Whispered Curses

I nearly spilled my coffee, I was laughing so hard.

~ Chapter 4 ~ Eric ~

* Brunch *

I'd always loved cooking for people, but didn't have many opportunities. I didn't date much, and until last night, I'd never taken a woman home on a whim.

Occasionally I've cooked for my sister Angie, or a couple of University buddies. I once cooked for my assistant when we had to work all weekend on a project, and the air-conditioning in the office was sketchy. I think it was one of the very few times I've actually surprised Patricia. Maybe even impressed her.

Cooking was something that usually held my focus, sort of a meditative task. But this morning it was hard to concentrate. I couldn't stop sneaking looks at the way Eden was smiling into her mug.

She was exquisitely beautiful, but it was so much more than that. Outwardly, she was fairly normal. She had a healthy, curvy figure with very shapely legs. The way she tossed her long brown hair around expressively made tiny reddish highlights stand out.

There was also a sense of deep quiet around her. As if she wasn’t sure she belonged out in the world or not. There was a delicate softness to her shy energy that I found fascinating.

How strange that I was absolutely taken with this adorable girl, and I didn't know a thing about her.

"So, what do you do?" I asked her.

"I'm studying English, writing, with a few media courses," she said.

"Cool. Where do you intend to go with that?"

Her sweet laugh rang out, and I looked over to see her warm brown eyes smiling at me. "I guess that's the million-dollar question," she said. "The theory is, with a broad education, I can go into anything, and follow the market. People always need writers, right?"

I nodded. "We certainly do."

"I want enough of a background so that I could write advertising copy, educational textbooks, or even ghostwrite terrible biographies for nonsense celebrities."

I chuckled. "Not keeping all your eggs in one basket. That's wise."

Her head tilted and she looked absolutely delighted by what I said. "My Nana always says that," she said.

"Then she is a wise lady," I said, flipping the eggs carefully. Then I fired her a glance from the corner of my eye. "Just a little warning, I like smart chicks."

"Chick?" she asked haughtily, then she giggled. "Yes, I know all girls in their early twenties get lumped into one category."

I shook my head, sliding the omelets onto two plates and adding slices of thick, buttery toast. "Not at all. I've seen a lot of women at all ages who are complete flakes, and a few who were extremely driven." I slid a plate in front of her. “But the same could be said for men. The only difference is the terminology. Women are chicks and flakes, whereas men are bros and sportos. Often douchebags. There doesn't seem to be a convenient term for people who work hard, have a steady life, and like having a few routines."

"Regular people?" she suggested. "That just sounds boring as beans."

I set out cutlery and a linen napkin, and Eden looked extremely impressed. "This is amazing, thank you," she said.

"You're very welcome," I said, sitting on the stool beside her.

"What do you do?" she asked.

I swallowed a bite of my toast before answering. "You know those little boys who love building things with their blocks? The ones who make towers that are bigger and bigger every time?"

Eden nodded. "Yeah."

"That's me. I liked it so much that I worked construction, then went to university to study engineering. I’m lucky enough to have a sister who is a financial and planning genius. So between the two of us, we own Two Stones. We assemble the people and teams who make buildings, and oversee the projects.”

"Wow," she said softly. "You're the head of the company?"

"I’m the CEO. Angie is the CFO." Her eyes were wide, and I didn't want to sound like I was bragging. "The two of us have both concentrated on hiring people who are smarter than us, so the head of every division is a star in their own way. That helped the company grow a bit faster than it should have, actually."

She grinned. "Do you still play with blocks?"