Just the thought of what she’d look like, in one of those bikinis, made my body tighten.

“Good. I’ll see you after practice then?”

“Yeah, and if it’s okay, do you mind if I cook dinner?”

I loved to cook, although I hadn’t done much of it this week. But my fridge was stocked with my grocery delivery, a whole bunch of items I didn’t use so I knew she’d added her own things the other day when I suggested it.

“Cool. Anything else you need?”

“If I do, I can figure it out.”

“Thanks again for driving,” I told Alix when we reached our doors.

I’d taken to riding with him to practice so Emmersyn had her choice of cars to drive. Not that I could tell if she’d used any of them yet, but today the golf cart was slightly crooked and her clubs were strapped in next to mine at the back, so I could tell she’d at least hit the driving range.

“You know it is not a big deal. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Emmersyn and I have a tee time at seven. Assuming we’re not too tired, we’ll be at Joey's later.”

They were having people over until five, so I figured we’d make it.

“Want to ride with us?”

“No. I am good on my own. Might head back to Piazza Romano.”

“No luck finding the girl yet?”

“None. Went to her hotel. She checked out. They would not give me her name. Can you believe that?”

I couldn’t believe Alix, king of one-night stands and short-term sex binges, was hung up on someone he met at a club. “It’s called personal security and privacy.”

“I know. I know. But…” He shoved his hand through his blond hair and groaned. “I cannot get her out of my head. Stupid, yes?”

Stupid is as stupid does in that case. My eyes wandered to my door. Where behind it, Emmersyn was cooking us dinner. Living in my space. Making it smell like flowers and girly shit all over the place. The amount of headspace I’d given her in the last few days was embarrassing.

But not, either, because I liked it all.

“Awww…” I shoved Alix into the wall. “My little boy is growing up.”

He cursed at me in French. Or German. Wasn’t sure which language, but Alix was fluent in several, so it could have been anything.

We said goodbye, and I opened the door to my home, immediately hit with a warm atmosphere that stole my breath.

Soft music played. Candles had to be lit due to the soft scent. More than that, were the sounds of cooking. Pots and pans. Bowl being scraped. Something clattering to my kitchen counter.

Everything Ava would have done years ago. Made a mess while cooking and always, always she had to be listening to music. And what was it with women and candles? I didn’t have any at all, threw them all out after Ava walked out.