“Hi, Tyler!” Mila called. “Are you geeks getting tired of gaming?”
Tyler grinned. “Never. Okay, maybe a little. We thought you might want to come down and join us…” His eyes fell on the food spread out on the coffee table. “Or maybe we’ll come up here…you have better food than we do.”
Arden smiled. “Sure. Come on up. I’ll make more bruschetta.” She’d added pita chips and hummus to the spread, and she could whip up her famous five-ingredient dip and put out some crackers with it.
Tyler disappeared but came back moments later with Jamie and two other guys he introduced as Danny and Asher. Jamie and Emma greeted each other with friendly ease, and Arden watched Tyler make more introductions from her kitchen where she stirred together mayonnaise, bacon bits, slivered almonds, cheddar cheese, and green onions.
Jamie set a case of beer on the island and started handing them out. Tyler leaned on the island. “Anything I can help with?”
Oh hell yeah, he could help with something. He could help with that ache low down inside her that appeared when she was around him. Or when she thought about him. When he smiled that easy, sexy smile and his eyes crinkled up. When she watched his big strong hands with a crowbar or a hammer and thought about his hands on her, and how he could definitely help her…
She pushed a box of crackers and a plate toward him, clearing her throat. “You could put some crackers on this plate.”
“What are you making? It has bacon in it. I love bacon.”
“It’s a dip for the crackers.” She set the bowl onto the plate.
Tyler picked up a cracker and scooped up dip with it. “Goddamn. That is good.”
Arden smiled, a lightness filling her.
Look at her—in her new apartment that was now noisy and full of people, and she was serving them food and making them happy.
At that moment, she felt…maybe her life was going to be okay.
A swelling feeling of gratitude rose inside her. She looked over at her brother, talking to Emma and Danny. Yeah, she could see that women would find him good looking, with his shaggy dark curls and beard stubble, and tall, lean build.
Family was important. Thanks to him, she had a place to live, and all these new friends. She swallowed away the thickness in her throat.
“You okay?” Tyler’s eyes were watchful.
She smiled and nodded. “I’m great. You can take that plate over there.”
Tyler carried it and set it on the now-crowded coffee table. “Try this dip, Jamie. It’s fucking fantastic.”
Everyone reached for crackers, and Arden watched in pleasure as they enjoyed the food.
Arden’s attention caught on Mila, who was watching Jamie and Emma with a notch between her eyebrows. Jamie laughed at something Emma said, and Mila’s eyebrows drew down even more.
Hmmm.
Arden went over and sat beside Mila on the sofa, between her and Asher. “Well, this turned into a party.”
Mila smiled. “Are you okay with that? We all kind of barged in on you and Emma.”
“It’s fine. Now I’m living here again, Emma and I will have lots of time to get together. Hey, Jamie—Mila, Emma, and I are going to take pole dancing lessons.”
Arden felt Tyler’s heated gaze land on her. “Pole dancing?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that fun?”
“Jesus.” He rubbed his mouth. “Okay.”
“Is there a recital at the end of the class we can come watch?” Jamie asked, which was met with laughter.
“No way you’re watching,” Arden said.
“I can pole dance,” Danny spoke up. “I’m pretty good at it, actually.”
Arden smiled at the man. He was around their age, mid-twenties, not as tall as Jamie and Tyler, probably about five-eight, with a slim build. His features indicated an Asian background, his dark hair cut very short. Small gold hoops glinted in each ear, and he wore jeans, a T-shirt, and multiple leather bracelets on both wrists.
“Oh yeah,” Mila said. “Danny is who Jamie went out on a date with last week.”
Emma’s eyebrows lifted.
Danny grinned.
Arden bit her lip. “Oh. Right. I forgot about that. Do you perform, Danny?”
“I do, yeah. At the Firefly Lounge and Supper Club.”
“Danny’s a drag queen,” Mila explained to Emma, whose expression changed to one of interest. “We should go see you perform sometime!” Mila clapped her hands together. “That would be so fun!”
