Chapter 5

Grandpa was more cheerful after yesterday's frightening incident. He hummed and sang while preparing the meatloaf. He didn't even let me help with the salad.

I couldn't believe he invited a stranger to lunch. Well, actually I could. But I couldn't believe he invited a stranger to my home without asking me first. I wasn't angry about it. It was how he grew up. He trusted people easily. He believed everyone had a good heart and good intentions, but I knew better.

His kind gesture was okay for where he lived because he knew everyone in his rural town. But here in the big city, there were all kinds of people lurking around, and not all of them were nice. I didn't have the heart to disappoint him. How many more years did I have left with him? So if cooking for me and a stranger made him happy, I was fine with that.

There was one thing Grandpa was good at, and that was his intuition. He kind of knew things, and he was usually right about them. My grandma used to say he had psychic abilities. He knew she'd be his wife when they met in college.

Had he tapped into his gut when he invited Kain for lunch? Or had he been under the spell of gratitude for the irresistible man with tattoos on his arms? When Kain had come into the flower shop the last time, I hadn't noticed all the ink. I'd never been attracted to men with ink, but it suited him, made him more . . . alluring.

You were just too scared to admit it before.

Kain wasn't a real "stranger." He was the dimple guy who had asked me out. The guy I'd rejected.

Would he visit my flower shop again?

My shop.

One day I'd have my own flower boutique where I could expand it according to my vision. But that would have to wait another five years. I needed to save up the funds.

Nerves stirred in me as though a hundred hummingbirds flew inside my stomach.

Focus on lunch.

My scattered mind wandered back to the lunch date. The police detective, Sean, appeared to know Kain as well. All these details added to my decision to allow Kain into my home.

Though I had rejected him, his face popped into my head too often. What if I had said yes? Where would we be now? He was a handsome older man, so I was certain he'd moved on. Men like him didn't wait around for someone like me. I'd been told I was stunning, but there were a lot of stunning women in town.

Kain had a gorgeous face with fine features and piercing gray eyes. His body looked like it was made of iron from all the muscles bulging under his shirt. How in the world did he run so fast in those jeans anyway?

What else was he skilled at? My loins tightened at the thought.

Did he have a girlfriend? Why was I thinking about him like this after I had rejected him? What was wrong with me? It was as if my body and my mind disagreed on what I wanted. Did I want to know him? My body screamed yes, but my mind told my heart to be careful.

This was lunch. That was it. There was nothing more to it.

Then why had I spent an hour looking through my closet for the perfect casual dress to wear today? Why did I put in extra time for makeup? I even dabbed some perfume on me.

Stop denying it, Eva. You're attracted to him.

Fine. How could I not be fascinated by him? I understood beauty. I worked and arranged it at Happy Flowers. I had a good eye for color, composition, and texture. I appreciated beauty and knew what it could do to someone's emotions. When I created exquisite bouquets for my customers, the joy on their faces told me my arrangements were worth it. Kain was one of those sturdy and masculine plants that mesmerized without needing a lot of care.

He was an older man, and that meant he had experienced more of the world. What had he seen? What had he learned? A part of me wanted to know all of it.

Despite how gorgeous he was, someone that charming could have thorns. I didn't want to get pricked. What if he turned out to be another Dennis? My body shuddered at that terrifying thought.

If I didn't watch out for myself, history could repeat itself. I'd dated a married man for a year. It made me feel stupid. When I discovered the truth, it crushed me. I had no clue the idiot lied to me throughout our relationship. Why hadn't I seen all the red flags?

When you're in love, rose-colored lenses distort the truth.

I didn't want to live in an illusion again. Life was too short for that stuff.

The doorbell rang, and I went over to the monitor and saw Kain waving on the screen and buzzed him in.

When I opened the door for Kain, he handed over a box of cupcakes from Can't Top This. "For you and Grandpa Collins."

I moved out of the way for him to step inside. "You didn't have to bring anything. You're the guest."

He wore dark jeans and a black knit shirt that showed off his muscular chest and bulky arms. The gray eyes pinned me to the spot, and I wanted to run my fingers through his dark shaggy hair. I still couldn't believe he was actually here, in my apartment.

"I wanted to bring something because you're treating me to lunch. It's been a while since I've had a homecooked meal."

