“We’re in the kitchen,” I said loudly, then walked around the bar and into the dining area to greet him.
If my breath happened to catch a little whenever I saw him, I could live with that. Today he wore an elegant black business suit, and his dark, close-cropped hair and military bearing were a perfect counterpoint to his glittering blue eyes and knowing smile.
My sister might mock me later, but I didn’t care. Derek was just so hot. Tall. Self-confident. Mine.
Even without the help of the ancient elevator, Derek could make me tremble. But I wouldn’t be so cruel as to mention that to Savannah anytime soon.
He tossed his jacket over a dining room chair and pulled me close for a hug and a kiss. I held on to him for an extra moment, savoring his closeness and his subtle scent of forest and spice.
He spotted my sister over my shoulder and eased back. “Savannah, what a delightful surprise. Are you staying for dinner?”
“Yes, she is,” I said. The doorbell rang and I twirled my hands in the air as if I’d just made magic happen. “And there’s dinner now. I’ll go buzz the guy into the building.”
“Weren’t you going to make pasta this evening?” Derek asked as he poured himself a glass of wine.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” I rummaged through my purse to find cash, then headed for the front door.
“You know she’s a hopeless mess in the kitchen, right?” Savannah said.
“I heard that,” I shouted.
Savannah snorted. “With ears like a desert fox.”
I met the delivery guy at the top of the stairs, paid him for the take-out food, then watched him trot downstairs and waited to hear the sound of the ground-floor security door shut behind him. I hurried back inside, locked and dead-bolted my door—I had become a real security freak—and jogged to the kitchen. After shoving the pizza, box and all, into the warm oven, I found space in the refrigerator for the large chopped salad. Grabbing napkins and utensils, I set the dining room table while Derek pulled plates from the cupboard and added them to each place setting.
Savannah set the wine bottle on the table and kept us entertained with her latest adventures in the restaurant biz. Somehow she worked her way back around to my dismal cooking skills.
As I pulled the pizza box out of the oven, I admitted, “I’m getting better at chicken, but I still can’t make pasta to save my life.”
Derek stepped forward, brushing my hair back as he lifted my face and kissed me lightly on my temple. “Not to worry, love. You’re good at so many other things.”
“Aww, sweet,” I said, and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”
“Break it up, you guys,” Savannah groused. “I’m a lonesome, bitter woman and the sickening picture of you two nuzzling and cooing is now imprinted on my brain forever.”
I smiled up at Derek. “Our work here is done.”
“Excellent,” he said, winking at Savannah. “Let’s eat.”
*
I offered Savannah the use of our guest room for the night, but she was eager to get back to her restaurant in Dharma to refresh her stockpot.
Ooh, a stockpot was waiting for her. My sister led such a fascinating life. No wonder she’d been whining earlier.
We walked her down to her car and as soon as she drove away, I turned to Derek and pounced on something I’d noticed during dinner. “How do you know Baxter Cromwell?”
“I never said I knew him,” he demurred as we walked back to the elevator.
“I saw your reaction when Savannah mentioned him and his new restaurant. You didn’t look happy.”
“Aren’t you the attentive one?”
“Don’t change the subject,” I said, although I tended to become easily distracted whenever Derek slipped his arm around my shoulder.
“I’ve never met the man personally,” he finally admitted, “but I’ve done business with him. Several years ago, he hired my company after being threatened by a competitor.”
Derek’s company, Stone Security, provided investigative services and security to wealthy individuals and organizations all over the world. His personal expertise was arts and antiquities.
“I’m not surprised to hear he was threatened,” I said. “He’s so unpleasant.”
The elevator came to a shuddering stop on our floor, and Derek led the way back to our apartment. “Cromwell was one of those idiotic clients who demanded the highest level of protection, then never followed a single bit of advice, thereby putting my entire crew in danger.”
“He was actually receiving death threats?”
“That’s what he claimed, but we never saw any proof. After a few weeks, we canceled the job. It was much ado about nothing.”
“He probably did it for publicity.”
“He also reneged on the bill,” Derek added casually. “So I’ll be interested to see how much money he’s poured into this new restaurant.”
“Wow. Along with everything else, he’s a con artist.”