a long nap would do you wonders.”
He held her gaze for a long moment, long enough to make her wonder why she had allowed him into her apartment in the first place. The man was gorgeous to look at and he was nice, too. She looked like hell while he looked like he was ready for a photo shoot at GQ .
“Just a thought,” he added. “It’s your call.”
She stood and looked toward her bedroom before looking back at him. She knew she should ask him to leave, but a shower and a nap sounded too good to pass up. “You really wouldn’t mind?”
He shook his head. “I’m here to help. You can trust me.”
~~~
Thomas stood on one side of the mist-filled room and Derrick Baylor stood on the other. Thomas reached out a hand to her while Derrick merely winked. Thomas wore a perfectly fitted suit while Derrick wore slacks, a button-down shirt, and a killer smile.
Jill didn’t know which way to turn. Her heart raced as she tried to make a decision, but then Ryan began to cry.
Her eyes shot open and she bolted upward in bed.
She looked about, glad to see that neither man was hovering over her. Thank God . She put a hand on her chest above her pounding heart. What the heck was Derrick Baylor doing in her dream? Seeing Thomas made sense since he’d been in most of her dreams since he left her at the church eighteen months ago. But Derrick?
Laughter from the kitchen floated in under the door and to her bed. It sounded like a party out there. She pushed the comforter to the side, slid both legs over the edge of the mattress and wriggled her feet into the slippers on the floor.
She stood at the door and listened for a moment.
The voices all blurred together but Lexi and Sandy’s voice were easy to decipher. Ah, and Chelsey. Chelsey must have finished cooking the chili and brought it for a taste test.
She opened the door a smidgeon and peeked toward the kitchen. Sandy’s back was to her, but judging by the red pencil skirt and matching jacket she’d come straight from a sales meeting downtown. Her hair was in a neat twist on the back of her head. Sandy had always had a flair for fashion.
Sandy laughed about something and when she walked away, Jill blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. As far as she could tell, Chelsey had indeed brought the chili for a taste test and she was spoon feeding the chili to Derrick. He opened his mouth and as he chewed and swallowed he groaned as if he was having a chili orgasm. While Derrick continued to make absurd noises, Chelsey grabbed a napkin and used it to dab at his chin as if they were lovers.
It was all too much. Why hadn’t anyone come into her room to wake her up? Why hadn’t Sandy kicked Derrick out of her apartment?
Sleepily, Jill trudged into the room. As she glanced around, she plunked a hand on her hip. “Where’s Ryan?”
“It’s alive,” Sandy said as she came to Jill’s side and tried to fix her hair.
Jill swatted her hand away.
“Ryan’s asleep,” Derrick said from the kitchen.
“Then why are you still here?”
“Because he’s our savior,” Chelsey said with way too much enthusiasm. “He added red and green chili peppers to the chili,” she went on, “and it turns out that’s exactly what was missing. The woman who sent in the recipe, you know, the one who won all those competitions…well, I just talked to her on the phone and sure enough, she forgot to include a few ingredients when she typed out the recipe for us.”
Jill grunted. How could she omit chili peppers from a chili recipe? “Did you tell her how much trouble she’s caused us?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Chelsey assured her before she looked back at Derrick and batted her eyelashes.”
For the first time since hiring Chelsey six months ago, Jill noticed how perky and cute she was with her blonde curly hair that bounced around her pale shoulders every time she moved. She looked amazing in her sleeveless sundress and strappy sandals. Surprisingly,
He held her gaze for a long moment, long enough to make her wonder why she had allowed him into her apartment in the first place. The man was gorgeous to look at and he was nice, too. She looked like hell while he looked like he was ready for a photo shoot at GQ .
“Just a thought,” he added. “It’s your call.”
She stood and looked toward her bedroom before looking back at him. She knew she should ask him to leave, but a shower and a nap sounded too good to pass up. “You really wouldn’t mind?”
He shook his head. “I’m here to help. You can trust me.”
~~~
Thomas stood on one side of the mist-filled room and Derrick Baylor stood on the other. Thomas reached out a hand to her while Derrick merely winked. Thomas wore a perfectly fitted suit while Derrick wore slacks, a button-down shirt, and a killer smile.
Jill didn’t know which way to turn. Her heart raced as she tried to make a decision, but then Ryan began to cry.
Her eyes shot open and she bolted upward in bed.
She looked about, glad to see that neither man was hovering over her. Thank God . She put a hand on her chest above her pounding heart. What the heck was Derrick Baylor doing in her dream? Seeing Thomas made sense since he’d been in most of her dreams since he left her at the church eighteen months ago. But Derrick?
Laughter from the kitchen floated in under the door and to her bed. It sounded like a party out there. She pushed the comforter to the side, slid both legs over the edge of the mattress and wriggled her feet into the slippers on the floor.
She stood at the door and listened for a moment.
The voices all blurred together but Lexi and Sandy’s voice were easy to decipher. Ah, and Chelsey. Chelsey must have finished cooking the chili and brought it for a taste test.
She opened the door a smidgeon and peeked toward the kitchen. Sandy’s back was to her, but judging by the red pencil skirt and matching jacket she’d come straight from a sales meeting downtown. Her hair was in a neat twist on the back of her head. Sandy had always had a flair for fashion.
Sandy laughed about something and when she walked away, Jill blinked to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. As far as she could tell, Chelsey had indeed brought the chili for a taste test and she was spoon feeding the chili to Derrick. He opened his mouth and as he chewed and swallowed he groaned as if he was having a chili orgasm. While Derrick continued to make absurd noises, Chelsey grabbed a napkin and used it to dab at his chin as if they were lovers.
It was all too much. Why hadn’t anyone come into her room to wake her up? Why hadn’t Sandy kicked Derrick out of her apartment?
Sleepily, Jill trudged into the room. As she glanced around, she plunked a hand on her hip. “Where’s Ryan?”
“It’s alive,” Sandy said as she came to Jill’s side and tried to fix her hair.
Jill swatted her hand away.
“Ryan’s asleep,” Derrick said from the kitchen.
“Then why are you still here?”
“Because he’s our savior,” Chelsey said with way too much enthusiasm. “He added red and green chili peppers to the chili,” she went on, “and it turns out that’s exactly what was missing. The woman who sent in the recipe, you know, the one who won all those competitions…well, I just talked to her on the phone and sure enough, she forgot to include a few ingredients when she typed out the recipe for us.”
Jill grunted. How could she omit chili peppers from a chili recipe? “Did you tell her how much trouble she’s caused us?”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” Chelsey assured her before she looked back at Derrick and batted her eyelashes.”
For the first time since hiring Chelsey six months ago, Jill noticed how perky and cute she was with her blonde curly hair that bounced around her pale shoulders every time she moved. She looked amazing in her sleeveless sundress and strappy sandals. Surprisingly,
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