Laura shrugged. “All of my usual methods didn’t work so I’m going to do the opposite of what I would normally do. Through food.” She motioned at the bread pan. “Through aphrodisiacs.”
Isabel and Sydney stared at the banana bread with trepidation.
“Are you sure you’re not trying to become like the women he dates?” Isabel asked. “The ones who are master chefs?”
“I promise I’m not. I can’t compete with them. I nearly destroyed my kitchen trying to make the banana bread.”
“You know there is no proof that aphrodisiacs work,” Sydney said. “The cookbook failed to mention that, but I can send you links that definitively discount these theories. Focusing on aphrodisiacs to win Connor’s attention could be a waste of time.”
“It couldn’t hurt, right?” Laura asked hopefully.
Isabel shook her head and muttered, “Famous last words.”
* * *
CONNOR LAY IN HIS BED, arms and legs stretched out wide as he willed himself to sleep. His muscles ached, he was exhausted, but he was wide-awake. It was his last night in his old place but it didn’t feel the same. Throughout the day when he and his friends had moved his stuff, he had wondered if he was making the right decision to leave.
He wasn’t sure where this doubt was coming from. He finally had the house he wanted. It was old and run-down and had an overgrown yard, but he could make it perfect. He could make it into the safe and comfortable home he wished he’d had during his nomadic childhood.
He couldn’t remember all of the places he’d lived. His family had moved frequently because of his father’s work. At least, that was the excuse they had given to anyone who asked. In reality, they left town whenever their financial situation worsened, and it inevitably did. His family would leave in the middle of the night if they owed money or if one of his father’s get-rich schemes backfired. They always left at the first sign of trouble.
It took Connor a long time to break that habit himself. But now he was proud of his determination to dig deep and honor his commitments. Stick with it and make things right. Finish each work project and be around long enough to see the results.
He was ready for the next step. Claim a piece of land and call it his. Become active in his community and actually belong to it. Start a family.
But was it wise to have bought a family home before he had a family? What if he never found someone to share his life with?
A memory flickered in his weary mind of him and Laura sitting in her yard on her rickety lawn chairs, talking and laughing late into the night while drinking beer. Warmth invaded his chest as more memories invaded—the times they’d exchanged knowing glances across a crowded room; or the time they’d sat in the back row of a town event, trying to hold back laughter over a shared joke.
Connor had never been as close to anyone as he was with Laura. He could tell how she felt just by what she was wearing, and she realized something was bothering him by the tone in his voice. Then again, he had never stayed in one place for this long. What he thought was a special connection could very well be the way friends interacted. Just because he had never enjoyed this kind of intimacy didn’t mean he couldn’t experience it with someone else.
He frowned when he heard the squeal of tires on the street and the slam of a car door. “Laura Dawson?” a woman with a nasal voice yelled. “Get out here right now.”
Connor groaned and rolled his eyes. One thing he had to say about Laura: it was never boring living next to her. He rolled out of bed and looked at his alarm clock as the stranger continued to call Laura out. Nothing good happened at this hour of the night.
By the time he had pulled on his boxers and reached the front door, the yelling woman was in Laura’s front yard. It took him a moment to realize that it was Valerie, one of the waitresses at Dawson’s Diner.
The porch light was on and Laura stood next to the steps. He squinted to see what Laura was holding in her hands. It was a spatula dripping with what looked like chocolate, but one never could be sure with her cooking.
His muscles locked and his heart lurched when he registered what Laura was wearing. The loose white tank top advertised that she wore absolutely nothing underneath. The shadows played against her cleavage and highlighted her full breasts. The hem skimmed along the top of her thighs. His throat tightened and his cock hardened as the night breeze pulled at the hem. Her skintight black shorts accentuated her womanly curves.
“Stay away from my husband,” Valerie’s high voice shook with anger.
Connor frowned. Laura and John? No, it couldn’t be. The town of Seedling may think Laura was a seductress but Connor knew Laura wouldn’t pursue a married man.