To Live (8 page)

"I'll do the cooking. I know a thing or two, you know."

Kelsey cocked an eyebrow. "What? You never said."

"You never asked." He chuckled. "So, dinner at eight?"

Why not?
"Sure. See you at eight."

***

Shaun laid a hand on Kelsey's back—a little too close to her butt—and ushered her through his sitting room toward the kitchen.

She discreetly surveyed the room. A teak table in front of a window was overflowing with notebooks, sport and writing magazines, a navy blue shirt, and what seemed to be a voice recorder. A half-full glass of orange juice stood on top of a magazine on the windowsill.

As they stepped through the door, she felt his silky breath on her neck. This was not good; it was not part of the plan.

"I look forward to cooking for you."

"Hmmm... thanks." Since accepting his dinner invitation, she had almost cancelled twice. She had feelings for him, and she was kidding herself in thinking they could be ordinary neighbors enjoying a casual dinner together. No man had ever cooked a meal for her. And the man she didn't want to get attached to was doing all the right things.

He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and waved a hand. "Why don't you take a seat? Food will be ready in a bit."

Kelsey's stomach growled on cue, and on instinct, she tightened her stomach muscles as if that would shut it up. Wrong. It rumbled again twice. Loudly. She bit her lip. Talk about embarrassing.

"Looks like your stomach is ready to be fed." Shaun gave her a mischievous smile as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Kelsey bit her lip. "Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for. Now, I have work to do. I shall not make the lady wait any longer." Without wasting time, Shaun sprang straight into action. His comfort in the kitchen was sexy. She wondered whether he often cooked his own meals.

"It's such a luxury to prepare my own food," Shaun said, as if he'd read her mind. "And cooking is so relaxing. I can understand why you'd want to be a chef."

Kelsey shook her head and laughed. "I can't believe you didn't say anything about your cooking skills before."

Shaun laughed, the sound echoing off the walls. "I didn't want to outshine you." He placed a small glass bowl of olives, and a platter of perfectly julienned vegetables and dip in front of her. "I made this. Tell me if you like it." He pulled a plain white folded apron from a drawer and tied it around his waist.

"Let's see." Kelsey picked up a long, thin piece of carrot and dipped it into the green dip. She took a bite and swooned. She had never tasted a more delicious avocado dip in her life. "This is delicious. You really made this?"

"Yes, baby. That's all me."

Shaun confused her. He talked as if he cared about her, as if he was flirting. And yet there was this other side to him everyone said he had. She couldn't see the heartbreaker. Apart from the stunt he pulled at the market, he seemed like a gentle, caring man. She couldn't imagine him trampling on anyone's feelings. She tried hard not to stare, but her gaze kept flickering over his well-built body, and then at his masculine hands as he deftly chopped an onion.

"Well, it's the best thing I've ever had," she said.

Shaun peered over his shoulder with a mischievous smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. "You sure about that?" His tone said he was no longer talking about food.

Kelsey's cheeks burned bright red. "You're bad."

He turned away again. "No, I'm not bad, Kelsey. I'm worse." He paused. "I'm a jerk."

Kelsey coughed up the carrot she was about to swallow. "You're what?" She burst out laughing.

"A jerk, an ass, or whatever you want to call it."

"How can you say something like that about yourself?"

"I don't. Others do." He turned to face her again, arms crossed. "Or they think it at least. Word around town is I'm a heartless womanizer."

"And you don't have a problem with what people say about you?"

A slow smile formed on his lips. "Why should I? I don’t have time to worry about what people here think of me."

"So it's true." Kelsey felt a twinge deep inside. "You're everything they say you are... a womanizer? Did you really sleep with most women in this town?" She was getting personal, but he'd brought up the topic.

Shaun approached the table. He sat down beside her and leaned in so close that Kelsey worried he could hear her heart thumping. "What do you think? Do you think that's true?"

Kelsey swallowed her carrot. "I don't know you... not really. You don't say much about yourself." She held her breath. Having him so close was making her dizzy.

