Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160684 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 803(@200wpm)___ 643(@250wpm)___ 536(@300wpm)
“That’s tough you don’t want it.” He reached into the container on her desk, pulling out a piece of chocolate cake.
That’s all he said. What did that mean? Was he not going to do it? Crap.
“Steele,” she started to say, but she was interrupted.
By him choking.
Well, not actually choking. But he was making a noise like he was going to vomit. Then he grabbed a tissue and spat out the piece of cake into it.
She stared at him in horror.
“What the hell is this?” he demanded.
“Uh, chocolate cake.”
“This isn’t chocolate cake.”
“It is! It’s just I’m trying to cut down on the sugar and bad fat, so I used avocado and dates. You don’t like it?”
“Don’t make this again.” He grabbed another tissue and cleaned himself up.
Wow. Really.
She thought it was a pretty good creation. Although she’d noticed Chardonnay pulling a face earlier when she’d tried a bite too.
“That’s not very nice,” she muttered.
“Neither is this cake. And it shouldn’t even be called cake. It’s criminal that it looks so delicious and yet tastes so terrible.”
Her mouth was open as she gaped at him.
She wanted to be angry. But the truth was that Steele was right. It was sad. That’s what it was.
Sad-cake.
“If I have to deal with your neighbor, Spitfire, I’m going to need actual cake. With actual sugar. And actual fat.”
“But I don’t want you to deal with my neighbor.”
“Why not? You worried about them?” He gave her a stern look.
“Why would I be worried about them? I’m worried about you.”
His eyes widened. “Baby.”
She would not melt at him calling her baby.
She. Was. Not.
“You do know who I am, right?”
Uh-oh. “I’ve heard rumors. I don’t listen to rumors.” Because those rumors were scary. But before she’d gone to the interview, April had told her a few things. Chardonnay had told her a few more.
“Good rule to live by, Spitfire. But in this case, the rumors are probably wrong.”
She knew it.
“I’m much, much worse.”
He was just teasing, right? Hell. She wasn’t sure. She tugged at her earring. Today, she was wearing long earrings with sloths climbing the end of them. They were adorable. Joe had given them to her years ago.
She sighed as her phone rang again.
Please do not be that dickhead lawyer.
Maybe she should sic Steele on him too. She could make him cupcakes. She was good at baking cupcakes. Effie frowned as she saw it was Brooks’ school calling.
“I’m sorry, I have to take it. It’s St. Augustine, Brooks’ school.”
When he didn’t leave, she decided to answer anyway. If there was one thing she’d discovered, it was that Damon Steele was an immovable object.
15
Steele was half-listening as Effie answered her phone. He picked up the container of cake and opened the lid before throwing it in the bin. It landed with a heavy clunk.
That cake should be illegal.
“What? Yes! There must be a mistake. Is he all right? Yes . . . yes . . . all right, I’ll be there soon.”
He raised his gaze to her as she put her phone down. Then she suddenly stood, and her face grew pale as she swayed.
“Effie!” He jumped around the desk to grab her before she could fall over. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing . . . nothing. I’m just . . . light-headed. Happens sometimes.”
It happened sometimes? It shouldn’t be happening anytime.
“I gots to go.”
He narrowed his gaze. Did she mean to talk like that? Or was that her Little slipping through? Either way, he didn’t like that she’d just looked like she was going to faint.
He liked even less that it ‘happened sometimes’.
“Where do you have to go? Brooks’ school?”
“Yes! Yes, I gots to go. I . . . I . . . I need to go. Where’s my bag?”
Steele looked around and saw the bright pink monstrosity sitting by the desk. He picked it up and took hold of her hand. He didn’t trust her to walk on her own while she was feeling dizzy.
And let’s face it, he liked holding her hand. He liked that she was smaller than him, yet curvy and soft. He knew she’d feel good against him.
Naked.
Fucking Grady. He just had to go and hire her.
“Wait! Wait!”
She tugged at his hand, looking up at him anxiously. “Where’s my phone? I need my phone.”
“Baby,” he said, trying to hold back his amusement. He didn’t want her to think that he was laughing at her. She was obviously rattled and he wasn’t sure what was going on. But if something had happened to her kid, then it wasn’t a laughing matter.
“What? I need my phone, Steele!” she cried.
“Look at your hand.”
“I don’t have time.”
“Look at your hand,” he said in a sterner voice. Effie needed to learn to listen and obey.
Someone should teach her that.
He really wanted that someone to be him. And Grady.
Together, they’d take care of her.