“I’m just asking you to share my popcorn with me. I don’t understand what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is that you probably get everyone around you to jump when you snap your fingers. I have no desire for your popcorn and as much as I am working for you, I am no sycophant.”
“Sycophant? Holy crap. It’s just a bowl of popcorn.”
He grabbed the bowl and walked out of the kitchen.
***
The next morning Kelly was awakened by her cell phone. Not a work ring but her daughter. She had to admit, she was a little relieved.
“Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom. We got in late. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“What were you guys up to?”
“We waited in line for the newest iPhone.”
“Did you get it?”
Her ex had family money and could provide so many luxuries for her daughter. She wished he’d discussed with her getting their daughter a new phone. It was his money but she didn’t want her daughter growing up spoiled.
“Yes we did. It’s so cool. All my friends at school will be jealous.”
That didn’t warm her heart. Her ex-husband thought their daughter should have the best of everything. Nothing but the best of things, whereas Kelly wanted her daughter to know she was loved and be confident because of that.
That issue was one of the biggest reasons she’d divorced her husband.
That and he was a lying snake who cheated on her. She shook away those thoughts and went to a happy place in her mind. The marriage was done. She’d moved on. No one would take her heart and stomp on it again.
“Well, I’m glad you’re happy with it. You’ll be home in a few hours?”
“Yes, Mom.”
“I should be done with my work, but I’ll let you know if something comes up. Then if your Dad is okay you can spend some more time with him.”
She had to supervise the installation of the electronic devices in Colin Brennan’s house. Should she tell her daughter? Would that give her street cred? No, that was her ex’s game. No need to play it.
She had her daughter’s love. No need to question it. No need to play games to impress her.
“I’ll let him know. You need to talk to him?”
“No, honey as long as you don’t mind being the messenger in this case. Otherwise I will talk to him.”
“I don’t mind. You aren’t fighting. That’s all that matters.”
No, they didn’t fight anymore. Well, they did, but they did not involve Sophie. “You enjoy the rest of the morning.”
“You, too. Love you Mom.”
***
Colin didn’t know why the bowl of popcorn had developed into something tense between him and Tamra. It was a damn bowl of popcorn. Why had he stuck with it? He could have walked away sooner. He could have not made a big deal about it.
Nor did he have sycophants around him. That was like a burr under his saddle that she’d said that. She knew nothing about it. She’d already decided who he was and that was why she hadn’t responded to his flirting.
But he didn’t flirt with everyone. Not by a long shot. He was nice to fans. He didn’t have a bad reputation as difficult. Why was Tamra so sure that he was?
Guess he’d have to apologize. He hadn’t ended up enjoying the popcorn anyway. It didn’t taste good after their argument.
Thankfully he didn’t need much sleep so after five hours, he was up and running on his treadmill. Then breakfast and he hoped that Tamra was still here. Maybe he’d cook her breakfast.
Everyone had to eat. Even hard asses like Tamra.
She was still plunking away at her computer when he entered the kitchen. He’d showered. Had she sat there all night?
He dropped the empty popcorn bowl in the sink and then turned to her. Leaning against the counter, he crossed his arm in front of him. A defensive posture he knew, but he wasn’t sure what to do with his body parts.
Well, there was one body part he knew what he wanted to do with, but Tamra didn’t seem amenable to that.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said.
Tamra’s fingers paused over her keyboard. She blinked then her gaze trudged up to him. “For what?”
He resisted putting a hand on his chest. The encounter had meant more to him than to her. Now he felt like a complete dork for apologizing. Well, he was in it now. He couldn’t back down. “For making a big deal about the popcorn. I wasn’t trying to piss you off.”
“You didn’t piss me off.”
“Yeah, I did.” He put up his hands when she went to protest. “Don’t deny it. You were at the very least irritated by me. That was not intention. I’ll try to stop being a child.”
“Uh, okay.”
He turned the heat on under a pan. “I’m making breakfast. I can make some for you too.”
“No, thanks.”
He turned back around. She hadn’t stopped staring at him. Nor did she look away guiltily as if she shouldn’t have been staring at him. No, she looked at him like a specimen under a microscope instead of a sexy man.
Hell, he’d been voted sexiest man alive and this woman was not reacting to him, well, like a woman. He found that exasperating and refreshing at the same time. “Are you not allowed to eat on the job?”
She went back to her typing. “No, I’ll eat later.”
“I don’t want to argue again but I’m making breakfast. Let me make you some.”
“Will you be quiet if I do?”
He smiled. “Sure.”
“Then I’ll take some of what you’re having.”
***
For Tamra it was like going home to her mother. This guy kept trying to stuff her with food. For her mother it was love and maybe some guilt. She had no idea what this guy’s problem was.
Whatever it was, he was now silently making her breakfast and she was able to finish her report for the night. Kelly would be here any minute and Tamra could go home and catch a few hours of sleep.
Thankfully Colin didn’t whistle while he worked. The smell from whatever he was making wafted over to Tamra making her stomach rumble.