“Sure.” Danny smiled. He was cute. “I’m Honey Deville.”
“We are totally planning a night out when everyone can go. I’ll arrange it.”
Arden hoped her job didn’t interfere with the plans. She was super curious about the Firefly Lounge and Supper Club. Between watching the Kardashians, pole dancing lessons, and now this, her social life was filling up.
She checked out the other guys in the room to see how they were reacting to Danny’s talk about pole dancing and being a female impersonator. Jamie obviously must have been okay with it, or he wouldn’t have invited Danny over again. Tyler seemed unfazed, and Asher, who she didn’t know at all, wasn’t bothered by it either.
Cool.
“This dip is amazing.” Mila picked up another cracker. “Jamie, you did good letting Arden stay here.” She paused. “But don’t think we just love you for your food, Arden. We like you too.”
“Gee, thanks.” Arden met Mila’s teasing eyes and melted a little inside.
“I’m expecting waffles this weekend,” Tyler reminded her. “Saturday, though. I have to work Sunday morning.”
“I can do that.” She’d have to make sure she had time to go shopping again before then. Crap—had she packed her waffle iron? She didn’t remember seeing it…but she was pretty sure she had.
“Perfect,” Mila said. “Saturday morning waffles. Should I bring the butter?”
Arden laughed. “Um, maybe. Tyler pointed out that you wouldn’t approve of my use of margarine.”
“Hell no!” Mila’s face contorted.
“I actually prefer butter too,” Arden assured her. “Don’t worry, I’ll get some.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Arden had to laugh. “Emma, you want to come for waffles on Saturday?”
Emma looked bemused by all this banter. “Um, sure. Sounds good.”
Eventually, people started talking about leaving. It was a slow process, but a while later, her apartment was empty and quiet…except for her and Tyler. He was loading dishes into the dishwasher.
“You don’t have to do that.”
He looked up. “It’s not a problem. Just helping out. We all invaded your home, and you fed us. Thank you.”
“It was fun.” She paused, looking down at the counter.
Tyler moved closer to her, and she startled, feeling his warmth, breathing his scent. God. He was so damn attractive. She wanted to see if his T-shirt felt as soft as it looked, and whether the muscles beneath it were as hard.
“You seem a little sad.”
She shook her head, surprised at his perception. “No. I’m not sad. I mean…maybe a little. This isn’t how I pictured my life. But…life is still pretty damn good.”
“Yeah.”
She met his eyes. Heat shimmered around them. This was crazy. She was a widow. She’d been betrayed by her husband. She wanted nothing to do with men. And it was Tyler… Why was she feeling like this about him?
Chapter Ten
Arden worked four to midnight at Shenanigans on Saturday night, so Tyler offered to take her to the farmers’ market and Whole Foods early Saturday afternoon—after she made waffles for all of them in the morning, which turned out to be a big hit.
“You guys want to come with us?” Tyler asked Jamie, Mila, and Emma as they sat in Arden’s kitchen drinking coffee, bellies full of waffles and bacon. Bacon. Mmm. He loved bacon.
“Nah, I’m good,” Jamie said.
“I’m going over to Garth’s place,” Mila sa
id.
“And I have to go into the office for a while,” Emma said.
Okay. It was just the two of them. Fine with him.
“How’s the bathroom coming?” Jamie asked him.
“Not bad. Wanna see?”
“Sure.” Jamie stood and Tyler followed him to the bathroom, which was still a disaster.
“It always takes longer than I think it will,” he said to Jamie. “Especially when I’m waiting for someone else. I need Brent to come and do the wiring.”
They had an electrician and a plumber they liked to use, but those guys were both really busy.
Also, he’d clued in to the fact that the longer it took to get Arden’s bathroom functional, the longer she’d be coming over to his place to shower. And he really enjoyed those times. Especially when she left with just a towel wrapped around her, water drops on her shoulders from wet hair, her legs bare…
He shook his head, trying to refocus. “The plumbing work is minimal, since we’re not moving the location of the fixtures, so that’s good.”
