Page 19 of Archer
Turning from Cort, I took advantage of Archer touching me and cuddled in, while pouting. “What do you mean? I ate all the pie you bought me from Luxe.”
Hitch and Cort both cackled, and Bram rubbed a hand over his chest. “Damn, Archer. Pie from Luxe? That hurts, man.”
Archer snorted, hanging his head. “What?” I asked, confused by their antics. They were acting like teenage boys heckling each other. Moving my gaze back to Bram, it hit me. “Oh, you have a bakery.” I knew coming down to eat with Archer and his friends was a terrible idea. “I’m sorry. I’m sure if we hadn’t had lunch at Luxe, Archer would’ve suggested we stop by your bakery.”
Cort leaned an elbow on the table. “So you had lunch together, and now you’re here for dinner, huh?”
“Uh…” Well, crap. “It’s not what you think.”
“I’m sure it’s not,” Hitch said, winking at me.
Archer gripped my shoulder and leaned in, whispering in my ear. “Don’t mind them. They’re just jealous that they didn’t get to spend the afternoon with you.”
“Okay”—Bram leaned both elbows on the table—“this just got interesting. You spent the whole day together?”
What had Archer been thinking telling them that? They were already insinuating that it was more than business. “Yes. Because Archer’s helping me.” Slamming my hand down on the top of his laptop, I continued, “He took pictures of me, I mean, my studio.” Good grief. I hoped I didn’t hurt his computer.
“I bet he did,” Bram muttered.
Archer wadded up a napkin and threw it at him. “I’ll have you know, Crispin’s designing a website. We had lunch, and then he came up to my place so we could pick out the best photos.”
My face heated, knowing we didn’t do any of that because I babbled at him all day. Like he knew what I was thinking, he covered my hand where it still rested on his laptop. “It ended up being one of the best afternoons I’ve had in a while getting to know Crispin better.”
Startled, my gaze jumped to his smiling face and the sincerity radiating from his eyes.Oh.“It was amazing.”
His smile widened, and I felt my own lips stretch into a grin that probably looked like it was taking over my whole face. Someone cleared their throat, and I jerked my attention back to the other three men, who all appeared amused.
“Can we see the pictures?” Hitch asked.
Archer squeezed my fingers. “It’s up to you. What do you think?”
I shrugged. “Uh, if you really want to.”
“I do,” Bram said immediately. “I’ve never been inside Harmony and Joy, so I’ve always been curious. Although, from what I’ve seen when the blinds are up, it’s gorgeous.”
With one last rub to the top of my hand, Archer gently pulled his computer out from under me and opened it up. “I got some great shots, but you really need to go inside, Bram. As beautiful as the space is, it’s how peaceful it is inside that will blow you away.”
Shifting in my seat so that my knees touched Archer’s legs, I asked, “Really? You felt peaceful?”
He stopped clicking on the keyboard. “It’s like being wrapped in a warm hug the minute you step inside.” He winked and went back to work.
Gah. I knew he’d been listening to me, but Archer using my own words back at me when I described the atmosphere I was going for in the studio made me feel all melty. He was older and so put-together, and yet, he’d taken in everything I said. I’d been wanting a man like that my whole life. It felt as wonderful as I’d always imagined it would.
“Here they are. Push the right arrow to scroll through. You can see some of the foot traffic through the windows leading outside, but I won’t clean them up unless Crispin decides he wants one of them.” Archer pushed his laptop to the other side of the tablewhere the three men sat next to each other. I watched nervously as they clicked from one photo to the next, and Archer grabbed my hand, threading our fingers together. “Don’t look so scared. They’re going to love them. I had a great model.”
I peeked at him out of the corner of my eyes, whispering, “Thank you.” He winked, and we both went back to waiting while they scrolled the pictures.
“Damn, Archer, you’re really talented,” Cort said.
“These shots of you will look fantastic on the website, Crispin,” Hitch added. “You look…”
“Trustworthy,” Archer said when he trailed off. “Knowledgeable. Peaceful.”
“Zen,” Bram said. “I’m not even sure what that word means, but I’ve heard it tossed around enough to know that he looks it.”
Feeling self-conscious at their flattery, I opened my mouth to explain the official definition of Zen, as well as the everyday term, when Cort leaned toward the screen. “What the…” His cheeks paled as he fiddled with the keyboard, looking like he’d seen a ghost.
“What’s going on, man?” Hitch asked.