How the hell was she going to adapt to living in this place? At the moment she had the best of both worlds. She was living two lives, the only compromise being her energy levels. Like him, she’d been totally committed to her job. Until she’d met Jackson.
What would happen when she’d been here awhile? One day she’d wake up and realize what she’d sacrificed and then the resentment would start. Slowly at first, but then building into a dangerous ball of regret and bitterness.
Jackson flipped the lid of the laptop shut. “Goodbye, Sean, great seeing you. Drop by again sometime. Preferably Christmas.”
“I could join you for dinner.”
“Dinner is going to be takeout pizza in bed. You’re not invited.” Jackson walked across to Kayla, hauled her against him and kissed her soundly.
“Pizza?” Sean shuddered. “That’s the best you can do when you’re trying to impress a woman in bed?”
“We’re carb loading to give us energy.”
Sean decided to have some fun. “I could do with some carb loading after all the energy I expended on your deck. Want me to order?”
Jackson lifted his mouth from Kayla’s long enough to shoot him a threatening glance. “I thought pizza was beneath you?”
“Suddenly I feel like eating dinner with you. Brotherly bonding.”
Kayla eased out of Jackson’s arms. “What a perfect idea.”
Jackson scowled. “What’s perfect about it?”
“Sean is welcome to stay for dinner.” Kayla walked over to Sean, a mischievous smile on her face. “I’d like you to, really. Forget pizza, I’ll cook something special. Something you’ll never forget. I insist. It’s been a while since I spent any time in a kitchen but I think I can remember where it is.”
The two brothers exchanged glances.
Jackson grinned and folded his arms. “Great idea. Stay for dinner, Sean. Kayla will cook.”
It was an ongoing joke that Kayla’s significant abilities didn’t extend to the kitchen and Sean backed toward the stairs, hands raised.
“Hey, my specialty is orthopedics, not toxicology.”
“Are you insulting my wife-to-be?”
“No. I’m insulting her cooking.”
“I’m wounded—” Kayla batted her eyelids. “And I was going to cook you something extra special. An experiment.”
“All right, you win. I’ll leave the two of you alone. Watching you together puts me off my food, anyway.”
Leaving them to focus on each other he showered, borrowed another shirt from Jackson’s room and then pulled out the bags of food he’d bought earlier, along with a bottle of chilled wine.
Kayla looked at the wine and the bags of food. “Where are you taking those?”
Sean paused. If he told them he was planning on seeing Élise they’d turn it into something more. “Thought I’d have a picnic.” It sounded as ridiculous to him as it obviously did to his brother.
“Yeah,” Jackson drawled, “because we all know what a ‘picnic’ person you are. Nothing you like more than ants in your food and mud on your pants.”
“I never said anything about ants or mud. I’ll see you both later.” Ignoring the sarcasm, Sean strolled to the door. He opened it, thinking he’d got away with it when Kayla’s voice stopped him.
“Why don’t you just call Élise and book a table in the restaurant? She’d be happy to cook you something, I’m sure.” The words were innocent enough but something in her tone made him glance over his shoulder at the woman who would soon be his sister-in-law.
Jackson frowned. “He can’t do that. It’s Élise’s night off.”
Sean’s eyes met Kayla’s.
She smiled.