the finishing touches on one of the desserts. Shaking the can of whipped cream, she added a swirl right on the top, then drizzled the finished product with a handful of crushed pecans. “He thinks my judgment might be influenced by the fact that you are, after all, very good-looking and you’re Brooklyn’s father.”
His mouth curved in amusement. “You really think I’m handsome?”
She pretended to be engrossed in what she was doing. “I believe the exact description I used was ‘good-looking.’”
He was grinning now, not just smiling. “You want to quibble?”
What she wanted to do, Eve realized with a sudden jolt to her entire system, was make love with him. She found it unnerving that nothing had really changed. That incredible attraction that had drawn her to him in the first place was still there, alive and well. Perhaps even stronger than it had been originally.
The question was, what to do about it? Would she ignore what she was feeling, or give in to it?
Could she trust him, or was she just being an idiot? She really wished she knew, but the jury was still out on that.
Eve took a breath, trying to clear her head and focus. Finished with the whipped cream, she placed the last dessert onto the tray on the counter and then turned to Adam. “Would you carry that in for me, please?”
He paused to take in her handiwork, seeing it for the first time. He’d been too lost in thought to pay attention to what she was actually doing.
“This is like in a restaurant where they bring out a cart with a whole bunch of desserts for the customer to choose from,” he observed. Josiah had brought a traditional apple pie with him. Obviously Eve had forgotten that she’d asked him to and had put in a great deal of work on this array. “When did you get a chance to do all this?”
“Yesterday afternoon while Brooklyn was napping. Cooking and creating different desserts relaxes me,” she explained, though she figured he probably thought that was strange.
Making love relaxes me.
Adam stopped abruptly, slanting a look at Eve. Had he just said that out loud?
No, thank God. Judging by the expression on her face, he’d managed to keep his unexpected remark safe in the recesses of his mind. It was a lot better for both of them if it remained there.
Picking up the tray, Adam followed her back into the dining room.
Josiah’s face lit up. The older man had, she knew, a sweet tooth that was never satisfied. “I’ll have one of everything,” he told her before Adam had a chance to set the tray down.
“I’ve got a feeling he’s not kidding,” Adam commented to Eve in a stage whisper.
Sitting beside his employer, shaking his keys above Brooklyn to entertain her, Lucas glanced in Adam’s direction. “He’s not,” he confirmed.
“Why would I joke about something like that?” Josiah asked. “I have a weakness for pumpkin pie—pumpkin in any form,” he added. His eyes swept over the offerings. He was unable to make up his mind. “It’s times like this that I lament the fact that we have but one stomach instead of four, like cows.”
“You can take some of them with you,” Eve told him. She reached for her daughter, who was still in the crook of Josiah’s arm. “Here, let me take her so that you can eat.”
But Josiah shook his head, maintaining his arm around the baby. “She’s fine where she is, Eve. She won’t interfere,” he assured her.
To prove it, he drew over the pumpkin parfait she’d made and sank his spoon into the center of the whipped cream. Bringing the spoon to his mouth, he closed his eyes for a moment and made a deep, satisfied sound as he savored the taste.
“You know, Eve,” he said, his eyes still closed, “if you ever decide to stop being a veterinarian, you might consider becoming a pastry chef.” He opened his eyes to see her reaction. “I’d stake you to opening up your own restaurant.”
He noticed that Adam was studying him the exact same way he had studied the other man earlier. Josiah guessed at the reason. Adam was trying to figure out just where he had gotten all his money. The answer was a great deal simpler than the man would have dreamed. “The trick is to invest wisely and to know when to pull out.”
“I didn’t ask anything,” Adam pointed out, somewhat surprised at the unsolicited advice that had just come his way.
“Not verbally,” Josiah acknowledged, an enigmatic smile barely registering at the corners of his mouth. “But your eyes did.”
Brooklyn shifted, waving her tiny arms. The scent of the tantalizing spices that had gone into making the dessert seemed to register. She began to fuss.
This couldn’t be comfortable for Josiah, Eve thought. Again she reached to take her baby from him.
“Let me—” Eve started, but she never got the chance to complete the offer.
“You sit and take it easy,” Adam told her. “I can take her.”
He saw Josiah about to protest, but then decided to keep his peace. He didn’t bother wondering what was up. He just took his daughter into his arms.
Sitting on the sofa, Eve stretched her legs out so that they went far beneath the coffee table. She allowed her eyes to close for a moment. A long sigh escaped her lips. Josiah and Lucas had departed more than half an hour ago, leaving a host of compliments in their wake. Adam had insisted on putting Brooklyn to bed. With the table cleared and the dishes done, there was nothing left for her to do except enjoy the stillness.
Which she did, finding it almost seductive. She stretched out her legs a little farther.
“Tired?”
Her eyes flew open and she shifted in her seat, turning to look at Adam. But he had already rounded the sofa, dropping down on the cushion next to hers.
She smiled at him, infinitely grateful that he was here, taking care of her. Who would have ever thought things would arrange themselves this way? Eight months ago, all she wanted to do was get away from him and the life she thought he represented.
“Yes,” she admitted, quickly adding, “but very satisfied.” She wanted this moment, this contented feeling to go on for a little longer. “It felt good doing that, hosting a dinner,” she told him. “I didn’t realize how much I missed cooking. Not that I don’t appreciate all the take-out meals that found their way into my kitchen,” she interjected quickly. Her eyes searched his face, afraid that Adam would take her initial words the wrong way.
He could almost read her mind. The idea made him laugh. “I wasn’t about to take offense,” he assured her. “And between you and me, your cooking tonight outstripped anything that I brought home this last month.”
He realized his slip a second after it had come out of his mouth. He’s referred to Eve’s house as home. Not her home, but just “home.”
Had she picked up on that? Looking at her, he couldn’t tell.
He supposed in the last few weeks, he had come to think of Eve’s place as home. Her house was where he spent most of his downtime.
Moreover, this was where his daughter was.
Careful, Serrano. You’re just here to look after her, to make sure the scum you’re associating with doesn’t harm her or the baby. Nothing more. Don’t let yourself get caught up in something you can’t handle.
The father of her child. Eve realized she was smiling at him. Maybe it was the afterglow of a successful dinner party, small though it was. Or maybe she was just too tired to keep her guard up, but she was having