Chapter 59: A Recipe for Trouble

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: A Recipe for Trouble

The run ended up taking a little over an hour.

I’d planned to keep it short, but the farther I went, the more I got into it. The morning air was cool, the streets were relatively quiet, and I was feeling good enough to keep going. By the time I turned back toward Nicole’s house, I’d been out much longer than I’d intended.

When I got back, I let myself into the house and headed inside, expecting to find her somewhere around the kitchen.

Instead, I found her sitting on the dining table, absorbed in her phone with a small pout on her face. She looked bored, and I couldn’t help smiling at the sight.

I took another step into the room, and she looked up.

Her expression brightened immediately when she saw me. She set her phone aside, climbed down from the table, and came over to me with a smile.

That was when I got a proper look at her outfit. She was wearing a high-low sundress, the front ending just above her knees and the back falling slightly lower. Her wristwatch was on her wrist, and the necklace she’d never taken off was still around her neck.

I found myself staring before she even reached me.

She stopped in front of me, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. I was perfectly content to keep looking at her, and judging by the look on her face, she didn’t seem to mind the attention.

She tilted her head slightly, looking amused. "You’re staring again."

I kept staring. "You’re the one who said I was allowed to."

Her smile widened. "I did, didn’t I?"

I smirked.

"Want me to give you a better view?" she added, giving me a knowing look.

I blinked. "You really can’t let a moment be wholesome without making it naughty."

"Where’s the fun in that?" She gave me a quick once-over, still smiling. "Go take your bath. I’ll have breakfast ready by the time you come downstairs."

I smiled back. "Yes, ma’am."

She seemed to like that answer, so I headed upstairs.

By the time I finished my bath and returned downstairs, Nicole was already on her feet. She glanced at me with a smile before turning her attention back to the dining table, where she’d apparently decided a chicken wrap deserved the full treatment.

I slowed down as I approached, taking in what she’d prepared.

The grilled chicken wrap sat in the center of the plate, cut neatly in half on a diagonal, with the filling visible along the cut edges. There were no onions, and a small ramekin of extra sauce sat beside it. A serving of arugula dressed with lemon and olive oil occupied one side, with blistered cherry tomatoes arranged beside it. A small bowl of mixed berries sat near the top of the plate, while rosemary potatoes filled the space on the other side. One warm slice of baguette, spread with butter, rested neatly against the edge.

I looked at the plate, then at Nicole.

She’d somehow managed to turn a chicken wrap into something that looked like it belonged on the menu of a restaurant where people checked the prices before ordering water.

She set my coffee down beside the plate, then pulled out the chair opposite mine and sat down.

I took my seat, still staring at the spread in front of me.

Nicole rested her chin on her hand, smiling at me. "Well? Where are my compliments?"

I shook my head, unable to keep the smile off my face. "How am I supposed to compliment you when I’m still trying to process what I’m looking at?"

Her smile widened, and she gestured toward the plate. "Go on. Try it."

I picked up one half of the wrap and took a bite.

I closed my eyes as I chewed, enjoying the perfectly seasoned chicken and the sauce. I was already thinking about taking another bite before I’d even finished the first one.

"How is it?" Nicole asked.

I took my time chewing before finally swallowing. "Beyond perfect."

Nicole looked far too pleased with that verdict, which was fair. I’d just called her breakfast beyond perfect.

She kept looking at me with a happy smile for a little while longer before finally picking up her own fork and joining me.

—

We ate in comfortable silence for a while. I was too busy enjoying the food to feel any need to talk, while Nicole seemed perfectly content to watch me enjoy every bite. Every now and then, I’d catch her watching me, but she never said anything, so I let her enjoy herself.

Then my phone buzzed against the table.

I set down my wrap and picked it up, expecting some random notification. Instead, I found a message from Marcus.

Marcus: That woman from last time is back. She’s in the boss’s office right now.

I stared at the message for a moment, my expression souring before I could help it.

"Something wrong?" Nicole asked.

I shook my head and turned my phone facedown on the table. "Nothing. It’s Marcus."

