“Greens with protein usually are.” I forced a smile, ignoring the sting I felt after concocting a colorful bowl of kale and fruits, topped with perfectly seared steak.

“I love this kitchen.” I spun around the open space, pulling plates out of the cupboard. “So spacious and new…kind of brings out the need in displaying the prettiest of foods.” I set out the glorious looking bowl in front of him and set the plates on the counter where we usually ate.

Evan reached for the wine and glanced around the space. “Thanks,” he said, which sounded odd to me, like I didn’t also live there. I mentally shook it off, but then he went on. “I’m actually going to gut most of those top cabinets and replace them with glass enclosed doors.

“Oh.” I turned with my spatula. “I like the way they are now. Maybe we just switch out the handles or something, otherwise they’re perfectly fine.”

His brow rose slightly when he flashed me a glance, and then refocused on pouring our wine.

I watched him for a moment. Watching him pour with sheer excellence. A small part of me was almost jealous of the wine he so tenderly handled, valued, savored.

“Unless, I don’t really have a say because…this isn’t my home.” I blurted before I could stop myself.

He sighed. “It’s not like that, Paige. I just don’t want to change things right now.”

“Except for maybe the kitchen cabinets,” I muttered dryly.

My boyfriend, Evan—also my boss—and I had been living together for about a year, after I answered his ad for managing his start-up law firm in Manhattan.

I had just finished my junior year at Boston U and my advisor told me I only needed two classes to graduate, one of which wasn’t being offered until the following semester. After strategically planning out my graduation timeline and life plans, this completely threw me off.

Luckily, I found an internship for three months in business management—Evan’s law firm. The temp job was in New York, and it was exactly the kind of progress I needed if I were graduating later than planned.

Since my stay was going to be short, Evan offered me a place to live. It was a polite and innocent offer.

Of course when I accepted, I had no clue that my new boss was not only an up-and-coming big-time lawyer, but he was also a big time hottie. He was just under thirty with captivating blue eyes and dirty blond hair.

And pretty soon, we’d given into our attractions and started shacking it up.

“I like us just as we are.” Evan stood and circled the counter.