Cookies for Courting (5 page)

After Pace’s mother died, things changed. His father remarried a younger woman who was more materialistic than Pace’s mother had ever been. Pace adored Sharla; she was a sweet woman who took good care of his dad, but she and Pace had little in common. He didn’t care about shopping unless art supplies were involved, and she’d made it her life’s work. She’d love Marshall’s cold condo. It was decorated similarly to the one she shared with Pace’s father.

Pace banished his dislike of the building. Now wasn’t the time to think about his family. Now was the time to concentrate on a little girl’s bedroom and how he was going to paint her a mural while resisting the urge to screw her uncle. Marshall Hunter was the sexiest thing Pace had ever seen, and after he finished his work, he planned to seduce the gorgeous businessman out of his designer suit.

He daydreamed during his elevator ride, and before he knew it, he was knocking on the door. He waited.

Ilona opened the door.

“Hello, Pace,” she said, motioning him forward.

“Is Alice ready for me?” A quick e-mail flurry between him and Marshall had resulted in Pace promising to do a sketch of the project, to be approved before beginning. He wanted to work with Alice to get the final look. As far as he was concerned, Alice was his true client. Although it was Saturday, Marshall had said he’d be working from home.

“Yes, she’s been bouncing around the condo all afternoon. I haven’t seen her this excited before.”

Pace smiled. He liked that she was eager to have her room painted. He’d dealt with clients before who just wanted to finish. They didn’t enjoy the process.

“Hi, Pace!” Alice said. A wide grin revealed a neat row of white teeth. There was definitely a sparkle in her eyes that had been missing before.

“Hi, Alice. How’s my favorite client? Are you ready to pick your perfect castle?”

“I’m ready.” Alice’s hair was pulled back into a braid. Pace missed her bouncy pigtails from yesterday.

“I made some more sketches last night based on the castle you liked best.” Pace followed her to her bedroom and took a seat on the floor. “I have several here for you to choose from.”

Alice promptly sat down cross-legged across from him. “Show me!” she demanded.

Pace smiled and opened his portfolio. Grinning, he pulled out his sketches and spread them out as he had the day before. Pace wanted Alice to have the mural of her dreams.

A loud gasp followed the display of artwork.

“Wow! They’re so pretty.” She carefully pulled a few pictures out of the stack and scooted them closer. She examined them more closely than any art critic had ever scrutinized one of his paintings.

“I’m glad you like them.” Pace squirmed as she continued to stare at his sketches. He’d used colored pencils to give her a better idea of how the final mural would look. He pulled out a sketchpad from his folder. “We can combine a few of them if you like. Pick out a couple, and we’ll rework it.”

He wanted Alice to feel some ownership over her mural. If she helped choose a few of the details, she would enjoy it more.

There were four large sketches and a dozen smaller. Castles, dragons, knights, and villages sprawled out across the papers. He had a good idea of the style she wanted from her choice the other day, but he needed to pin down the details.

“What do we have here?” Ilona asked, entering the room.

“I wanted to give her several things to choose from.” Each castle was different from the one before. They all had a fairy-tale feel to them but in different ways.

Ilona walked over to the small table and placed a large plate of cookies and two glasses of milk on the child’s table in the corner. “Alice, pick out two that you like, and your uncle can help you decide when he gets a break.”

Alice nodded. “Okay, Ilona.”

He was unsure of the protocol with such a young client, but Ilona’s statement made sense. After all, he couldn’t start without proper authorization anyway.

After careful consideration, Alice chose two. The first was a pink castle with flowing lines. It had an array of knights and dragons and princesses in lacy gowns across the front. The second one she chose surprised Pace. He’d only drawn it for his own amusement. He’d enjoyed the purely medieval look it had, and the king bore a striking resemblance to Alice’s Uncle Marshall.

“These two,” Alice said. “And these knights, oh, and this dragon.”

She plucked the papers off of the floor and handed them over.

“Well, we can certainly combine them,” Pace said, “if you can tell me what you like about each one.”

For the next ten minutes, Pace sketched out a new castle, added the two drawings Alice liked and included all of the elements they discussed. When he was done, Alice squealed with delight.

“That’s perfect! I want that castle!” Alice pointed imperiously.