Nicole glanced at my phone, then back at me. Her eyes lingered on my face, and I had the distinct feeling she hadn’t bought my answer. She didn’t question me, though. Instead, she continued eating, leaving me to whatever had put that look on my face in the first place.

I glanced at my phone again, thinking about Marcus’s message.

Devon really was becoming a problem. She’d already ignored a perfectly clear rejection, and now she was back at the shop asking for me again. I had no idea what she was planning, but I wasn’t particularly interested in finding out the hard way. For all I knew, she’d try something ridiculous, or do something perfectly reasonable that would somehow turn into a problem anyway.

I exhaled and glanced at Nicole, who was still eating, apparently content to enjoy her breakfast without interrogating me about whatever had soured my mood. After watching her for a moment, I decided I might as well tell her.

"Remember the time you were sick?"

She looked up at me, her fork paused halfway to her mouth. Her eyebrows drew together slightly as she gave me a confused but curious look, clearly trying to figure out what I was referring to.

"The time I had a shift," I clarified. "It was a Saturday too, like this."

Nicole lowered her fork slightly, searching her memory. "The Saturday you went to work while I was sick."

"Yeah. The one where you wanted to come with me, and I told you to stay home and rest."

"Oh." Her expression changed as she remembered, and a small smile appeared on her face. "That was the morning you made me breakfast."

"Among other things."

"You made eggs and toast." She tilted her head, thinking. "And tea. Then you told me I couldn’t come with you, even though I was feeling much better."

"That’s the one."

She smiled at the memory before asking, "What about it?"

She picked her fork back up and was just about to take another bite when I answered.

"Well, a woman brought her car in for repairs," I began.

Nicole’s head lifted a little at the word woman, her attention shifting from her breakfast to me.

I continued before she could say anything, pretending not to notice. "Marcus and I worked on her car for most of the day. Once we’d sorted it out, we called her to let her know it was ready, but she didn’t show up until pretty close to closing time."

Nicole nodded slowly.

"She paid, and everything seemed normal at first." I paused, mostly because I wasn’t sure how to explain the next part without making it sound more interesting than it was. "Anyway, she stopped me outside the shop when I was leaving."

Nicole’s eyes stayed on mine. "She asked for your number."

I shook my head. "She offered me a ride."

"I see." She paused briefly, still watching me. "And what did she say when you rejected her?"

I blinked.

I couldn’t quite decide whether to be concerned that she’d already concluded I hadn’t entertained Devon’s advances or impressed that she trusted me enough to assume I’d turned her down without hesitation.

Concerned, probably. It seemed like the safer option.

"She actually came back a few days later," I finally said. "She’d apparently asked my boss about me and found out I didn’t actually have a fiancée."

Nicole’s expression changed. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she set her fork down.

"I told her I had a fiancée to make her back off," I added.

Nicole’s lips curled into a small smile. "Fiancée?"

"That’s not the point." I gave her a look. "The point is, she already knew I had a girlfriend, and apparently that only made her more interested."

Nicole’s expression brightened at that, and she suddenly looked far too pleased with herself for someone who’d just heard about another woman refusing to take no for an answer.

I decided not to acknowledge it.

Instead, I reached for my phone, opened my chat with Marcus, and slid it across the table so she could read the message for herself.

She picked it up and read the message. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she laughed.

It wasn’t exactly a sweet laugh.

I watched her, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable without being entirely sure why. Whatever was going through her head that had her laughing like that, I decided I was better off not knowing.

Nicole handed my phone back. "You know I’m coming with you, right?"

I took my phone from her. "Yeah, I kinda figured."

She nodded, looking entirely pleased with that arrangement. For some reason, that only made me more suspicious.

"Now, eat your food before it gets cold," she said, picking up her fork again.

I looked at her for another moment, trying to figure out what, exactly, I’d just set in motion by telling her about Devon. Whatever Nicole was planning, I had a feeling my day at the shop was about to get a lot more interesting.

I shook my head and went back to my breakfast. There wasn’t much point worrying about it before we’d even left the house.