room.
“Hey.” His gaze washed over her, part of him disappointed that she wasn’t dripping wet and naked again. Not that there was anything wrong with the current view. Dressed in skintight booty shorts and a tank top that showcased the line of her cleavage, Daniel had to force his eyes off her body. “What were you singing?”
“H-hey. No, it’s just, uh…” She glanced nervously at the sprawling fish tank. “I was singing to your fish. You’re home early today. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Perfectly fine.” It was then that he caught a tantalizing whiff of garlic. “Are you cooking?”
Her eyes rounded and she spun on her heels. “Shit! I forgot to check the garlic bread!”
He followed her into the kitchen. She yanked open the oven and peeked inside, but all he could focus on was the apples of her ass in those tight shorts. She heaved a sigh of relief, shutting the oven. “It’s a good thing you came home. I made too much.”
Daniel stuffed his hands into his pockets, his belly rumbling louder as he assessed the pot on the stove. “What’s cooking here? Garlic bread and…?”
“My world-famous spaghetti and meatballs,” she said, heading to the sauté pan to stir the sauce.
Now he was extra glad he’d come home early. “Oh? Family recipe?”
She sent him a shrouded look. “No. Just my own. You’ll love it. Unless you already ate?”
“No, I haven’t. I was going to order in, but this smells far better.” He paused. “If you want company, that is.”
“More than you know!” She laughed, turning off the stovetop. “After the day I had, I would love some company that isn’t a textbook.”
“Ah, well, I can’t promise anything then,” Daniel cracked, heading for the cupboard to pull out dishes. “They’ve called me the textbook of international banking before, so…”
“But your insides aren’t filled with paper,” Jackie said, holding the wooden stirring spoon in the air for emphasis, “and though I haven’t checked yet, I’m pretty sure your spine isn’t made of cardboard.”
“Fair enough,” Daniel said, laying out a dish at the head of his long dining room table, and the second one at the corner. So they could chat better. “Though I will neither confirm nor deny the spine thing. You’ll just have to figure that out for yourself.”
Jackie snickered as she grabbed oven mitts and brought out the tray of garlic bread. She hissed as she set it down. “Damn that thing’s hot.”
Like your ass, he added in his head, but no. Far too soon for that sort of talk. Probably better filed in the never category. Especially if she agreed to the bet. He wouldn’t want her to think he was pressuring her into anything that might make her uncomfortable. This was strictly a business deal. One that he needed to sell her on ASAP.
“Do you need any help?” he called out, coming over to her as she attempted to transfer the bread to a plate.
“Just find me a serving bowl for the noodles.”
Daniel did as he was told, and grabbed the pot to strain the spaghetti while she transferred the sauce to its own bowl. Daniel grabbed the trivets for the table, and soon they were seated and smiling at each other in front of the steaming, home-cooked meal.
“Dig in!” she said, clapping her hands. Daniel prompted her to serve herself first.
“Chef gets the first pick.”
“Good. Then I get all the meatballs,” she teased.
Daniel laughed, finding his gaze drawn back to her. There was something so familiar about her…something so easy. Like they’d already been roommates for years. He supposed it was just luck of the draw that she’d been assigned to his house, but part of him wondered if there wasn’t more to that algorithm in the SitMyHouse app. He made a mental note to ask Grayson about it—maybe he’d have some developer insight.
“What are you thinking about?” Jackie asked suddenly, which made him realize he’d been staring.
“Uh…just thinking about that song you were singing to my fish. I sing to them too.”
She snickered, heaping a final spoonful of sauce onto the pile of spaghetti on her plate. “You do? What do you sing?”
“Oh, whatever’s in my head. Sometimes Taylor Swift, depending on how bad the music selection is at the gym that day.”
“I like Taylor Swift!” Jackie said.
“Nothing wrong with her,” Daniel said, fighting a grin as he dished out his own pile of noodles topped with meatballs. “Though I’m surprised you’re a fan.”
“She’s always focused on positivity,” Jackie said. “I know firsthand how important