef cooking for me is really nice. Thank you.
He made quick work of unloading the food, putting things away and before too long, they were headed south in a landscapers truck shed borrowed, on their way to a pumpkin patch.
How was the rest of your first week back home in Seattle? he asked.
Ive been at the gallery a lot.
When an asshole cut her off, she smiled, sunny and sweet, enough to disarm the guy, and then she flipped him off before heading her own way.
So, road rage with a little pizzazz? he teased of her middle finger salute.
Well, Im a work in progress.
He snickered. I can dig that. Tell me about the event were going to tonight. He just slid that in there, his assumption theyd be attending together.
She gave him some world-class side-eye though, which had him leaning back with a satisfied smile on his face. In some nearly perverse way, he absolutely got off on the idea that she would be a person who didnt let him get away with things like pretending they already had a date without doing the work of asking.
Would you like to come to the gallery tonight? she asked, laughter in her voice. Gregori will most likely be there with Wren. A few of the artists showing are friends of hers.
I should offer you an out here. Some sort of self-deprecating bit about how you dont really have to ask me to go tonight. But I wont. I want to be there. And not because Im in the market for art.
You should always be in the market for art. She said it like a mantra.
Clearly I have a lot to learn.
Hmm, was all she said for a moment. Seems to me you know a lot of useful things. So youre welcome to make me food, make me come and eat appetizers while looking at evocative artwork. But thats a lot of Cora in one day. Just an advance warning.
It would have been a lot of anyone in a day. Aside from a few very close friends, there wasnt anyone he liked to spend a lot of one-on-one time with.
But hed already accepted she was different than most other people. His reaction to her most definitely was unusual.
I like a lot of Cora in my day. Come to think of it, why arent you at the gallery now? You strike me as the type who likes to manage closely to be sure things are perfect.
Thats the coolest way to be called a control freak ever. She laughed. I was there most of yesterday and into the night, and then back first thing this morning. And now itll marinate until later. If I hang out too much I start to pick my work apart, second-guess and redo stuff. Then everyone hates me and I do three times the work because, in the end, I go back to how I originally had it.
She pulled into a patch of dirt thatd been transformed into a lot where people parked their cars to head out into the wide fields of pumpkins just beyond. This is still early days for this patch. In two weeks or so, therell be ruts deep enough to make your teeth hurt when you drive over them.
Its weird how cheerful this makes you.
I like knowing I made a good choice when Im lucky enough to make one. You come early and you get the best pumpkins and avoid the worst of the crowds and traffic. This lot is the one we went to when I was a kid. Family owned. It always smells like mulling spices and kettle corn.
And on that word salad, she hopped out of the truck, turning back to grab her camera. Its a little muddy, but not too bad. You dont have to wear the boots if you dont want to.
* * *
BEING OUT THERE with the brilliant orange of pumpkins against the pale gold of the straw and hay bales all around, Cora let herself fully live in that precise moment. Happiness at being back home. Comfort in the familiar signs leading to the corn maze. The same goofy cutouts she and her siblings had stuck their faces in for the pictures their father had on his desk to that day. Butterflies and giddy delight in the birth of something new and delicious between her and Beau.
So whats the process then? Do we just pick one? He looked dubiously at the big, flat-bottomed wagon she grabbed.
Theyre sold by the pound, so at the end well come back and put them on those big scales over there. She pointed. As for one? Pah! Im no amateur, Beau. Ill get as many as it pleases me. I have a nice-sized porch so naturally Ill need several for that. And whatever else that strikes my fancy. And my fancy is easily struck.
He just shook his head as he looked out over the wide fields beyond, full of pumpkins ready for the grabbing before he took the handle of the wagon. Ill pull. Point me the way.
It was early enough on a weekday that the patch wasnt crowded at all, which didnt stop a few people from nearly falling over themselves as they stared at Beau. It wasnt even that they recognized himat least not at firstbut purely the fact that he was so beautiful.
Because he tried to ignore it, she did, as well. And it wasnt like she didnt totally understand everyone who gawked at him. She felt like gawking at him too.
Is that weird for you? Cora asked him as she began to think about just exactly what she wanted her porch to look like.
Is what weird?
Being so handsome you literally make people halt in their tracks to stare at you.
His surprised laughter rang out and made her smile in response.
Seeing the pumpkins for herself, she began to build a theme. She headed toward a group of tall, narrow ones. Look at these bumps all over. I love that. Then I need squat ones. So they can group together.
He bumped her aside with a hip and loaded the ones she pointed out onto the wagon. Getting recognized is nice usually. People are respectful. But sometimes its invasive, offensive, scary even.
Oh, you mean like stalkers? Or people who dont like the, uh, group you grew up in? From everything she understood it was a cult. But it wasnt relevant what she thought on that point. Not right then.
Both. He shrugged. The people who were either part of my former church or who were wronged or hate groups like Road to Glory pop up less than they used to. New outrages I guess. New self-appointed prophets all too eager to drain people dry and ruin lives.
Im sorry, she said simply.
I got away. Mostly. As far as being a celebrity and getting recognized, thats complicated. Its nice that people care. Thats why they watch my shows and buy my books. I like that. But some people have messed-up filters. Or they forget Im a real person. He turned to face her. And sometimes it encroaches on my personal time. I want to be all about you right now, so I would be aggravated. Which is why I generally avoid eye contact if I get that buzz that they might think of intruding.
Damn. You make my stomach all floaty.
