Page 14 of Chasing the Sun

She yanked the T-shirt over her head and pulled a bra off the shelf. A minute later, she entered the kitchen.

“Here she is, Daddy!” Molly said cheerfully.

“Good morning,” Bryce said with what looked like a smirk. “I take it you slept well?”

Yes, she decided, it was definitely a smirk. “I slept wonderfully. Thank you.”

“Well, you’re just in time. Everything’s ready.”

“You can sit by me, Miss Chloe.”

Chloe smiled and sat in the seat Molly pointed to. It was only when Bryce started bringing things to the table that she remembered her manners. “Do you need any help?” she asked and started to get back up.

“No thanks. Molly and I have it covered.”

She relaxed then and inhaled the comforting aroma of pancakes, syrup, and bacon.

“Coffee or orange juice?” Bryce asked after he’d set down a plate stacked with pancakes.

“Orange juice,” she replied. “I don’t drink coffee.”

“Me either!” Molly said, and they all laughed.

Bryce leaned over to pour Chloe a glass of juice, and she caught a whiff of another enticing aroma—pure male hotness. She glanced up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She wasn’t sure whether it was the food, the company, or both, but she couldn’t recall ever having a better breakfast.

“That was delicious,” she said after she’d scooped up her last bite of pancake.

“Molly helped,” Bryce said, winking at her over Molly’s head.

The wink did nothing to curb her libido, but she turned to Molly and said, “Thank you, Molly. Those were some of the best pancakes I’ve ever had.”

Before Bryce could stop her, she stood up and gathered their empty plates. So far, he hadn’t let her do anything, and she was his employee. It seemed backward somehow.

He started to protest, but she shot him a look. She must have made her point, because he clamped his mouth shut and sat back down.

Then Lucy wandered in, and Molly immediately scooped her up and took her into the living room. Soon Chloe heard the high-pitched sounds of a cartoon on TV.

Bryce stayed at the table, sipping his coffee and watching her move around the kitchen. His silence was unnerving, and she wondered what he was thinking. She tried to focus on loading the dishwasher, but that created another worry. If she leaned over too far, he might be able to see down her shirt, but if she turned her back to him, her butt would be in his face. She opted for facing him since she didn’t have that much to show anyway. Plus, he shouldn’t even be looking.

A man like him could land any woman he wanted, and she couldn’t imagine he’d be interested in her. Not only was she his employee, but she was younger and less sophisticated than him.

When she looked up from the dishwasher, he was staring right at her with a strange look on his face. He cleared his throat and quickly looked out the window like there was something important to see.

All that remained on the table was the syrup bottle, and it sat right in front of him. While part of her wanted to escape to the safety of her room, the sassy part of her wanted to test her theory. Besides, it would be silly to leave the syrup sitting there after she’d cleaned up everything else.

She walked over to the table, wishing the floor would creak to announce her presence, but he didn’t look up until she was practically right on top of him. On top of him…hmm…

“I’ll put this away,” she said as she snatched the bottle off the table.

“Thanks,” he said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Was he as flustered as she was? No. Couldn’t be.

“Do you need anything else before I get ready to leave?”