“Well, we’ll see what your uncle has to say. I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it, though.” After all, Marshall was hiring Pace to draw a castle. He doubted the man would care what the castle looked like.

“Now that you’ve finished, have a cookie.” Ilona pointed to the tray. “They are my famous Courting Cookies.”

“Courting Cookies?” Pace raised an eyebrow at Ilona. “Who am I courting?”

Ilona shrugged. “It is a recipe from my husband’s family. They all have weird names, but they taste amazing.”

“Huh.” Pace stood up and approached the platter. Oatmeal raisin cookies were piled high. They smelled of cinnamon, raisins, and comfort. “Those look really good.”

“They’re better than chocolate.” Alice said in a whisper as if sharing a big secret.

“You don’t say?” Pace said, playing along.

Alice nodded.

“Hmm.” Pace picked one off the tray, then bit into the cookie. Flavors exploded across his taste buds. So good. If anyone asked, he wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint what made the cookies so delicious. He just knew it was the best thing he’d ever eaten. “These are amazing.”

“You’re supposed to chew them,” Ilona said.

Pace grabbed a glass of milk and swallowed it down. “No, I think you’re supposed to inhale these. These are the best cookies I’ve ever had.”

Ilona blushed. “Sweet talker.”

“No, I’m serious, these are incredible.” Pace grabbed another one. If he kept this up, he was going to eat the whole damn tray and he’d have to jog home instead of taking the bus. Cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar, and what he thought were pecans combined with the texture of oatmeal. He held back an inappropriate moan. Certain noises shouldn’t be made in the presence of eight-year-old girls.

Ilona laughed. “I’ll pack you some to take home.”

“You’re my new best friend,” Pace said with an over-the-top batting of his eyelashes.

Alice giggled. “You’re funny.”

“I’m glad you think so. Ilona, is there somewhere Alice can sleep while I’m painting her room? It wouldn’t be good for her to breathe in all those fumes.”

“She can sleep in guest room. How long will it take?”

Pace examined his latest drawing. “If there aren’t any substantial changes, four to six weeks.”

No other projects had to be finished anytime soon. He could focus all his energy on Alice’s mural.

“I don’t want to sleep anywhere else,” Alice said, her face set in a petulant pout.

“Trust me, sweetie, you don’t want to be breathing in paint.”

“Fine.” Alice scowled at him as if he were the one responsible for her inconvenience.

“Or you could just not have a mural,” Marshall said, walking into the room. “I won’t have you giving my artist a hard time because he’s doing his job.”

Pace’s heart skipped a beat at the phrase “my artist.” He took another bite of cookie, and heat exploded across his body. It took all of his restraint not to throw himself at Marshall. Damn, the man looked good even in Saturday casual wear of loose jeans and a polo.

Alice immediately dropped her attitude. “I’m sorry, Pace,” she said, blinking at him with her big green eyes.

Pace almost choked on his new bite of cookie. Girls learned young how to twist men around their fingers. “Apology accepted.”

He managed to speak through his lust over her uncle, but it was a difficult task. Concentrating on the details of the mural distracted him enough to get his body back under his control.

Ilona slipped out of the room.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here when you first showed up,” Marshall said. “My phone conference ran long. I hate it when investors don’t listen to your advice, then complain because their investments tank.”

Pace smiled sympathetically. “I bet that’s frustrating.”

“It can be, but every job has its downside. How are you two doing here?” He waved a hand to indicate the drawings.

“I did a preliminary sketch, and if you’re okay with it, Alice wants this castle.” Pace tilted his sketchpad to show what he’d drawn.

Marshall walked over to the sketch. He ran an assessing gaze over all the choices on the floor before returning his attention to the one Pace had on his sketchpad. “This is the one you want?” he asked Alice.

Alice nodded.

“Do you think you can get this on those two walls?” Marshall asked Pace, indicating the far corner of the room. Not even a Hello Kitty poster or a picture of any kind graced that area.

Pace nodded. “Joyce told me where it was supposed to go. However with this version, I think it would have more of a punch if it were across all three walls. The castle across the back wall and the village spreading out onto the other two at least halfway across. But I will do it however you like. If you take my suggestion, it will take at least six weeks to finish.”

