Sugar Pie by Victoria Pinder

6

I’ve yet to find Warren Norouzi, so I’m hoping if I post a recent picture, anyone who has seen this man will let me know. And if you know him, tell him we’re on his trail.

Gossip and burn the rich.

Yours truly,

Regina, the gossip goddess you can’t escape from.

Warren

When I booked my place, I’d intended to know how my birth parents had lived, but my back was starting to hurt from sleeping on the couch. I wouldn’t complain because Kerry was in the bedroom, and keeping her safe made me feel better.

The couch was fine for the time being, but if we found a reasonably priced daybed, I would buy it.

The night before, when I closed my eyes, it wasn’t the sweetness of sipping the beer with her that plagued my thoughts. I kept reliving her tears the day we met. Then my imagination took over, and my lips and body were full of awareness and desire as I pictured her lips meeting mine. No woman in my life had ever captivated me enough to haunt me like that.

I woke before dawn, and the sun wasn’t up yet, so I scrolled my phone. My mind had gone blank the day I left Virgin Isle, and I forgot my laptop and iPad next to my bed there. If I bought new ones, that would eat into my budget, but it was hard to book anything or write out my business plan with just the phone.

I would figure it out and stop booking jobs online once my reputation was built and my name was out there.

My goal had been to start a business from scratch, to work with my hands and not use my Ivy League education, experience on Wall Street, MBA, or even my name for a year.

I quickly read the Mystery Regina blog that usually posted hateful things about my family but shrugged it off. I doubted she was on some personal mission looking for me. The musings of a faceless woman didn’t matter, anyway.

I bid on some more jobs, used the calendar app on my phone to schedule, and scrolled my phone for more jobs to try to win. Scheduling and tracking bids took longer than I would have liked.

Hiring Kerry would have been ideal, but she refused. I wouldn’t insist or pressure her, so I rubbed my eyes and found jobs.

My head spun from my emails, notes, and bids, and confirming some odd jobs and adding them to the schedule took at least an hour. Then the bedroom door opening interrupted me

Kerry blinked, and her face was white. I hoped she’d slept. “You’re up early,” she said.

I wanted to make her laugh, but I stood, stretched, and said, “I’m booking and bidding on jobs for tomorrow and next week and trying to scrounge up something for today. I need to be fast with getting a house, but I want to clean myself up first.”

She stepped out of the way and said, “Go for it. I wish there was a second door for the bathroom out here so we could share easier.”

She smelled fresh like strawberries when I passed. “We’ll manage.”

The shirt I’d lent her was next to the bed. We needed to get her some clothes. She would feel more at home that way… or she could walk around naked.

I pretended I wasn’t excited by thinking about her body. The shower water helped me clear my head. I wasn’t starting without any skills. I wasn’t sure how my brothers might have handled a year without having everything we ever wanted at a snap of the fingers. My adopted parents must have spent a short amount of time when they moved to the country in places worse than where I was, but they’d moved up fast.

Maybe that was what I needed to remember. I could try to channel my father’s sharp mind to revise my business plan since I’d lived there for a few days.

After I dressed and left the bathroom, I blinked as I saw Kerry making coffee. She was so close, even though we were in different rooms. My chest swelled. If she stayed with me, every day would be better, and it wasn’t just her delicious dinners.

I sniffed the earthly aroma of her coffee and heard the sizzle of the frying pan. My mouth watered when I saw her.

“Did you search the real estate ads for leads on houses you’d want to flip?” she asked.

My stomach rumbled. Eggs and toast would fill me. I rubbed my belly and made plates for us when the food was done. “No. Not yet.”

She grabbed our coffee mugs. “Then what’s the rush?”

I licked my lips and glanced at the percolated coffee in the pot. I wasn’t sure I remembered what home-brewed coffee tasted like, as it wasn’t my drink of choice. I would try, though. “I… I need to revise my business plan to make money fast, now that I’ve seen some of the town.”

“Towns are smaller than cities.”

My skin grew warm, and my heart beat differently near her. I was tempted to kiss her, but I put our plates on the table to get away from her.

“And it must be set here, in Greenville?”

I narrowed my gaze and returned to the kitchen for the coffee mugs. “It holds a personal place in my heart.”

She shrugged but let me carry her cup for her. “I hope you’re successful. You inspire me.”

Likewise. She made my pulse quicken. For no reason at all except that she was close, I felt whole. No woman had ever brought me both fire and cool calmness into my life. She was exactly what I needed. “Nothing to inspire. It’s just facts.” I needed to focus more and continue my research to get a clear picture for my construction company. “The area’s growing, an hour from the beach and two hours from Raleigh.”

She hadn’t moved, so I went back, grabbed the utensils, and stood over her.

“None of that makes me think ‘wow’ and think of anything needed for a business,” she said.

For a second, she reminded me of my father. He always said to study the area, look for places where there was a need or a want, and then deliver to clients what they wanted. I raised an eyebrow. “Where were you living before?”

She glanced at me. “Connecticut, which is total suburbia.”

My hair stood on end. The need to kiss her hit me, but I knew she wouldn’t appreciate that gesture. So I winked instead. “That makes sense for you. You’d be a pretty Stepford Wife.”

“Hey.” She put a hand on her hip and stood in front of the mugs. “You’re hating on Connecticut before I’ve even given you this plate I made.”

“I was just teasing you, not the place, but I’ll stop.” I placed a hand on my heart. “You know my weakness. I’d do anything for breakfast.”