He smirked. Is that good?
Cora nodded.
All right then. Whats next? He indicated the area all around them.
Cora considered following up but he clearly wanted to change the subject so she let him. She went to her toes, kissed him quickly and pointed. Lets head that way. I see some fat ones. I need fat ones. Cora danced away, taking in deep gulps of the fresh air, happy with her life and the sight of one pumpkin with super deep grooves on it that she decided she had to have.
Each time she would pause to really examine a pumpkin, and then later the gourds, he patiently waited for her to do whatever she pleased. He never glanced at his phone. Never looked bored. In fact, he began to point out his own pumpkins, even grabbing a few he said he wanted to put in the windows of the apartment he was staying at.
He never complained about the weather, even after a light rain began to fall, or how heavy the wagon got once it was laden down with pumpkins. He didnt bat an eye at how many she ended up buying and unloaded them all at her side, making her smile the whole time.
So, what did you think of going to the pumpkin patch? she asked as they headed back toward Seattle. She held a big bag of kettle corn out for him to grab a handful.
I liked it. Food, a pretty girl and a huge bag of fresh vegetables to go with a thousand pumpkins make for a pretty enjoyable outing. Thanks for bringing me along.
Probably less than a thousand. Im all about new experiences, she teased, undeniably pleased that hed apparently enjoyed their day. Next up is decoration. I pulled the Halloween boxes out of my crawl space and Ive got a general idea and some notes.
Notes? Crawl space? I feel like such a newbie to the Halloween decoration game.
Remember I just told you about how I was all about new experiences? Anyway, youll be there making me food, which is like, way more important than stringing lights and helping me create the super spider lair.
Super spider lair, huh? Okay, Im game. Ill make tacos while you get to super lair creating.
Tacos? This day keeps getting better.
They listened to music all the way back up north to her place, where he then helped her carry all those pumpkins to her porch.
Im on call for you if you need anything heavy moved or whatever. Just yell, okay? he told her.
Thanks, she said before he gave her a kiss and allowed her to watch him walk back into her house looking all hot and tasty.
Once hed gone, she began to set her porch to dark, spooky fun with spiders tucked all around. Some with glowing red eyes. A few with realistic-looking bristles on all eight legs. And at the end, she installed the ones on motion-detected triggers that would have them dropping from the ceiling or jumping across a trick-or-treaters path.
After that she strung all the lights and draped the fake spiderweb, giggling to herself as she thought about all the scary fun she was creating.
All while she peeked through her front window and watched him in her kitchen. He moved like magic. All to his own rhythm. He cooked like he was totally, utterly sure of himself.
Sexy as fuck.
And he wanted to spend time with her.
If hed been smooth about it, or calculated, she could have just let it be a fun fling. But he wanted to go to a gallery event. Not to buy art. Not to meet artists. He didnt need her for that. No, it was about her.
No one could have ever described to her just what it would feel like to have someone focus on her like that. Put all their attention, attraction and ability into her. It was by turns flattering, confusing and thrilling.
He looked up from where hed been sautéing something at the stove and met her gaze. A startled smile broke over his mouth and holy shit he was just stupid gorgeous.
All points south of her eyes stood at attention.
She smirked at him, letting him see that she was done with the spider lair and was coming inside.
Damn, you make me sassy, she said once shed put away her tools and the boxes were back in the crawl space.
He leaned back, resting his butt on the counter behind him, crossing those fine legs as he looked her up and down. That so? And how do I make you sassy? Seems to me, you were sassy when I got here.
Laughing, she swaggered over, pausing just a foot away. Thats a fair point. You make me sassier. The way you look at me sometimes just revs me up. Makes me feel all sexy and goddess-like and stuff.
You are sexy. He all but growled it.
She let out a shuddering breath.
Food and then. He lifted one shoulder and sent her a smoldering leer.
If he werent a chef whod just spent all that time and effort cooking for her, shed have jumped on him right then.
Oh, you mean after we carve the pumpkins? she teased.
He grabbed her, yanking her to him. The idea of you with a knife is alarmingly arousing.
Cora would have laughed, but he bent to kiss her before she could, stealing her breath for a moment.
By the time she managed to gather her wits, hed broken away, again wearing that sexy smile of his.
Lunch is ready, my spider queen.
Ill set the table, she told him after clearing her throat.
CHAPTER SEVEN
In my kingdom I will rule
as the ocean foams at my feet
and the birds do my bidding.
OH MY GOD. How did you manage to make this taste so good?
Cora hoped she didnt sound like she was having an orgasm while eating a shrimp taco, but she sort of was. At first I thought it was the crema. Because the lime and avocado are so perfect together. But now Im leaning toward the cabbage slaw type thing on top. The sweet hot tang of it is my favorite thing right at this moment.
Youre irresistible when you love my food. And you havent even had the pork yet.
The pork had mangos and red onions and had her seriously considering licking the plate at the end. The most unexpectedly delicious was the veggie taco with roasted eggplant and mushrooms with a tomatillo salsa.
She pushed back from the table with a happy sigh. Its not even one in the afternoon and Ive had a great day.
When do you need to be at the gallery? he murmured, taking her plate so he could get closer.
Are you going to make my day even better? Cora asked, turning so they were nose to nose.
Oh yes. Yes I am. I just need a timeline so I can plan accordingly.
I really like the sound of that. I need to get down there by three. Its a ten-minute walk from here so weve got some time. We can always carve pumpkins another day.