Worth Waiting For (3 page)

Brock’s stomach
rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since he’d stopped for breakfast on his way to the
harbor. Jimmy had told him he was leaving him everything in the pantry, too. He
walked over to it and opened the door. He hadn’t gotten much of a deal here
either. Total takings included one can of corn, one can of tuna, oh and yeah, a
stack of take-out menus.

He was down to his
last $150. He paced back to the window. He’d go to the supermarket…and, he’d
met a lady with a restaurant. Better to check that out first, right?

Chapter Two

Kate sat in her
office and worked on the new schedule. Since David’s sudden departure from not
only her life but the restaurant, too, they’d been short one colleague. She’d
picked up more of the chores, prepared vegetables, waited on tables, but she
really needed to hire someone in case she or another worker got sick or even
quit. It was the last thing she really wanted to do as the budget was already
stretched to the max. However, what was the old saying?
 
You have to spend money to make money?

“This all looks
really nice.”

She looked up from
her notebook. Something about that deep male voice sounded familiar. She stood
and peeked around the corner into the restaurant. It was him…her new neighbor.
He was studying a menu while Jenine, one of the waitresses, filled his glass
with water.

Kate tried to duck
back behind the door before Brock saw her.

Too
late.
He was looking her way before she’d had
time to take cover.

Shit, she was
blushing like a school girl with a crush.

He waved to her.

She reluctantly
lifted her hand to wave back.

Now that he wasn’t
soaking wet, he looked every more gorgeous in his white shirt, and by the look
of things, jeans. He’d brushed his hair back, which made his cheekbones stand
out even more.

Stop it, because the last thing you need is to get mixed up with
another man.

Jenine walked over to
her, carrying the water jug.

“Have you been
introduced to your new neighbor yet?” she asked.

“Yes, yes, we met
earlier this afternoon.”

“If I wasn’t a
happily married woman, that’s the type of guy I’d go after. Kate, I think
somebody up there likes you.” She pointed to the ceiling. “I mean your husband walks
out a few months ago and then this Greek God moves in next door. If the
universe isn’t trying to tell you something, then I don’t know what else it has
to do.”

Jenine continued
toward the kitchen without giving Kate a chance to tell her she wasn’t getting
involved with her new neighbor or anyone of the male species for a long time,
if ever.
Once bitten, twice shy. Get back
to your work.

Kate’s feet felt like
they were glued to the floor. Why couldn’t she move one leg in front of the
other and head back into her office? If she stood here any longer doing
absolutely nothing, would he think she was standing there for the sole purpose
of ogling him? If the tables were turned, she knew she would.

She glanced over at
him again. He
was
like a movie star. One
that made her nipples pinch and pull, one that made her panties wet….
He’s perfect for me.
But that’s what
they’d all said about David and look how that had turned out.

***

Brock pretended he
was studying the menu but every so often he glanced over at the entrance to the
dining room.

Yep, she was still
standing there. Was she even prettier tonight or was it the subdued lighting? Her
hair was out of its ponytail. The dark locks hung around her shoulders. Kate
wore a sexy black and white halter dress, not too short but about the ideal
length to show off those gorgeous, tanned legs of hers.

He took a sip of
water but that didn’t cool him down.
 
The
heat radiated up from his lower half. Maybe he should pour the whole glass full,
ice and all, onto his crotch. He took another swallow and casually peeked over
the rim of the glass at her. Still there, still looking fantastic. He’d like to
get her between his sheets tonight.
 

That reminded him, he
needed to buy some. Shit, he’d already spent $120 at the supermarket, and this
meal… how much were sheets anyway? He really was out of touch with how much
things cost and how far money went. He’d never had to worry about it before.

Brock looked at her
again.
Go on, Brock. Live dangerously.
He
beckoned her over.

She pointed to
herself with her index finger.

He nodded. Brock took
two fast gulps of water as she approached his table.
Forget about sheets. Just on top of the bed would suit me fine, too.

“Glad to see you’re
checking out the restaurant.” She rested both hands on top of the chair
opposite him.

He hadn’t looked
before but he did now. Nope, no wedding band, although it looked like she’d
worn one recently, because of the white line running around her finger.
Woman on the rebound…best
kind to get in the sack.

Brock glanced down at
his crotch. He hoped she couldn’t see his erection from where she stood. He
threw his napkin over his lap just in case. “So you and your husband own this
place?”

It’s only me. My
husband and I are separated.”

Hope she didn’t see me smile.
“Sorry to
hear that.”
Yeah, like hell I am.
“Everything
on this menu sounds mouthwatering, so I thought I’d ask your advice.”
And
no suggestions over $15
if that’s
possible. I’m now on a tight budget.

She leaned toward him
to flip over one of the pages on the menu.

Did she know the
front of her dress had slipped slightly away from her body? She wasn’t wearing
a bra. He couldn’t help noting she had a mole on the top of her left breast.

“One thing I
especially like is the fisherman’s stew.” She pointed to the section that listed
fish entrees.

$14.99.
Guess I won’t be buying sheets anytime soon.
“Sounds good, but what would be your second choice?” He casually
moved the menu a tad toward him so she’d have to lean over some more.

“I can definitely
recommend the shrimp tacos.”

“And where would they
be on the menu?”

“Down there.”

