“Oh, please.” Jenna swatted the air.
“Anyway, we’ve known each other forever. Where do you live, Kurt?” Bella asked.
“New York,” Jenna answered.
Kurt laughed. “Yes. I do live in New York, just outside the city.”
“Sorry. I Googled you,” Jenna admitted. “You have four brothers and a sister who’s a famous model. One brother owns a gaming company, another’s an Olympic skier, and then there’s a survivalist, and…” She snapped her fingers.
“You’re good at the PI stuff. My other brother, Sage, is an artist.”
“When do you go back to New York?” Amy asked.
“In about two weeks.” Kurt kissed the top of Leanna’s head.
“Gosh, if I had a house on the beach, I’d live in it year-round,” Amy said.
“That might be nice, but my life is in New York. My family, agent, all of my publishing contacts. It would be inconvenient to live here year-round.”
“That makes sense.” Amy moved closer to the fire to warm her hands. “Leanna? If you get these contracts, are you staying at the Cape or…? Where will you live?”
“I haven’t thought about it.” She sat up and yawned.
Kurt felt a pang of curiosity. Where would she live? How would he see her? He tucked the worry away. He’d make darn sure he saw her.
“I don’t know how you can not know where you’ll be living in a few weeks. I’d go crazy. I need to know where I’ll be and when I’ll be there.” Jenna joined Amy standing by the fire.
Leanna shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me.”
“That’s because you have a trust fund and we don’t.” Bella stood in her jeans and sweatshirt and stretched with a loud yawn.
Not that Kurt cared about her money, but this surprised him. “You don’t strike me as a trust fund kid.”
“That’s because I’m not. My great-grandfather left money to my dad, and he put it all in trust funds for me and my brothers and sister. I used it for college, and I’ve never touched it since. I figure I’ll leave it to my kids someday, and eventually, someone who really needs it will have it.” Leanna shrugged as if she’d just said what anyone might.
Kurt and each of his siblings were comfortably wealthy, though they’d each earned their way through hard work and dedication in their chosen fields. Knowing that Leanna relied on her own efforts endeared him to her even more.
“You’re remarkable.” He pulled her a little closer.
“Hardly.” Her cheeks flushed.
“Most people would use that money to kick-start their business, or to travel, or something else. People can always find reasons to spend money.” Kurt thought of his own finances. He didn’t spend foolishly, and he traveled only when it was thrust upon him. He owned his house in New York and the one on the Cape and kept one car at each. He gave generously to Sage’s company and to other charitable organizations, and beyond that, his money was well invested. He felt like another layer of Leanna was stripped away, revealing the empowered, determined woman beneath.
“I don’t think my great-grandfather worked hard so I didn’t have to.”
Leanna smiled up at him, and in that moment, he knew everything he needed to about who she was. It didn’t matter where she lived or what she did for a living. A person didn’t become as lovely as her by being pretty or owning the right things. Leanna might be beautiful on the outside, but she was stunning on the inside.
She stifled another yawn.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” Kurt brushed her hair from in front of her sleepy eyes.
“I was going to make the batch of jam I made today, so I don’t have much on my agenda at this point.”
“Come home with me. Stay with me tonight.”
She sat up and searched his eyes. “You’re serious?”
“More than.”
“What about your writing?”
He loved that she thought of his schedule. “I’m going to do what I always do. I’ll get up and go for a run, and I’ll write, but I thought it might be nice to have you there with me. You can work on your presentation for Thursday, or hit the beach, or read, or do nothing but lounge around. I just want to wake up with you in my arms.”
He realized Amy, Jenna, and Bella were watching them, and he cleared his throat. “Sorry. I don’t mean to take her away from you guys.”
“No, no. Take her, please,” Amy said, motioning with her hands for him to take her away.
“We’re just drooling.” Bella wiped her mouth.
“Geez, Bella.” Leanna looked down at Pepper, asleep by Kurt’s feet. “What about Pepper?”
“Package deal. Pep comes, too.”
“Okay, but are you sure I won’t interrupt your writing?” She traced the outline of his pocket on his shorts.
He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it. “No. I’m about eighty percent certain that you will interrupt my schedule, but I want you with me.”
Chapter Fourteen
LEANNA AWOKE TO the sound of dishes clanking together downstairs. The pillow smelled like Kurt, masculine and earthy with a hint of something sweet, floral. She turned toward the window and saw a vase full of fresh wildflowers beside the bed. How did she get lucky enough to meet the kindest guy on the planet? By the time they arrived at his cottage last night, she was so tired she could barely stay awake, and he’d tucked her in beside him and held her while he read—and she slept. Like a log.
His bedroom, like most of the house, was outfitted in white—white walls with stained wood trim, white fluffy comforter. A breeze whisked the sheer white curtains from the open bay window. There was a thick and inviting tan seat cushion built into the bay window, with brown, tan, and red accent pillows. A thick, white throw rug covered the wide-planked oak hardwood floors between the bed and the window. A house that was primarily white might feel sterile to some, but it felt just right for Kurt. He was clean and neat, with a dash of pizazz in all the right places.
She buried her nose in his pillow and inhaled his intoxicating scent.
Pepper barked, and she pulled her nose from his pillow and found Kurt smiling down at her with a cup of coffee in his hands.
“I’m not sure if that was creepy or sweet,” he said with a warm smile.
She cringed. “Let’s go with sweet. You should bottle your scent. You’d make a fortune.” She’d slept in one of Kurt’s T-shirts, and when she sat up and crossed her legs, it billowed around her.
Pepper jumped on the fluffy white comforter and Kurt slid him a dark stare.
“Down.”
Pepper obeyed and lay down beside the bed.
“I’m not sure I want a bunch of guys smelling exactly like me.” He sat beside her and kissed her cheek, then handed her a cup of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you liked it, so if it’s wrong, I’ll bring you a fresh cup.”
“Thank you, but I can come downstairs for coffee.” She took a sip of the hot coffee. “This is perfect.” She touched his wet hair.
“I went for a jog; then I took a shower, made breakfast, read the newspaper.”