"What's wrong with you, boy? What do you normally eat?" Grandpa Collins popped into the hallway, wearing the yellow apron that my grandmother had given me one Christmas. I didn't cook much. Sometimes I was just too tired, and the abundance of restaurants in this area made ordering convenient.

Grandpa offered him a welcoming handshake, which he returned.

"I live by myself, so I don't need to cook." Kain slid onto the stool in front of the kitchen island, watching Grandpa move around the kitchen like the expert chef that he was. "I did the math. It comes down to the same amount of money spent. If I bought groceries and didn't cook them in time, they'd spoil, and that'd be a waste. There's an International Food Court not too far from here. I can get delicious meals at an affordable price."

"There's no food court where I'm from. You've been spoiled." Grandpa mixed up the salad I'd and the two men continued the conversation as though they'd been friends for a long time.

I didn't know what to think about the casual way he slid into my day, my home, my kitchen stool—my life.

"Would you like anything to drink?" I asked. "We have beer, orange juice, coffee, and water."

"Beer, please."

I placed a Samuel Adams in front of him, and he popped off the top, lifting it to my iced coffee. "Thank you."

As I took the cupcakes out of the box and placed them on a display tray, Kain and Grandpa carried on an interesting conversation about relationships. That was so weird to me. Grandpa didn't even know Kain. He just met the guy yesterday. So why was he asking his opinion about a perfect date? I stared at them for a moment. I couldn't remember the last time I witnessed two men talking about this kind of stuff.

Kain met my eyes, and the gleam told me he understood what I was thinking. Maybe Grandpa's friendliness opened him up. If I stepped back for a minute and looked at this scenario, it would appear completely bizarre.

What happened between yesterday and now? It had only been less than twenty-four hours since I met Kain—since Grandpa met him—and now he was inside my apartment, talking to my grandfather about his ideal date. What was going on here?

Feeling like a third wheel, I laughed at the silly thought and almost dropped one of the chocolate cupcakes. I was an open-minded person, so I welcomed odd events into my life. I loved the way Kain made Grandpa laugh. Laughter was truly healing, and he needed that to maintain his good health.

We sat at my round kitchen table and enjoyed Grandpa's meatloaf, a side of sweet potatoes with sriracha and lime, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and a spring mix salad.

"This is the best meatloaf I've ever had." Kain had a second serving of everything.

"That's my specialty." Grandpa cooked better than anyone in my family; even my grandmother and mom couldn't match him. But that was because they didn't have the same love for cooking. It was a blessing to have a chef in the family.

Grandpa sipped his lemonade and asked, "What do you do for work, Kain?"

"I'm a tattoo artist. I own a gym and tattoo franchise, and I'm co-owner of the Etched Building. But I'm also a trainer." He flexed an arm, and my stomach lurched at his massive bicep. "I enjoy helping people get into shape."

I raked a gaze down his firm form. "Are you supposed to be eating the way you do? You even had a cupcake."

Kain laughed, revealing perfect white teeth. "I'm not that strict about my diet. I burn all the calories off quickly. I'm not training for any bodybuilding show. Staying fit keeps me healthy. Plus it keeps the ‘upstairs' sane, you know?" He tapped his head.

"When you deprive yourself of certain things, you crave them. Balance is good." Grandpa's eyes gleamed. "You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. How old are you?"

Oh, goodness.I arched an eyebrow at him, and he gave me an innocent smile.

Why did I get the sense that Grandpa was trying to tell me something? Or hinting something to Kain?

I wasn't preventing myself from anything. Just because I wasn't dating didn't mean I was neglecting my personal life. Or was I overthinking it? This was my grandfather—a man who loved the simple life was maneuvering something behind the scenes. I could feel it. I'd inquire about it later when I had him alone.

"I'm forty-six and have learned how to navigate this crazy world we live in."

Wow.He was twenty years older than me. Twenty years! I'd never been attracted to anyone that much older. My father was only fifty-eight years old.

"Why aren't you married?" Grandpa blurted out.

"Grandpa!" Heat bloomed on my face. His straightforwardness was often too much. What if there was a personal reason Kain didn't want to share? I would hate it if someone put me on the spot like that.

Kain shrugged and flicked a gaze my way. "Just waiting for the right girl." Then he switched his attention back to Grandpa. "How did you meet the love of your life?"