He’d seen them
already but knew she’d have to bend over a tad more to point them out. Yeah, he
was being so naughty, but he might not get a view like this for a while. After
all, he had a living to make and ladies were off limits.
Maybe.

Brock almost wanted
to whistle when the dress fell away again, but was distracted by the menu.
Holy shit.
The tacos were $2 more than the stew. “I think
I’ll try that fisherman’s stew.”

“Great choice and
that does come with a house salad, so what dressing would you like?”

“Blue
cheese.”

“Okay, I’ll get your
order in straightaway. Can I get you anything besides water to drink?”

Brock shook his head.
He was dying for a beer but couldn’t afford one. How sad was that? Guess his
old man would be rolling around on the floor laughing if he knew that. “Nope,
water’s fine.”

He handed her the menu,
and she turned and walked toward the kitchen. All he could do was sip his water
and try his best not to gaze at her ass.

***

Wow, that had been
uncomfortable. When she’d first approached the table she couldn’t help but
notice the huge bulge in his pants. She’d tried her best not to look, but he’d
obviously caught her peeking when he’d thrown the napkin across his lap. It
wasn’t hard to miss that he had an erection.

And she’d been
foolish enough to fall for the
where are
the shrimp tacos on the menu
trick. At first she wasn’t aware he’d moved
the menu toward him so she had to bend over some more. But she’d glanced down
to see her nipples on full display and caught on that her dress had fallen away
from her body.
That will teach you about
not wearing a bra.

She’d remained cool,
hadn’t panicked, and carried on like nothing was amiss. Kate guessed she
wouldn’t be wrong in assuming she’d been the cause of that erection of his.
Okay, that was somewhat flattering seeing how cute he was and probably could
have his pick of women.

She sat down in the kitchen.
Yeah, stay in here where all the steam should
cool you off
. Shit, he was so good looking, and that body. If she didn’t
keep her wits about her, he could very easily talk her into going to bed with
him and that was the last thing she needed.

She ran her hand
through her hair. Her panties were soaked from standing at the table a foot
away from him. In fact, she might have to go upstairs and change her underwear.

“Kate.”

She jumped. She
hadn’t heard Jenine approaching her.

“You okay, honey? You
look like I scared you.”

“I was miles away.”

“It’s your neighbor.
He wants to talk to you.”

Trouble with a capital T. Hope it’s not to complain about the
fisherman’s stew.
“Did he say what he wanted?”

“Only
that he needs to ask you a favor.
Maybe he wants
to borrow a cup of sugar.” She winked.

“Okay, I’ll be right
there.”

Kate stood and vowed
that if he wanted anything pointed out, like the best desserts on the menu,
she’d kneel beside him and not lean this time.
Fool me once
….

She headed back out
to the restaurant, noting he was finishing the last of his stew. In fact, he
was soaking up the red liquid with a chunk of bread and swirling it around the
side of the bowl. “Jenine said you wanted to talk to me.”

“First
of all, great choice with the stew.
My compliments to the chef.”

“Thank you. I’ll let
him know.”

“Secondly, I don’t
have any sheets for my bed. I was wondering if you had some you could lend me. I’ll
wash and return them when I get a chance to buy my own.”

Wow, that had thrown
her. An image of his bed and him in it had started the whole lusting thing all
over again. “Sure. I’ll go see what I can rustle up for you. If you want to
meet me out there by the stairs, I’ll pop up to my apartment.”

“Hey, have you heard
there’s a big storm moving in tonight?” asked Jenine as she moved in to pick up
Brock’s empty and very clean bowl.

“You better make sure
your boat’s anchored securely. It can get pretty rough out there,” said Kate.

“Thanks for telling
me. I probably should get going and check that out while there’s still some
daylight left.”

“I’ll go get those
sheets for you.”

***

Brock checked out the
photos by the stairs. Looked like the restaurant or at least the building in
which it was housed had been around since the late eighteen hundreds. Even a
few black and white shots hung on the wall. A branch tapping the window caught
his attention, and he glanced outside. It was getting darker by the minute, and
by the look of the restaurant’s sign, which was flapping back and forth, the
wind had picked up, too.

Kate had been
upstairs for the last fifteen minutes. Maybe she couldn’t find any spare
sheets.

He wanted to get back
to the boat to make sure it was securely moored. He hoped she wouldn’t mind him
going up the stairs to find her.

By the time he got to
the top, he heard her crying. He followed the sobs. It sounded like her heart was
breaking. Maybe she’d gotten a phone call with bad news or something. He didn’t
want to impose, so he crept along the hallway. The door, to what he assumed was
her bedroom, was half open and there she sat on the bed, holding what looked
like a tablecloth on her lap.

He’d never known
anyone get that emotional over one before, but maybe something else had set her
off. She had her head down in her hands and even from the hallway he could see
her shoulders bobbing up and down with each sob.

Brock wasn’t sure
what to do. His instinct told him to go comfort her, see what her tears were
about, but he hardly knew her. And on top of that, she hadn’t invited him up to
her living area. This was private. He was intruding in her space and in her
inner sanctum where she found it obviously safe and necessary to sit on her bed
and have a good cry.

He’d forget about the
sheets and get them some other time. He’d sleep on the mattress tonight and
throw his jacket over him, no big deal. As he turned to go back downstairs a
floorboard squeaked under his left foot. Damn, he didn’t want to seem like a
nosy neighbor so he hurried along the hallway and took the stairs down two at a
time.