Griff’s brows knitted together. “I thought you were divorced.”
“I am.”
“And your ex never cooked?”
She shook her head. “He was very skilled at picking up take out, though.”
“How about you? Did you cook a lot when you were in New York?”
“Not really. We were both working crazy hours building up the business. A lot of our meetings took place over dinner.”
He speared a piece of ham with his fork. “Do you miss New York?”
“Not yet.” She shrugged, biting into the crisp toast. “Maybe I will in a few weeks, but right now I’m liking it here.”
“I’m liking that you like it here.” His eyes caught hers.
A flash of warmth washed through her. “What time are you taking the boat out today?”
“I’m not. Today’s an admin day.” He lifted his coffee cup. “Usually I hate them, but it’s starting out pretty good.”
“I love admin.”
“That’s not possible.”
She laughed at his outraged expression. “It’s true. I like being organized. I get a thrill when I tick something off my to-do-list.”
“Maybe you can do mine. I’ll go surfing instead.” He winked at her.
“I could help. What do you need to do?”
He tipped his head to the side, looking at her through thick lashes. “It’s boring stuff. I need to get some numbers together to refinance the boat. I need to raise a bit of cash to make some repairs.”
“Oh, I love numbers.” Her eyes lit up. ?
??And spreadsheets. Do you have spreadsheets?”
He laughed at the excited expression on her face. “Yeah. Really big ones. But it’s okay, I can do it this morning. Then I’ll treat myself with a surf this afternoon.”
“Maybe I’ll come and watch you do that instead. You look hot in board shorts.”
“You should come with me. I’ll teach you.”
“To surf?” Her eyes widened. “Oh no. You don’t want to see that.”
“Yeah I really do.” He leaned across to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “I want to see you on a board. Come on, I’ll make it fun. I promise.”
“I’ve never surfed.”
“I’m a patient teacher.” His smile widened. “And we both know you’re strong enough. I’ve seen the muscles in your legs. I’ll even let you play with my numbers if you’d like.”
She laughed and shook her head, watching as his eyes danced with amusement. “Okay, but I’ve got the feeling you’re getting the better end of the deal.”
“It’s a win-win.” He sipped his coffee. “Come on, let’s get some work done, then I’ll meet you at the beach.”
* * *
He swallowed hard as she pulled her t-shirt over her head, then unbuttoned her cut-offs and climbed out of them, and tried really hard not to ogle her. Autumn Paxton could rock a swimsuit better than any woman he’d seen.