Page 19 of Strawberry Cake
“You look gorgeous.”
With her free hand she tossed her hair back and grinned. “Well thank you. You’re a piece of eye candy yourself today.”
Dramatically, he mimicked her move—which made her laugh. He took the bags from her and placed them in his lap, guiding her to the elevator.
Her fingers combed through his curls as he pressed the button to the sixth floor. “Have you always had long hair?”
“Off and on. I’ve just been lazy the last year or so and haven’t gotten it cut.”
“You don’t happen to have pictures of you with short hair, do you?”
“Oh, plenty.”
“Care to share?”
“There are a few hanging on my living room wall.”
“Good to know.”
As Decan showed her to his apartment, her hand moved to hisneck. Curious, she stepped inside and looked around as he took her bags to the kitchen. He watched out of the corner of his eyes, waiting for Hope’s reaction to the pictures he’d mentioned.
“I can’t decide which I like more: your short or long hair. Don’t get me wrong you look good with both, but it’s quite relaxing to play with. Does it bother you when I do?”
“Just the opposite. I like it.”
“Good, but I’m not going to keep doing it if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“It doesn’t; I promise.”
Hope joined him in the kitchen and picked through one of the bags he hadn’t gotten to yet, grinning when she found what she was looking for: a floral apron. “Wanna match?”
He chuckled at the atrocious, flowery fabric and took the one she offered him. “I’d love to.”
Once all the ingredients were set on the counter, Decan grabbed his barstool from the corner and pulled himself to lean on it.
Hope peered up at him, crooking her eyebrows. “Show off.”
He simply winked at her and turned on the stove. Smiling the whole way, Hope filled a pot with water and set it to boiling. While he sizzled the meat, she kept an eye on the pasta and made the sauce with the help of his instructions.
“Was work less stressful today?” he asked as they started to put the layers together.
“Thankfully. Honestly, I have no clue what it was about yesterday, but everything seemed to go wrong.”
Decan rested his hand on the small of her back. “Those are the worst days. Even the smallest things can set you off.”
“Today was much better, but maybe just because it’s Friday. Did you work on the same manuscript today?”
“Yes, I tend to only do one at a time. Helps me keep my stories straight.”
“So, you make different suggestions depending on the author?”
Decan nodded. “Some I’ve worked with for a long time. I know what their tendencies are like and it’s almost like hearing them speak, so I try to keep their voice alive as best as I can.”
“Do you have a lot that come back?”
“Some more frequently than others.”
“Do you prefer returning clients over new ones?”