Soar
“Oh. That way they’ll know where to find your body.”
I gasped. “Is that supposed to be a joke?”
He gave me a wry grin. “Of course.”
“I think you’re rusty.” My body relaxed slightly. I guess that’s what you’d call a straight-faced delivery.
We stopped in front of a fairly modern looking building. A uniformed doorman opened the door. “Good evening, Mr. Welsh.”
Toby nodded. “Hi, Cody.” He led the way to an elevator and hit the button for the top floor as soon as I stepped in. “You have the top floor? Like the penthouse?”
“Yeah. It’s a nice perk.”
After what felt like an insanely long time of standing silent in the elevator, the doors opened and he went right over to his apartment.
He unlocked the door and I walked in. “I thought these places only existed in movies.” I headed straight through his living room to the floor to ceiling windows.
“The view’s pretty nice.”
“Pretty nice? Try incredible.”
He smiled. “I’ve seen better.”
“I need to start moving in the circles you’re in,” I mumbled.
“Trust me, you don’t want to.”
I turned around. He’d stopped a few feet behind me and was looking out. “Want to make that coffee?”
“Oh, yeah, sure.” He walked into a modern kitchen that was bigger than my apartment. The stainless steel appliances fit well with the light wood cabinets and travertine tile floor.
“Do you cook?” I hoped this gorgeous place wasn’t wasted on a guy who couldn’t make eggs.
“I’m learning.”
“Learning?”
“I didn’t know how a few months ago, but I’m making do.”
“Oh, okay.” That was something.
“Do you cook?” He scooped coffee beans into a grinder.
“Yeah. I love cooking.”
“Nice to know some girls still like to.” He pushed down on the lid of the grinder.
I waited for the noise to stop. “What’s that mean?”
“Oh. Just that my ex hated cooking. She told me whatever guy she married would have to do it for her.” He picked up the grinder and dumped the ground coffee into the filter.
“Allie?” I covered my mouth with my hand. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
“Yeah. Did Jess tell you about her?” He poured in the water and turned the coffee machine on.
I tried to make my interest sound as innocent as possible. “She mentioned they were friends.”
“Yeah. She broke my heart into about a million pieces, but you gotta move on, right?”
Jess seemed so convinced he’d dumped Allie, but he didn’t seem to see it that way. “I’ve had a bad breakup before. They’re not fun.”
“How long did it take to get over the guy?”
“A few months.”
“Good to know.” He pulled down two large, green coffee mugs.
“I might be pushing my luck, but do you have anything sweet?”
“Sweet? I thought you didn’t want dessert?”
“I didn’t, but I do now.”
He walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a box of brownie mix. “Want to make these?”
“Brownies? You want to bake brownies?”
He put the box down on the counter. “You’re the one who said you wanted dessert. I’m just trying to be a good host.”
I laughed. “I never imagined we’d be making brownies tonight, but why not?”
“I’ll get a bowl.”
I watched as he pulled out a large glass mixing bowl and preheated the oven. The situation should have been completely awkward, but it wasn’t. It was natural in a weird way.
I cracked the eggs while he poured in the oil and water. I grabbed a spoon and started mixing before he could. “Why don’t you get our coffee?”
“How do you like yours?”
“Drowned in milk.” I finished the last few strokes and set the bowl aside.
“Really? I’d have thought you liked it black.”
“Why? Because you do?” I hunted down a pan and cooking spray.
“No. You just seem like a black coffee kind of person.”
“First I’m a red meat eating girl and now a black coffee drinker?” I gave him a disbelieving look. “I don’t like sugar in it though.”
“Okay…so I was half right.”
“I suppose you could look at it that way.”
He grabbed the bowl and poured the batter in. “Do you want to lick the spoon?”
“I hope you’re referring to licking brownie batter.”
“I assure you, I’ve never referred to my dick as a spoon before.”
I coughed.
“If you’re going to throw it, you need to be able to take it.” Aside from the twinkle in his eye, he looked completely serious.
I regained my composure. “Give me the spoon.”
He handed it over, finally letting a smile slip out.
“Do you stay away from raw batter?”
“No, but I prefer it straight from the bowl.” He ran a finger along the inside of the bowl and licked the batter off his finger.
“Okay, let’s wash this stuff so we can get rid of all these sexual innuendos.”
“That’s probably a good idea.” He took the spoon from me and brought both over to his double sink.
“Your kitchen is bigger than my apartment.” I grabbed my cup of coffee and took a seat at the island.
He finished washing the dishes and set them aside. “I’m well aware. I’ve been there.”
“That’s right. You have.”
He took a seat next to me. “I bet you’re wondering what I know about Eric.”
“Maybe a little.” I cautiously sipped the hot coffee. No amount of milk could cool it down that fast.
“He’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous? I admit he’s obnoxious, but dangerous seems a little bit much.”
“He’s dangerous.” Toby rested his hand on the counter. “Can I ask you a question now?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you agree to go out with me last week? You asked me what motive I had, what about you?”
“Because you asked me.” I’m sure I blushed.
“Somehow I doubt you’re that hard up for a date.”
“What does hard up have to do with it?” I attempted another sip.