She picked up the mugs and walked away. “I can’t live without it, either. Where are you from, Warren?”

I followed behind her and imagined my mansion in Beverly Hills. “LA and New York. I’ve been bicoastal for most of my life.”

She looked me up and down. “You do have the golden-boy thing going on. Were you trying to be an actor?”

I reached for the coffee, but she covered it. I raised an eyebrow. “No. Do I look camera perfect?”

“You know you do.” She moved her hand.

“What are you going to do today?”

She took a deep breath. “Find a job and get out of your hair.”

“I like you here.” Maybe she held the coffee near her face because she wanted me to ask, so I said, “My offer is still on the table.”

She shook her head. “Don’t bring it up, or I won’t give you this coffee.”

I pursed my lips and remembered my earlier goal to make her laugh. “You’re mean.”

She curved her lips into a smile. “Take that back.”

I stood, walked to her side, then reached for the coffee. When I brushed her arm, she jumped and giggled.

I took my seat and stared at her. She had an innocence about her that hit me. She’d been married, but I didn’t mention her past. “You’re ticklish.”

She cut her food. “Everyone is.”

“No, that’s not true.” Next time, I would find something hilarious to say to her, as her giggle was cute. For the time being, I ate the eggs and toast. While it wasn’t the buffet of options that Jose had left out for us as kids, Kerry’s simple breakfast filled my stomach, and the coffee sent a buzz through me that almost matched my awareness of her proximity.

Once we’d finished the dishes, I waved for her to join me on the couch. “Well, let’s sit and search for jobs.”

“Exactly.” She scooted into the seat opposite me.

We both responded to emails, read bids, and applied for jobs. I was getting a headache. I’d only booked three jobs for that day, but four so far for the next. I looked at the clock and wished I had more going on. Then I glanced at Kerry, who curled her knees to her body as she typed. My lips tingled to taste her. “How’re the emails going?”

She sighed. “I wish I had a computer.”

“Maybe that could be in the budget for next week, if I book enough jobs now.” I wished for the state-of-the-art laptop I’d left at home and cringed about how I forgot something so important. It wasn’t like me to forget details.

“You don’t have to do anything because of me.”

Maybe it would have been easier to let her go, but I winked. “I like doing things for you, but in this case, it’s more for me. Bidding, scheduling, emails, and reading are all easier on a big screen and a keyboard. I didn’t think to pack for my adventure.”

She lowered her phone. “Adventure. Job searching?”

The way she pursed her lips made me aware of her. I wanted to kiss her and gently remove her pout. Instead, I blinked then said, “Yeah. Moving was a bit of a last-minute shock that spurred me into my plan, and I forgot it, but I like to think of life as an adventure.”

She cocked her head. “That’s a good philosophy. I might steal that one.”

Good. Taking life seriously was for the birds. “Why don’t you have a computer?”

She sucked in her bottom lip then let out a sigh. “I did, but on the drive back from Florida, I just decided I was done. Out I went, and here I am.”

The highway to Florida was hours from where we were. I narrowed my gaze. “Did you walk from the highway?”

“Yeah.” She scooted closer. “I had to ensure I wasn’t easily found, so I walked.”

Her nearness made my skin jump with anticipation. I stared down at her. “Was your ex abusive?”

She shook her head and stood as if burned. “More mental than anything else, but soon, I’ll be free.” She rushed out of the room to get her things then ran to the door like there was a fire. She waved as she opened it. “And in the meantime, I have to go. See you tonight for dinner?”

Her strength floored me, and she clearly hadn’t wanted to talk. I stood and pointed to the counter she’d passed. “Take the twenty on the table and buy us something else.”

She went back and took it with a nod.

I came closer and said, “I’ll try to be home to help as fast as I can so we can go out.”

“Shopping, not a date.” She stopped then let her shoulders drop. “I guess since we’re living together temporarily, it’s nice to have a friend. Good luck today. Text me.”

Done. I also sent her contact info to my brother in case she accepted legal help. She headed out, though I had no idea where she was going.

Time to get to my job was looming, but I returned to the couch and finished a few more bids and emails.

I was about to get up to go, but the door floor open. Kerry shut the door, jumped up and down, and rushed to me as she shouted, “Warren!”

I tucked my phone into my pocket. “Do you need a ride?”

She crossed her arms. Her bright gaze said she wasn’t mad, though she put her foot to the side as she asked, “You already asked your brother to help me?”

I stood and stared down at her. “Well, I don’t know how to file papers like Jeff does, and you said you needed help. I said you’d call.”

She dropped her arms and almost bounced. “I shouldn’t accept this but… thank you.”

Good.I blinked and picked up my keys. “You talked to him?”

I stopped near her, and the air singed with electricity. I ignored it.

“I did. He said he’ll get started right away, which is great, and he hopes he can be fast. I could be free.”

To be mine. The thought hit me fast, and I refused to act on that. However, I drew closer, following my instincts, and said, “He’s a good guy and a great lawyer. Trust him.”

She stared at me, and my body tingled with desire. I swore she wanted to kiss me, too, but she didn’t. “I’m not used to anyone caring about anything I do. So tonight, I’m cooking a feast. Try to be home by six.”

I lowered my lashes but then stopped. I’d never willingly kissed a married woman. The thought hit me, and I stood. “My stomach is already grumbling.”

She waved then rushed out the door again. I hoped she would find whatever she needed for closure because once she did, I was first in line. I wanted her more than I’d ever wanted anything, and I’d never had to wait. It was all new.