He glanced over his shoulder at her, a rakish grin on his face. Probably thinking I told you so. A few minutes later, he put a plate down next to her computer. Next, he placed silverware and a cloth napkin near the plate.
He still hadn’t said a word. She had a few more sentences to type before she could eat. Now that she was hungry.
“Eat,” he said. “Before it gets cold.”
“I just have a few more things to do.”
“I’d rather you enjoy it while it’s hot.”
“It’s just food. Now let me finish.” She typed the last few sentences then closed her laptop. She pushed it away then lifted up her fork. Colin was staring at her. “What?”
“Just food?”
She shrugged. She could take or leave eating. She only did it because she had to. There was no joy in eating for her. Most of the time she heated up something frozen or called for takeout. Food was merely fuel.
She took a bite and registered that she was eating a pretty good omelet. Tasty cheese and fluffy. He ate his in silence, but she could see out of her peripheral vision that he was sending glances her way.
Finally she had enough “Why are you staring at me?”
“Because food is part of life. It’s this amazing part of life. We have to eat several times a day. Why not enjoy it?”
“I never thought about it that way. Eating is something necessary.”
“You make it sound like a necessary evil.”
“Well, yeah. If I didn’t have to eat I could get more done in a day.”
He frowned and went back to his food. The doorbell rang as she was finishing up. “I’ll get it.”
*
Kelly waited at the door, a large box in her hand. A few years ago, before she was able to do this wirelessly, the box would have been much bigger. She wanted to get started so she’d be done by the time her daughter came home.
She missed her daughter when she spent time with her father. Even though she was glad her ex was a good father, she wished things were different. Shrugging, she shoved the thoughts away. No need to rehash old business.
Time to focus on new business. This client could do good things for their company.
Tamra answered the door. “Hey.”
“Quiet night I hope.”
“Yep,” she said as she led Kelly to the kitchen.
“Can I set up my stuff in the dining room? There’s a nice big table there that will make a good work space,” she said.
Colin nodded. “Go ahead. I’ll be in the basement studio most of the day.”
“Then we won’t get in each other’s way.”
Kelly noticed that there were two plates on the counter. Tamra had eaten with a client? She rarely crossed that line. Not that Kelly thought it was a line. Tamra did. She kept her private life closer to her than Kelly felt the need to.
Probably going back to her own stalker incident. Kelly didn’t judge.
“I’m heading out,” Tamra said as she packed up her laptop into a case.
Colin looked pained for a moment. “Will you get back to me about what you’ve found out about my employees?”
“It’ll take a few days,” Tamra said. “I’ll call you and let you know when I can come by. Does that work?”
“Sure,” he said.
She left and he looked like a lost puppy dog watching its owner go to work. Poor soul. He didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hell with Tamra. She was a single girl who was going to stay that way.
Kelly unpacked her box in the dining room. Colin stood in the doorway. She had to admit it would be fun to watch the situation.
“Do you have any questions?” Kelly asked.
“Will you be filming?”
“Yes we will. After we’re done you can have the discs to destroy them or trust that we destroy them. I won’t have anything in personal areas like the bathroom or the bedrooms. That said, there will be cameras outside in the hallways and outside so we can get a full view of the grounds.”
“Will you be putting up the cameras?”
“No, I’m afraid of heights. The techs will be here in a half an hour. I just like to lay out the equipment before they get here.”
He stood in silence a moment longer then left her.
***
Colin escaped to the basement studio. He had a song in his head he wanted to write down before he forgot. And he needed to prepare for Docta Hop. The man hadn’t committed but Colin was hoping he would.
He liked this artist and had heard he was good to work with. Colin was all for getting out of his comfort zone. Besides, if he could find new fans, that never hurt. Sultry pop/rock had been his mainstay from the beginning but getting an edge on his music should boost sales.
He’d gone to Larry with this idea and Larry had needed convincing. His agent’s job was tougher if he didn’t keep Colin in a box. Just like his crib as a kid, Colin often climbed out of that box.
Not willing to stop now, he’d contacted several hip hop artists to collaborate with him for this album. Docta Hop was only the first. Next he might do country music. Or maybe blues. At this point he was open to anything.
He’d gotten bored talking about lost love and singing it to screaming girls. He guessed he shouldn’t complain but he thought of himself more as an artist than a performer. It may be a fine line in someone’s book, but not his.
Then the noises began. People in work boots were tromping over his head. He’d have thought the studio would be more soundproof. Thankfully he wasn’t recording today.
At all.
Someone knocked on the studio door.
“Come in.”
He clearly wasn’t going to get to write this song today. A man in coveralls was on the other side when Colin opened the door. He had something in his hands.
“I need to install a camera down here.”
“Oh Hell no. Let me talk to Kelly before you do anything.”
He brushed past the worker and stalked upstairs to find Kelly still in the dining room.
“You can’t put cameras in the studio.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m recording my next group of songs and if that were to get onto the internet, well, then why would anyone need to buy it?”
