Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
“Are you wanting your kitchen decorated? I don’t mean to be a pest or anything, but you don’t seem to enjoy the process of choosing the necessary items that are needed,” Robin said. “I won’t be upset or offended if you were just being polite.”
“Robin, if I didn’t want my home decorated, I wouldn’t have asked you and I don’t have a single problem with telling you what I do and don’t like. Trust me. When it comes to this stuff, I don’t have a clue. It’s nothing personal, but can’t I ask you to use your best judgment? Can you decorate my home?”
“Oh,” Robin said. “I did tell you I’m not a professional and I’ve only ever done my own home.”
“And your home looks stunning.”
Robin had given him a tour of her house and he loved it. The colors were subtle and gave an air of space and light. Her home felt calm, and that is what he wanted in his own place.
“Thank you,” Robin said.
“You’re free to do whatever you need to do,” Dylan said.
“I’ll get started right away. It might take a couple of weeks, but I should warn you, you may have to get takeout, or if you’d like, I can cook for you?”
“Do you know how to cook?”
“Yes, I know how to cook. I feed myself quite well, thank you. Cheeky.”
This made his laugh.
He couldn’t recall a time when he felt so comfortable being in a woman’s company. He wasn’t going to brag, but he had always been a “catch” to women, and they often liked the idea of getting him into bed. There was nothing he could do about it. They wanted him, simple as that. He was used to the flirting.
Robin wasn’t like that. She didn’t flick her hair or giggle at everything he said, even if it was just to say he was going to the bathroom. He had experienced that before, which was a big red flag for him. He’d never wanted a woman to laugh at everything he said, or to try to please him. It was probably strange, but he wanted to get to know a woman, for her to like him for him, even if there were parts of his personality that might get on her nerves. He’d never gotten that. And he was never going to.
“I thought I should ask.”
“Well, seeing as you asked first, I’ll ask now. Can you cook?”
“Not that great. I can fry up a mean steak, some potatoes, a few bits of chicken. Give me a barbecue pit, and I’m your king. Otherwise, I’m takeout all the way, and by takeout, I mean restaurant food.”
He glanced over at her to see her wrinkling her nose.
“Nope, nope, that just sounds wrong. I can’t have Buttercup living on restaurant food.”
“It will be the best stuff,” Dylan said.
“I’ll cook. I can cook. I’m not some amazing chef, but I get by, and I can take care of you while we sort out your kitchen. What I’m thinking is we will do it a room at a time. The kitchen must be done first, in my opinion. It’s the one room that’s going to cause the most disruption, whereas you can kind of move everywhere else. You’ve got more than one bedroom, you get what I’m saying?”
“I totally do.” And even though he didn’t want anything to do with a woman, he liked the idea of being around Robin.
They entered a playing field, which he had discovered during the many walks he’d taken Buttercup. Once they were clear of the gate and he saw no one was around, he bent down and released the chain, allowing Buttercup to roam free.
He watched his dog, all the while very much aware of the woman beside him.
Chapter Three
The following day, Robin was nervous, and it was insane to be nervous. This wasn’t any kind of date, just a neighbor helping a neighbor, seeing as she was tearing out his entire kitchen. It wasn’t a big deal, and yet as the door was knocked down, she felt her heart speed up just a little bit.
Dylan had told her he wasn’t allergic to anything, and there were no dislikes he could think of. She’d gone for basic—spaghetti, tomato sauce, and meatballs. There was no way she could go wrong with meatballs, they were like the best thing ever.
She might have a bit of a love affair with them, seeing as she tried to eat them at least once a week. And now she can, seeing as she didn’t have anyone nagging her about her weight, or how childish they were. Her ex was a real piece of work, and she couldn’t believe how long it had taken her to grasp the kind of man he was. Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she walked to the front door, and there were Buttercup and Dylan.