Shaun dipped a finger into the dip and lifted it to her lips. She hesitated for a moment, but then parted her lips and allowed his finger to slip in. She sucked the dip off quickly and turned her head. Why in the world did she do that? Now there was a tingling between her legs she was finding hard to ignore.

"Looks like you're enjoying the dip," Shaun whispered, a note of humor in his voice.

Kelsey blushed. "I... yes. It's great." Oh God, what was he doing to her?

Shaun moved closer until his lips were only a whisper from hers. "Kelsey, I haven't slept with every woman in this town... yet. And I don't break women's hearts. They do it to themselves." His voice was raw now. "I'm always honest about what I want and don't want. Many choose to ignore that." He stood and returned to the stove, putting his focus back on the meal he was preparing.

Kelsey didn't know what to say to that.

"Ready to eat?" he asked a few minutes later. The man she'd had a sneak peek of a few minutes ago was gone, and the friendly neighbor was back.

They ate mostly in silence. Though the fish and vegetable stir fry was delicious, Kelsey was unable to concentrate on her food. Her emotions were all over the place; she thought of his finger inside her mouth, the passionate look in his eyes when he'd made his confession about loving women. He was bad news, even if he was magnetic. If she got entangled with him, she'd get hurt. He'd pretty much made it clear he wasn't interested in more than sex.

There was only one thing for her to do. She had to take a step back. She couldn't risk her heart for a one-night stand.

***

After Kelsey left, Shaun opened the dishwasher. He had just started to rinse the plates when his cell phone rang. He wiped his hands with a dishcloth and picked up, frowning.

"Shaun, Branna here. Where are you? I thought you were coming over tonight. I can also come to your place, if you like."

Shaun massaged his left temple. He had completely forgotten about her. "Actually," he said, "Tonight won't be possible. Something came up. I was just about to call you." It was a lie.

There was a pause on the other end, but when Branna spoke, her voice was hopeful. "Okay, that's fine. How about tomorrow? I have the day off. I could cook you dinner."

"No." Shaun leaned against the table. "I'm afraid this whole week will be crazy for me. I have a lot of writing to do." This was exactly why he made it a point to never sleep with the same woman more than once. Branna was a waitress at Conaire's Corner, with red hair and a great body. He'd broken his own rule and slept with her twice. Now she was going on as if they were a couple. He had to put an end to it now before it became too complicated. He inhaled sharply. "Look, Branna, you're great. And it was fun, but—"

"Are you dumping me?" Her voice was a faint squeak. "I thought..."

Shaun gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry, I don't do this. I don't date. I did tell you, remember? I was up-front with you."

"I thought you were joking."

"I don't joke about things like that."

Well," Branna's voice had transformed into a thin razorblade, "fuck you." The phone went dead.

Shaun raked a hand through his hair and swore under his breath. Kelsey was to blame for this mess. Since the day he met her, he'd found it hard to focus on other women. The second time he had sex with Branna, a few days ago, it had been Kelsey he’d made love to.

But Kelsey was the one woman he didn't want to get involved with. If he touched her, he'd end up breaking all his rules.

Chapter Ten

"Door's open," Sarah called from inside their cottage.

Kelsey moved the basket to her left hand and pushed the door open. It still amazed her how people in Dreara didn't think twice about leaving their doors unlocked. That would never happen in Saulery. But then again, if she'd remembered to lock her door the other day, Shaun wouldn't have been able to alert her about the burning pot.

Brian was reading a dog-eared book and Sarah was knitting. They both looked up in surprise when she entered.

"Wow, Kelsey, your hair is lovely," Sarah said. "Maeve was right; your eyes do stand out more. They're such a lovely blue."

Kelsey ran a hand through her hair. She was still getting used to having it short, but she loved her new hairstyle more each day. "Thank you. Maeve did a fantastic job."

Brian stood up to greet Kelsey. "We were starting to wonder what had happened to you."

"I've been busy settling in. This is for you both—something I picked up at the farmer's market."

Sarah put down her knitting and reached for the basket. "That's so kind of you."

"It's a major tourist attraction," Brian said. "Did you go alone?"

"No, I went with... Shaun."

Brian and Sarah exchanged a quick glance and then Sarah cleared her throat and smiled. "That's... that's nice, but you really didn't have to get us something, love." She placed the basket on her lap.