Grandpa smiled and told him the story of his high school sweetheart. I loved how Kain knew exactly how to steer the attention away from him.

Lunch lasted for three hours. When Kain prepared to leave, it surprised me I wanted him to stay longer.

He rubbed his flat stomach. "That meal was delicious."

How could someone eat two massive servings and a cupcake and not have even a little belly? I wanted to examine his abdomen. Did he have some kind of internal machine that broke down food and made it disappear?

I didn't have any defined abs, and mine revealed a bump when I ate two servings of anything. Where did all the food in him go?

I imagined him working out at the gym, where beads of sweat trickled down his chest, stomach, legs, and…

Oh my God, I definitely have a Kain issue.

I looked up, and he was staring down at me. My heart skipped and twirled. Something stirred in me, urging me to be closer to him.

Grandpa was busy putting the leftover food into containers, leaving Kain and me alone in the hallway. My head reached his chin. He was well over six feet tall. His finger smudged the corner of my mouth. "You have a cute little smear of food."

Heat inflamed my cheeks. How embarrassing was that?

I had no words, especially when he licked the smear from his finger. The heat from my cheeks was nothing compared to the flame in my core. Holy shit.

"I'd like to take you to dinner tonight or tomorrow night? Are you available?" His eyes intensified on me.

He was asking me out again after I had rejected him before. Confidence in a man was attractive, and my resistance wavered.

Something clanked loudly in the kitchen, and we both turned in that direction. I was about to holler to see if Grandpa needed help when he exclaimed, "Just dropped a lid. Sorry, senior moment."

I clamped a hand over my mouth, preventing a chuckle.

"I can't resist him." Kain grinned. "He cracks me up."

"He's good with people. No one can resist him," I said, still tossing his question around in my head.

"I can't resist you either." The amusement in his eyes turned into desire.

"I turned you down before. Why do you want to ask me again?"

He tucked his hands into his jean pockets. "I'm going to keep asking until you say yes. You caught my eye months ago, and I haven't stopped thinking about you. Even after you said no, I've been trying to ask you again. So when this ‘lunch' opportunity came up, I thought fate was on my side."

He had a crush on me for months? "I noticed you too. Especially the dimple. Though you are a lot older than I imagined."

"That means I have a lot to teach you." A wicked smile slid onto his lips. "Is there anything you'd like to learn? To know?"

I want to know what it's like when you kiss me.

But I was too embarrassed to say that out loud, especially when my grandfather was just around the corner, probably eavesdropping.

As though Kain understood, he leaned in and whispered, "I've imagined doing so many things to you. Give me the chance to show you." His warm breath caressed my skin, and tingles rushed through me.

Gathering myself, I touched his cheek. "You weren't the only guy who asked me out."

He grunted. "Who were they?"

I let out a laugh. "Probably no one you know."

A crease formed between his eyebrows. "Am I too late?"

"Why are you still single?"

"Like I told your grandfather, I'm waiting for the woman I want. I haven't wanted anyone as much as I want you."

His honesty warmed me, and I didn't know what to say. There was a big age gap between us. Some people might not be concerned, but I was. Kain was an experienced man. Would he get bored talking to someone like me who hadn't seen life as much as he had? Would he move on after one date? These were practical questions that any sane person would think about.

Give him one date. You have nothing to lose.

Dinner with him would restart my life in a new way. But I had a responsibility for this week. I couldn't just abandon Grandpa and go to dinner. He was my guest.

"I'd love to, but I have to tend to my?—"

A groan sounded as Grandpa strode up to us. I knew from his facial expression that he'd been eavesdropping. "My back is sore from all the cooking. I heard something about dinner? In case you're thinking about inviting me, I won't be able to make it. I'd like to stay in and watch some television tonight. You kids go and have fun."

Kain and I exchanged an amused glance as a quiet understanding passed between us. Grandpa just set me up on a date.

I didn't know how to take that.

"Thank you for the cupcakes, Kain. I'll be having one tonight." He went back to the kitchen, leaving me alone with Kain again.

"I can't believe it," I muttered.

"I can. He's a smart man. He knows what's best for her granddaughter."

"Is that so?" I didn't know why Grandpa pushed us together. Did he see something in Kain that I was oblivious to?

"Have dinner with me and find out."