Marshall stared at the space, then turned his gaze to Pace. “Well, you’re the expert. If that’s what you think we should do, then that’s what we’ll do. What do you think, Alice?”

Alice smiled. “I like Pace’s idea.”

“I can start next week, if that’s convenient,” Pace told Marshall.

“Do you have a contract for me to sign?” Marshall asked.

“Not with me. I’ll be sure to e-mail it to you. That way if there’s any problem, you can call and let me know.”

“Good, good.” Marshall picked up a cookie and took a bite.

As he chewed, his eyes darkened, and the flare of need in his eyes melted some of Pace’s resolve. Pace smiled at the brief moan Marshall quickly cut off. They exchanged amused glances. Apparently, they both really liked oatmeal cookies.

Shaking himself out of his daze, Pace offered his hand to shake. “I’ll see you in a few days.” He had to order his supplies, but he knew of a company who would ship them next day for free if the order amount was over five hundred.

He pushed away the thought of how nice Marshall’s hands felt against his and how much he wanted to pull the sexy man closer and inhale whatever amazing cologne he wore.

“I’ll see you.” Marshall’s deep voice promised more than a business arrangement when they met again.

Pace’s cock perked up at the idea. Stupid body. Before he could do anything to scar the eight-year-old for life, Pace left the room and headed down the hall. He stopped when Ilona called his name. He turned around to see what she wanted.

Ilona smiled. “Don’t forget your cookies.” She held up a plastic bag filled with the little gems.

Pace gratefully accepted the treat and gave Ilona kiss on the cheek. “I’ve never had better cookies in my life.”

“They’ll help you attract your man.”

“Then they must be magic cookies.” Pace laughed.

“Oh, they are,” Ilona said with a mysterious smile.

He didn’t know how to respond to that so he patted her on the shoulder, then left the condo, his emotions swirling. He had resisted the urge to jump Marshall Hunter. He wondered how long his resolve could last.

M
ARSHALL
WATCHED
Pace leave. The man had a body Marshall would love to see stripped naked and spread across his sheets.

“I like him,” Alice announced.

“I like him too.” They exchanged grins, in synch for the first time since Alice had come to live with him.

His phone chimed. Marshall pulled it out of his pocket. “Oh cr-cookies.” Marshall stumbled over his words after a quick glance at his interested niece. “Be right back, sweetie. I have to talk to Ilona.”

“Okay.” Alice turned her attention to Pace’s whimsical drawing.

Marshall had high hopes that she would have the castle of her dreams. It wouldn’t make up for the loss of her mother or any of the trauma she’d experienced, but if it brought a smile to her face, it was worth any amount.

He hurried down the hall to talk to Ilona before she left.

“Ilona, I have a problem,” Marshall said. “I know it isn’t right of me to ask, but I forgot about a formal charity event I have to go to tonight. My company is one of the sponsors, and it’s too late to find a replacement. Would you mind?”

Ilona nodded. “I will stay the night.”

“Thank you. I don’t think it’s supposed to go past midnight, but I wouldn’t want you going home that late anyway.”

“No problem, Mr. Hunter. I will sleep in guest room.”

Relief swept through Marshall. “I’ll pay you a bonus for this.”

“Yes, you will.” Ilona nodded curtly. “You need to find new nanny.”

“I will. Maybe you should help hire her.”

“Me?” Ilona’s dark eyes widened. “Why me?”

“Because I trust your judgment and I bet you had Georgia pegged before she put on the bright red lipstick and too-short shorts.”

When he’d first seen the ex-nanny, she’d been dressed appropriately in comfortable jeans and a nice T-shirt, the perfect outfit for taking care of a young girl. It had only taken two days before her real nature came out. Marshall should’ve fired her on the spot.

“I will help,” Ilona said after a minute. “We will find someone good. I am too old to chase little girl around.”

“I know, Ilona.” Marshall smiled at his housekeeper. She’d been with him for several years, and she was one of his best employees. When she’d lost her husband a few years before, Marshall had paid for the funeral. Ilona’s husband had been a sweet man who always smiled when he picked Ilona up.

“Go get dressed.” Ilona pushed him down the hall.