"It's just something small. A thank you for your kindness."

"Take a seat." Sarah stood. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Don't worry, I'm not staying long. I just came to ask you for some information."

Sarah and Brian both perked up, as if all along they'd just been waiting to be useful. "What would you like to know?" Sarah sat down again.

"Do you know of any culinary schools in Dreara?"

"You want to be a chef?" Sarah leaned forward, her softly lined face lighting up.

"Since I was a little girl. I'm interested in taking some lessons. But I don't know where to start searching for a school. I thought you might be able to help me out."

Kelsey felt a guilty pang at having asked them instead of Shaun, who had spurred her on in the first place and offered to help find a school. But for the past week, she'd tried to distance herself from him. She couldn't spend time with him without wanting to climb into his bed. And she couldn't sleep with him without getting hurt. The best thing to do was to stay away for a while and concentrate on herself. A cooking lesson would keep her busy enough.

"I know just the place." Brian stood and reached for his coat. "I can take you there right now if you're ready to go."

"More than ready."

***

The Cooking Academy was attached to the Dreara Junior Secondary School. Brian waited in the car while Kelsey went inside to enquire. He had offered to go in with her, but Kelsey wanted to do it alone.

Twenty minutes later, she exited the building with a folder and a large grin. "I'm starting next week," she told Brian as she fastened her seatbelt.

Brian squeezed her hand. "Already? That's grand."

If only Brian knew how incredibly fantastic it was. For Kelsey, it was more than she could ever have wished for. She was lucky; the class starting next week had been full, but they had managed to fit her in. The course would not turn her into a world-renowned chef, but she'd at least learn the basics. It was one step down the road from dream to reality.

***

Five days after Brian drove Kelsey to The Cooking Academy, her kitchen faucet had started dripping. Brian had fixed it immediately, but two days ago, it started again. Not wanting to disturb him again, she'd placed a bowl under it and did her best to ignore the annoying sound. She’d tried fixing it herself, stuffing a ball of cotton in the nozzle, and turning up the volume of the TV, but nothing worked.

Today she gave in and called Brian again. He promised to send someone over before the end of the day.

Around eight o'clock in the evening, Kelsey gave up the wait and lounged on the sofa watching TV—at a high-enough volume to muffle the dripping sound from the kitchen. Maybe Brian couldn't find someone at such late notice. It didn't matter. She could deal with a dripping faucet for one more night, no matter how much the sound was grating on her nerves.

The doorbell rang ten minutes later and Kelsey was surprised to find Shaun standing there. He wore scuffed jeans and a black pullover, and carried a toolbox.

Her heart turned over. "Shaun, what are you doing here?"

"I'm the handyman. Brian told me you have a dripping faucet on your hands?"

There was a tingling in Kelsey's stomach as she tried to resist returning his captivating smile.

For the past two weeks, they'd managed to just be neighbors. When they bumped into each other, they said hello and went their separate ways. No one had invited the other for a drink or dinner or anything else. She'd filled her days with walks on the beach, long naps, dinners at the Soup and More restaurant across the street or at Brian and Sarah's, and watching cooking shows on TV.

But she did need help with the faucet. If Shaun was the man to fix it, so be it. She'd let him, and then they'd go back to being neighbors.

"Thanks. Please come in."

Shaun nodded and walked past her into the sitting room, leaving behind a trail of intoxicating cologne. "How have you been? It's been a while."

"I've been great." Kelsey led the way to the kitchen. "Nothing to complain about. Except the faucet, of course."

Standing in the kitchen with him, Kelsey felt suddenly awkward. The room was too small and she didn't know what to do with her hands. Offering him something to drink would be good—but she found she couldn't move, and so she just stood there staring at him.

Under the sink, Shaun turned off the water supply. When he loosened the plastic cover on the top of the faucet with a flathead screwdriver, his biceps contracted and relaxed, and Kelsey couldn't stop staring. She felt an urge to run the palm of her hand along his stubble. Then suddenly the memory of him kissing her at the market flooded her mind. Goose bumps popped up on her skin.