that thought. “No we can’t. It would lead to questions about why we’re living together, and we can’t answer them. We’ll have to let this play out for a little while.”
“If you had let me finish I was about to tell you that I came to the same conclusion.”
“Oh.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Nope. Just go back to doing whatever you were doing while I was gone.” She shooed him out of the room and not wanting to make waves he went.
He didn’t get far when he heard soft sultry music start to drift down the hall. Dade snuck back to the doorway. He watched Rosie for a few minutes. She’d put on a black and pink polka dotted apron. She danced and swayed as she unloaded the bags. With a twirl she went to the fridge took some stuff out and added it to her piles on the counter. Dade smiled realizing he was seeing another part of her. One he wouldn’t have seen if they hadn’t agreed to Teddy’s request. Teddy had told Dade she cooked for him when she visited, but he hadn’t said she enjoyed doing it.
Dade had thought it was just her being nice to her old uncle. Obviously he was wrong. He turned and headed back to the office. Teddy hadn’t bragged about it the way he did all her other accomplishments, so there was a chance that even though she enjoyed it didn’t mean she was good at it.
Dade knew he should get some work done only he was more interested in being prepared to meet her best friends. He decided it was time to check them out, just like they had probably already done with him. It was hard for him to get information about them. Sophia’s father owned a media empire. Print, TV, and radio he had a finger in everything. Nicolette’s family owned a beauty conglomerate. Tiffany was what some people would call nouveau riche. Their wealth had been accumulated over the past few decades.
Dade didn’t believe half of what he read, but he felt a little better knowing something of their backgrounds. It didn’t take him long to realize her friends weren’t coming to the house just for dinner. If he had to guess this visit was some sort of strategy session. He wondered if he was going to be allowed to sit in on it, or if they’d try to find some way to get rid of him.
Dade wasn’t willingly going to let that happen, but he knew he couldn’t put up too much of a fight either. He’d love to use the time to dig deeper into Rosie’s background, see what her friends were keen to tell him. He stewed in his office as long as he could before the amazing smell coming from the kitchen drew him out. His mouth was already watering and he didn’t even know what she was making. Whatever it was he hoped it would taste as good as it smelled. Before Dade reached the kitchen he heard the mixture of feminine laughter drifting down the hall.
“Dade,” Rosie walked over the wrapped her arm around his and led him into the room. “I was just about to come and get you.”
“Ladies.” He said in greeting as he sat in the chair Rosie gently shoved him into at the small kitchen table and smiled up at her. “What smells so great?”
“ Mmm… lasagna,” Sophia said.
Tiffany shook her head. “It’s the cheesy garlic bread.”
“All I smell is chocolate. Can we have dessert first?” Nicolette asked.
“No,” the three other women said.
Dade got the feeling he wasn’t seeing the polished facades Rosie and her friends showed the world. Their playful banter seemed way too genuine to be faked for his benefit alone. Dade was more than willing to sit back and let them be themselves. He was honored that they were willing to let him in. Especially after the mess he’d already created. Rosie brought platters of food to the table. She put the lasagna in the center of the table and he found himself moaning right along with her friends. Damn it looked as good as it smelled. She walked away and returned with a big salad she put on one side and garlic bread she put
“If you had let me finish I was about to tell you that I came to the same conclusion.”
“Oh.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Nope. Just go back to doing whatever you were doing while I was gone.” She shooed him out of the room and not wanting to make waves he went.
He didn’t get far when he heard soft sultry music start to drift down the hall. Dade snuck back to the doorway. He watched Rosie for a few minutes. She’d put on a black and pink polka dotted apron. She danced and swayed as she unloaded the bags. With a twirl she went to the fridge took some stuff out and added it to her piles on the counter. Dade smiled realizing he was seeing another part of her. One he wouldn’t have seen if they hadn’t agreed to Teddy’s request. Teddy had told Dade she cooked for him when she visited, but he hadn’t said she enjoyed doing it.
Dade had thought it was just her being nice to her old uncle. Obviously he was wrong. He turned and headed back to the office. Teddy hadn’t bragged about it the way he did all her other accomplishments, so there was a chance that even though she enjoyed it didn’t mean she was good at it.
Dade knew he should get some work done only he was more interested in being prepared to meet her best friends. He decided it was time to check them out, just like they had probably already done with him. It was hard for him to get information about them. Sophia’s father owned a media empire. Print, TV, and radio he had a finger in everything. Nicolette’s family owned a beauty conglomerate. Tiffany was what some people would call nouveau riche. Their wealth had been accumulated over the past few decades.
Dade didn’t believe half of what he read, but he felt a little better knowing something of their backgrounds. It didn’t take him long to realize her friends weren’t coming to the house just for dinner. If he had to guess this visit was some sort of strategy session. He wondered if he was going to be allowed to sit in on it, or if they’d try to find some way to get rid of him.
Dade wasn’t willingly going to let that happen, but he knew he couldn’t put up too much of a fight either. He’d love to use the time to dig deeper into Rosie’s background, see what her friends were keen to tell him. He stewed in his office as long as he could before the amazing smell coming from the kitchen drew him out. His mouth was already watering and he didn’t even know what she was making. Whatever it was he hoped it would taste as good as it smelled. Before Dade reached the kitchen he heard the mixture of feminine laughter drifting down the hall.
“Dade,” Rosie walked over the wrapped her arm around his and led him into the room. “I was just about to come and get you.”
“Ladies.” He said in greeting as he sat in the chair Rosie gently shoved him into at the small kitchen table and smiled up at her. “What smells so great?”
“ Mmm… lasagna,” Sophia said.
Tiffany shook her head. “It’s the cheesy garlic bread.”
“All I smell is chocolate. Can we have dessert first?” Nicolette asked.
“No,” the three other women said.
Dade got the feeling he wasn’t seeing the polished facades Rosie and her friends showed the world. Their playful banter seemed way too genuine to be faked for his benefit alone. Dade was more than willing to sit back and let them be themselves. He was honored that they were willing to let him in. Especially after the mess he’d already created. Rosie brought platters of food to the table. She put the lasagna in the center of the table and he found himself moaning right along with her friends. Damn it looked as good as it smelled. She walked away and returned with a big salad she put on one side and garlic bread she put
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