“What’s your schedule like this week?” Jamie asked. “Anything else we can start on while we’re waiting for Brent?”
“Twenty-four on starting tomorrow, forty-eight off, twenty-four on. Maybe Monday I can start working on the walls, or the fireplace. No—fireplace first.”
“Or you could take a day off for yourself.” Jamie faced him. “You don’t need to spend every minute of your days off working here.”
Jamie’d told him that before. “I know.”
“You’ll be off all weekend, right? I can help with some things then.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
They wandered back to the kitchen where Mila was helping Arden clean up. “Okay, I’m outta here.” Mila tucked a dish towel over the rack inside the cabinet door. “See you guys tomorrow. At least…I’ll see you, Arden, for pole dancing. One o’clock. Be ready.” She pointed.
Oh yeah, that wasn’t distracting at all—imagining Arden spinning around a pole in sexy moves. “What do you guys wear for pole dancing?” He kept his tone casual. “Sequined g-strings?”
Mila laughed. “Um, no. I’ll be wearing leggings and a tank top.”
“Good to know,” Arden said. “I would have been so embarrassed showing up in my thong and pasties.”
Jamie choked.
Grinning, Tyler slapped him on the back.
Mila and Jamie left and clomped down the stairs to their apartments.
“Does Garth ever come over here?” Arden asked, rinsing a sponge in the sink.
“Not much. Especially lately. Maybe he hates us.”
“I doubt that.”
“It’s possible. Even though Mila’s been going out with him for a while, I don’t feel like I know him that well.”
“Huh. You guys are so much fun to hang out with, I would’ve thought he’d be here all the time.”
“Really? You think we’re fun?”
“No. I was just being polite.”
He snorted. “Come on!”
She smiled. “Okay, fine, you’re fun. I’m ready to go, just let me get my purse.”
“I’m gonna pop back to my place and grab some grocery bags.”
They met up in the hall, and he followed her down the stairs, taking in the short shorts that hugged her cute ass and left her legs bare. Her long hair bounced against her back as she ran down the stairs.
“We’ll walk to the farmers’ market first,” Tyler said. “It’s not far, and it’s hard to find parking that’s much closer than we are. Then we can leave our stuff at home and drive to Whole Foods. Plus the market’s only open until one o’clock.”
“Sure, make me walk. As if I don’t do enough of that at my job.”
He paused and eyed her.
“I’m kidding.” She rolled her eyes and kept walking. “I know you think I’m a princess, but I can walk a few blocks.”
“What’s wrong with being a princess?”
She slanted him a look as they walked along the sidewalk. “Someone who’s so pampered, spoiled, and sheltered that she has no idea about the real world?”
“That’s not you.”
She sighed. “That’s exactly me. I mean, it used to be.”
“A princess can also be someone who uses her status to help others.”
“I suppose.”
“Sure. Like Princess Diana. She did a lot of humanitarian work.”
Arden said nothing.
“And I’m sure I remember reading that she had a way about her that made people feel special. Because she was genuinely interested in them.” And that totally described Arden too. The other night at her place, she’d opened her door to people she didn’t even know and made them all feel welcome—no, more than just welcome…she fussed over them with food and drinks and took an interest in them.
“I am not like Princess Diana. And I can’t believe you know so much about her.”
He laughed. “I’m just saying, being a princess doesn’t have to be negative, if you don’t want it to be.”
Once again she fell silent, clearly thinking.
The farmers’ market was busy, as usual on a sunny Saturday. They wandered among the tents set up with all their different wares, taking in baked goods, produce, flowers. He watched Arden’s face light up as she studied heirloom tomatoes, bunches of Swiss chard, and crusty ciabatta. She lingered over a tent with gorgeous potted plants and colorful flowers.
“I don’t know what to buy.” She met his eyes with a look of longing in hers that made his heart kick against his ribs. “I want everything.”
“I know.”
He caught her checking her wallet and got the feeling money was tight for her, which sucked, because he wanted her to have everything she wanted.
