A genuine smile lit her face. “It will be ready soon.”
So, she had a chef working in the kitchen.
A moment later she pushed back from the table, startling Jake. “If you’ll excuse me a moment,” she said, then she stood.
He stood as well, wondering where she was going. His question was answered when she walked through a doorway that led to the butler’s pantry that went on to the kitchen.
How rude was she to leave him alone at the table so that she could micromanage the chef? Shaking his head as he sat back down, when he heard her returning, he forced the frown from his face. And when he saw her carrying two small plates filled with green salads, he didn’t know what to think. Was there no one to do the serving?
Slightly confused, Jake kept his thoughts to himself, focusing on the food the pop princess placed in front of him. She didn’t comment as she set her own plate down, settled back in her seat, then picked up her fork and gently stabbed the dark green lettuce.
“What did you do today?” she asked before lifting the fork to her lips and pushing the lettuce inside.
His eyes lingered on her lips, which he noticed were full and perfectly shaped. Kissable, even. Remembering who she was—an annoying client—and who he was—the employee—he snapped his eyes to hers and focused on the question. “I have a few suggestions on ways to improve security.”
She nodded, then gave his untouched salad a meaningful look.
He took the hint and began eating, occasionally punctuating his bites with the things he wanted to change, including adding a panic button in her bedroom. “If you press it, it will set off an alarm in the apartment over the garage as well as send an alert to an app on my phone.”
She nodded like she was impressed. “Sounds like a good idea.”
Relieved she hadn’t argued about any of the changes he wanted to make, he finished his salad, and when their plates were empty, she stood once again, then lifted their plates from the table and carried them toward the kitchen.
Okay. This was ridiculous. And kind of embarrassing for her to serve him. Although he had to admit he kind of liked it after what he’d gone through on her behalf. Still, the least he could do was help her carry the dinner plates from the kitchen to the dining room. He stood and went into the kitchen where he found her taking a casserole out of the oven and placing it on the massive island.
She looked up, and when their eyes met, she smiled. “I hope you like lasagna.”
He glanced around the beautifully appointed kitchen. “Where’s the chef?”
Her smile grew and then she laughed. The sound was light and musical and Jake realized it was the first time he’d heard her laugh.
“You’re looking at her,” she said with a bright smile before placing a large helping of lasagna on one of the plates and a smaller helping on the other.
“Oh.” Why hadn’t it occurred to him that she was the one who had made dinner? Oh yeah. Because he thought she was a pretentious celebrity. Hmm. Maybe he’d misjudged her. A little. “And yes.”
She set a perfectly browned loaf of French bread onto the counter and looked at him quizzically. “Yes, what?”
Now it was his turn to smile. “Yes. I like lasagna.”
Chapter Ten
Chloe could tell that Jake had been caught off guard to discover that she was the one who had made dinner. Obviously, he’d believed she was one of those celebrities who had a personal chef at her beck and call. It pleased her to have knocked down that stereotype. Maybe Beth had been right in suggesting she invite Jake to have a meal with her. Maybe he would have a better impression of her now. Maybe.
They carried their plates into the dining room and once again took their seats.
“So,” he said, “you like to cook.”
She nodded. “Yes. It helps me relax. I just have to follow the instructions and somehow the dish always turns out right.” Unlike her music, which she could spend days on only to discard all of her work when the music didn’t sound the way she’d heard it in her head. “What about you?” she asked. “What do you do to relax?”
He swallowed the bite of lasagna he’d been chewing, then set his fork down. “It might sound trite, but working out helps me burn through my frustrations.”
No wonder he looked so ripped. Not that she’d been admiring his body. Well, maybe a little. How could she not when he was so hot?
Wanting to get her mind off of his muscular biceps and six-pack abs, she said, “Did Beth show you the gym?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Nice set up.”
“You’re welcome to use it.”
His eyebrows rose, like he was surprised she was offering him the use of her personal gym. “That’s very generous of you.” He paused a beat. “When do you usually work out? I mean, I don’t want to infringe on your time.”
She laughed. “I don’t use it.”
“Really?”
When his gaze slid to her trim waist, she unconsciously sucked in her already flat stomach. “I don’t really enjoy working out.”
He tilted his head. “Then why put in such a fancy gym?”
“It came with the house.” As did pretty much everything that was fancy about it. The only thing she cared about was her music room, her recording studio, and the kitchen. Those rooms were what sold her on the place. Well, she’d had the recording studio built, but the space where she’d put it had been perfect. The rest of the amenities the place offered she just accepted as part of the package.
Jake nodded. “Fair enough.”
The pop princess was surprising him more and more. First, he’d discovered that she liked to cook—turned out she was good at it too. Then he found out that she wasn’t one of those vain celebrities who spent hours in the gym—although she looked like she did. What other secrets did she have? He suddenly had a great desire to find out.
“Do you want more lasagna?” she asked as she eyed his empty plate.
Chuckling, he nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
She stood, picking up his plate as she rose. “I’ll be right back with more.”
He watched her go, smiling at the idea that his boss was serving him—and cooking for him.
Wait a minute, he suddenly thought. Why is she doing this? From his interactions with her since meeting her the day before, he hadn’t gotten the vibe from her that she was the serving kind. What was her real motive?
She was back and she set his plate in front of him. Steam from the lasagna curled upward and the delicious scent of oregano made his mouth water. “Thanks.”
She smiled as she slid into her chair.
Should he dig deeper? Try to discover her ulterior motive for feeding him? His gaze fell to the food on his plate. What if his question offended her and she took his food away?
Suppressing a grin, he forked a large piece of lasagna, the soft noodle surrounded by cheese and meat easily giving way.
Before asking any questions of the pop princess, he would eat.
Chloe watched as Jake savored his lasagna, a feeling of satisfaction sweeping over her. The meal was going well so far, much to her relief. She’d been worried that he would be suspicious of her reasons for inviting him to join her, but he seemed too wrapped up in his food to notice. And he seemed to be warming to her.