She blinked. “There isn’t audio. Only video.”
Now he felt dumb. He wasn’t mad at her, just disoriented with so many people in his house. “Oh, okay.”
“Besides, the recording device is onsite. I can get to it, but it’s pretty hack proof. As I said no audio.”
He nodded then left her to her business. He had to get his discomfort under control. Depending on how long it took for them to find his alleged stalker, he might have people in his house all the time. He didn’t like that idea at all.
Well, unless it was the right person.
“You can install the camera.”
“Thanks.”
Colin sat back down, this time in front of the piano. His fingers tapped some keys and then he found the notes he wanted for this song. This wouldn’t be part of his album, but it’s the first new thing he’d written by himself in years. It felt good to stretch his creative muscles.
***
Tamra went home, but the apartment upstairs was getting carpeting. She couldn’t sleep to the sound of their tools. She called Kelly.
“Hey.”
“I thought you’d be asleep by now.”
“I would if the place upstairs wasn’t so noisy. Can I sleep at your place?”
The two had been friends for so long that they had toothbrushes at each other’s places. If they were guys, their relationship would be considered a bromance.
“Sure. You know where the key is.”
“I keep telling you to just make me one and then you don’t have to keep one in that awful hiding place.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“You will regret it someday.”
“If my ex hasn’t bothered me, all is good then,” Kelly said.
Tamra showered then drove to Kelly’s place. She had a two-bedroom cottage in the middle of a cul-de-sac. The location made her shudder because there was only one way in and one way out. She could get trapped.
Still, Tamra needed sleep so she found the key and let herself in. She chose Kelly’s bed and would change the sheets for her later. Snuggling in, she was asleep before she could think about it.
Her phone woke her up in a bad place in her cycle. She couldn’t shake off the sleepiness. But it wasn’t a phone call. It was a test of the burglar system at the client’s house.
She should have turned off her phone. Damn. She did then attempted to get back to sleep. After a half an hour of tossing and turning, she gave up.
Putting clothes back on, she changed Kelly’s sheets then went to the office to finish her report on Colin’s employees. She yawned the whole afternoon but she completed it. She sent an email with the attachment to Colin and then asked when he could meet her.
She received a reply back that his appointment that afternoon had canceled and that he had something to show her. She locked up the office and drove back to Colin’s house. Her yawning wouldn’t stop.
The only good thing about not sleeping much was that she didn’t have her dream.
The workmen were gone when Tamra go there. Kelly had packed up and Tamra bet she was heading home. No odd musicians accosted Tamra when she rang the doorbell.
Colin opened the door still dressed as he had been when she left that morning. He still wore no shoes, his pale feet coming out of the bottom of his jeans. Did he own any footwear? She hadn’t seen any yet.
“Hi, Tamra.”
His smile was large for her, making it almost creepy. It revealed straight white teeth inside of very pink lips for a guy. She paused then entered the house. Had she met him in a bar she never would have spoken to him.
Not that she frequented bars at all. Not
since her ex-boyfriend. No need to go to a meat market if you aren’t buying meat.
“Hello, Colin. I’ve got the preliminary report on all of your employees. I won’t get the police report back for another day or so.”
“I got another letter.”
She stopped in the hallway. “In the mail?”
“No, it was dropped off earlier today.”
“Did you tell Kelly?”
“No, she’d left.”
“So there should be footage on the cameras she set up. Let me boot up my laptop and I’ll go look.”
“Do you mind working in the kitchen? I’m making some dinner. I got bored since my appointment was canceled”
“Sure. Whatever.”
She set up in the same placed she’d spent the night. That was easier since she thought she’d get lost in the giant house. Six bedrooms. Wow. Clicking a few keys she was able to bring up the footage from the front door.
“What time do you think it arrived?”
“I’m guessing around three. Kelly left by two thirty.”
“Okay. I’ll fast forward to then.”
She stopped at two thirty on the time stamp and watched nothing happen for fifteen minutes.
“Can I get you a glass of wine?”
She was concentrating so that felt like an odd request. “Uh, no .”
“You sure?”
She paused the video then tore her gaze from it. “I’m working. We might actually have a lead on who could be stalking you.”
“Right. So no time for dinner?”
She blinked. “What?”
“You can’t eat dinner?”
What is it with this guy and food? He was obsessed. How did he stay so skinny? Drugs? She hadn’t seen him high. She knew what that looked like, growing up on the streets of Newark. “Uh, I’ll get something when I get home.”
“I have extra.”
She knew this was going to escalate and she was in no mood for an argument. She was too tired. “I’ll take some food then.”
“You aren’t curious what I’m making?”
“If I didn’t have to cook it, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
He laughed. “Okay. Go back to your video.”
***
Colin went back to stirring the pot of pasta he was cooking. Everyone liked spaghetti. That’s why he cooked it when he knew Tamra was coming over. Too bad he didn’t think the way to her heart was through her stomach.
Rock Your Body: A BWWM Romance Page 4