She ended up with some tomatoes, bread, cherries, raspberries, and a bunch of fresh carrots. She’d lingered over flowers, then turned away. Then they found the tea tent, and she picked up some Tranquil Dreams tea.
Tyler stopped at a tent selling meats and sausages. As he picked out andouille sausage and Canadian bacon, Arden studied the sign. They also sold eggs and butter.
“I’ll take a pound of butter,” she told the man behind the table when Tyler had paid for his goods.
Tyler lifted an eyebrow at her eight-dollar purchase.
“For Mila. I bet it’s really good.”
“It is,” the man behind the table said with a smile.
Tyler’s heart turned over in his chest. That was nice of Arden, thinking of Mila, especially since she’d clearly held back from buying things she wanted herself.
They picked up more veggies—beans, chard, onions, and mushrooms, as well as honey.
Arden sighed and smiled as they left, some of the booths starting to close down. “That was awesome. I love food.”
“Hold on.” He paused at a flower tent and picked out a bunch. He didn’t know what they were, but they were pretty—tall stems with multiple small flowers in shades of pink, yellow, and orange. An elderly woman was about to pay for a bunch of sunflowers, and he waited behind her.
“Oh no!” The woman dug through her purse. “I’ve lost my wallet!”
Tyler met Arden’s eyes and they both grimaced. Arden bit her lip.
“I can’t believe it!” The lady sounded near tears. “I just had it!”
“When did you have it, ma’am?” Tyler stepped up beside her.
“I just bought this bread…”
He recognized the paper bag and knew exactly where she’d bought it. “Hang on.” He handed Arden his flowers and took off jogging toward the tent. They were almost closed down when he skidded to a halt. “Hey, there was a woman here who just bought some bread…white hair, pink sweater…she left her wallet here. Did you happen to find it?”
“Yes!” The dude’s eyes widened. “I was going to try to get hold of her.”
“Oh great. She was pretty upset.”
“I’ll get it.” The guy pulled it out of a bag. “Here i
t is.”
“Thank you! She’ll be so relieved.”
It struck him that he must look honest for the guy to turn the wallet over to him. He hiked back to the flower tent. Arden comforted the woman, who had tears running down her face, Arden’s arm around her shoulders.
He held up the wallet.
“Oh, thank you!” The woman took it and clasped it to her, pale blue eyes beaming at him. “You’re a sweet young man.”
He bit the inside of his lip, then smiled at her. “Happy to help.”
She opened the worn wallet and pulled out a bill. She handed it to the man selling the flowers. “I’ll pay for his flowers too.”
“No, no.” Tyler held up a hand. She didn’t look like she had a lot of money. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to thank you,” she said firmly. “It’s nothing. Please let me.”
He still hesitated, then gave in. “Thank you.”
“You’re a lucky girl,” the lady said to Arden with a smile. “Hold on to him.”
“Oh, um…” Arden’s eyes went big as they met his. Then she smiled. And he smiled back.
The moment stretched out for an hour, or maybe a few seconds, while he admired her glowing face, the sparkle of her eyes, the curve of her mouth. Desire punched through his stomach.
Then they both blinked and stepped apart.
“Okay,” Arden said breathlessly. “Thanks for bringing me here. This was great. I love food.”
“Me too. Mostly eating it.”
She laughed.
The afternoon was heating up, but the big old trees shaded them as they walked home.
“You’re carrying all the stuff.” Arden reached for a bag. “Let me carry something.”
“I got it. But here, you can take these.” He handed her the big bundle of flowers.
“They’re so pretty. I love snapdragons.”
“Is that what they are?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you ever play with them when you were a kid?”
“Uh, no.”
“Look.” She plucked one of the blossoms off the stem and pinched it between her thumb and forefinger. “It’s a dragon mouth…see?” The flower opened and closed with the pressure of her fingers, indeed like a little mouth.
“Learn something every day. Although I wouldn’t say it looks like a dragon.”
Firecracker: A contemporary romance Page 10