Cursing silently, Cale stood up in the closet, and then cursed aloud as his head slammed into the clothing rod.
"Cale?" there was a nervous quality to Alex's voicenow, but it was also drawing closer. She'd heard him banging around and was coming to investigate, he realized with alarm, and immediately tore the half-full bag from his teeth. Big mistake, he realized at once as cold blood splashed across his face and down his chest. Cursing again, he dropped the now-hemorrhaging bag in the cooler, slammed the lid down, and then quickly mopped at his face with his maroon shirt.
He'd barely started on his chest when the closet door began to slide open. Cale instinctively jerked his shirt up in front of his torso to hide any remaining blood as light splashed over him.
"What on earth are you doing in the closet?"
"I wasn't quite dressed yet," Cale blurted.
"Oh," Alex said nonplussed, her gaze sliding over the shirt he held defensively before him, and then to his jeans-clad legs beneath. She was obviously a bit perplexed as to why he was acting like a Victorian virgin when he was only lacking a shirt, but she backed away. "Well, I'll give you another minute then."
Cale sighed as she moved out of sight. He quickly wiped away the remaining blood on his chest, not stepping out of the closet until he heard the bathroom door close again.
Cale took a moment to inspect himself in the mirrorfronted sliding closet door, relieved to see he'd gotten all the blood. He then threw the shirt into the closet on top of the cooler and rushed to his suitcase to retrieve a fresh one, this time a green T-shirt. As he pulled it over his head, he called, "You can come out now."
"Are you sure?" Alex called through the door. "I wouldn't want to catch a glimpse of your bare chest. I might not be able to contain myself."
"I wish," Cale muttered, grimacing at her obvious amusement as he tugged his T-shirt into place. He so wasn't impressing this woman yet. Shaking his head, he walked over and opened the bathroom door, and then stood aside and held his arm out in a gesture for her to exit. "I'm ready to go if you are."
Alex grinned and then walked past him, murmuring, "I applaud you for your courage."
"Courage?" he asked with confusion.
"Hmm." She headed for the door to the hall, swinging her purse gaily as she went. "Many men find it difficult to come out of the closet."
Cale was sure she was making a joke at his expense but didn't understand it. Shaking his head, he grabbed his coat from the bed and followed her out of the room.
Grocery shopping was an incredibly interesting experience for Cale. Food had certainly changed since he'd last indulged in eating. Instead of having to hunt it down, slay, clean, and cook it yourself, you could now buy it already prepared or even cooked for you and ready to eat. He'd known this, of course-he wasn't completely ignorant of the world he lived in-but he'd never actually had a reason to be in a grocery store and never seen one for himself. That made it all much more interesting, and he found himself hanging over counters, dawdling in the aisles, and picking up almost everything he saw. And absolutely everything looked good.
"Good Lord," Alex said with exasperation, grabbing his arm to urge him away from the baked-goods section. "One would think you'd never been shopping."
"I haven't," he muttered without thinking. When she turned on him sharply, he quickly added, "Not in a North American grocery store."
"Oh, right," she said relaxing. "I suppose everything here is different from what you're used to, different brands, different packaging, etc."
"Oui," Cale murmured, eyeing the deli counter as she urged him past it. There were some wonderful smells coming from it.
"I think that's everything," Alex murmured, selecting several packages of sliced meat and cheese and setting them in the cart. "Let's get out of here."
Nodding, Cale pushed the cart after her as she led him to the front of the store. His mind was on the problem of getting her to agree to his being her manager rather than her chef. Aside from the fact that it would make her much happier to cook than manage, it would definitely be better for him, and yet she seemed to be resisting the idea. At least, she hadn't yet agreed to it.
The ringing of his cell phone distracted him as they reached the cash register, and Cale pulled it out with a frown. Recognizing Lucian's number, he hesitated, his gaze sliding between the phone and the counter Alex was presently unloading their groceries onto.
"Go ahead, I can handle this," Alex said quietly. "At this hour it must be someone in France calling about a business problem."
Cale didn't correct her but nodded and pressed thebutton to take the call, moving away from the cash register as Lucian growled, "Bricker said you were heading over to the restaurant to see Alex. What's happening?"
Cale smiled wryly at the greeting. Lucian wasn't known for "Hello? How are you?" type greetings.
"We're at the grocery store, shopping for a snack." He paused out of earshot and glanced back to watch Alex.
Lucian grunted at this news. "Marguerite's trying to find a chef to replace you, but no luck so far. I understand Leigh and Marguerite gave up their night at the movies to help you out. It won't happen again. I'll not allow it, so if you know a chef that might help, speak up now, or you're going to get a crash course in cooking tomorrow night."
Cale sighed, now understanding the reason for the call. Lucian was pissed about Leigh's helping. He didn't really blame him. Leigh was pregnant, and since she'd lost the last child she'd been carrying, Lucian was extra protective of her. An immortal only lost a child if there was a genetic flaw, something that was rare, and he knew it had upset both of them.
"I may not need a chef," Cale said, and then quickly explained his hope of taking over the business end of things and leaving Alex to cook.
"What's the problem then?" Lucian asked sharply. "She should be jumping at that offer. You're one hell of a businessman."