“They’re just in here in the kitchen.” The woman, who had a grandmotherly vibe about her, smiled. “That looks delicious. I’ll have to steal a bite.”
“Oh, please do, there’s plenty.”
The fragrant smell of Mexican food tickled her nostrils, and her stomach growled. She’d been so busy baking today, she hadn’t eaten.
The woman stepped into the kitchen ahead of her, shielding Kristen initially. “Blake? You have a visitor.”
The conversation died down as Kristen stepped into the room. A group of about five men and one woman in uniform were gathered around the food, plates in hand as they dished up dinner.
Her stomach flipped as all eyes swept to her. Her gaze slid to Blake, whose attention had honed in on her like a laser-guided missile. Surprise and something hotter gathered in his blue gaze.
Oh God, this had just gotten weird. She was like that obsessed girlfriend who showed up at her new boyfriend’s office. Only Blake wasn’t her boyfriend. She just wanted to sleep with him.
“Kristen?”
“Hi.” She lifted the plate. “I brought pie.”
And that had to be the lamest statement ever.
“I’m sorry,” she rushed on. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”
“Pie?” One of the men, probably in his late fifties, grinned. “You might just be my favorite person today.”
“You should stay and join us for dinner. We’ve got plenty.”
The offer didn’t come from Blake but from another guy about the same age who sat near him. The rest of the group rushed to agree.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to—”
“Stay.” Blake set the large serving spoon he’d been holding back into a pan full of meat and approached her.
He took the dessert from her and glanced down at it. His lips lifted into a smile.
“This looks amazing. Thank you.” He set it down on the counter. His voice lowered so only they could hear it. “You left your heels in my truck.”
She glanced around as the rest of the crew ignored them and dished up their dinner. “Yeah, that’s part of why I’m here.”
“Come on, let’s go in the hall and chat.” He led her out and then turned to face her again. “Part of the reason?”
She grimaced. “I want to apologize for getting a little bitchy at the end of last night.”
“Were you bitchy?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t notice.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shifted her weight to the other foot. “I have no excuse other than being pretty exhausted by that point. We were literally going all day. Though, I guess I was, um, frustrated. If you know what I mean.”
He was silent, and a quick glance at him showed that he knew exactly what she meant.
“How’d you find out which station I worked at?”
“Oh, you know.” She waved her hand casually. “Called all the stations in Seattle and asked if Blake was working. Narrowed it down to a couple stations that had a Blake. Borrowed Tori’s car and went to the wrong one first; now here I am.”
He blinked in dismay. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did.” She shook her head, flushing at the memory of showing up at the wrong one. “But hey, I was on a mission.”
“I’ll give you my number next time.”
“That would’ve been helpful.”