Page 41 of Peach Blossom Hollow

“An exciting life.”

“Hey! Tell me yours is more action-packed.”

She laughed. “I bake and garden. But it’s November now, so mostly I bake.”

“And you tease me.”

“A new favorite pastime.”

“What else?”

“I learned to scuba dive a few months ago,” she said, eager for him to notice that she was more than a homebody waiting around for a husband. She went out and had adventures and pushed her limits sometimes.

“Really? Me, too!” He pointed to his chest. “Well, a few years ago. Next time we’re near some good water, you and I should go out together. Will you be my scuba buddy?”

She almost cracked a lame joke related to a pre-dive safety check between scuba buddies, but caughtherself as the joke wasn’t very funny. “Um, I’d love to.”

Look at that. She was already less cringey. She could flirt and tease a bitandcatch herself before saying something lame. Hanging out with a hottie was doing wonders for her confidence.

“You will BWRAF me?” Leo said, making the scuba buddy safety check acronym sound almost like he was a little kid asking her, “You will be with me?”

“I was going to make a scuba joke, but thought it would be lame.”

“Ouch!” He shifted closer, his focus on her face. “Are you calling me lame?”

“Um, yeah.” She smiled briefly. “What are you going to do about it?”

The air grew quiet and their attention narrowed to just the two of them.

Leo slowly lifted a hand, reaching for her face. She tensed, certain he was going to cup her cheek and kiss her. Should she keep breathing? Stop? Close her eyes?

She wasn’t ready for a kiss.

No, she was ready. And that was what freaked her out.

“You have a bit of dust here,” he said. His thumb ran across her cheek, gently brushing away what must be invisible dirt, as she hadn’t been anywhere near the repairs.

Violet almost ducked her head, but remembered she was trying to be bolder and braver. She held Leo’s gaze, doing her best not to look away as he came closer, angled her jaw higher.

They leaned in. Her eyes drifted shut.

Meow.

Something bumped Leo, breaking his gentle grip. Onesie was nudging against him, trying to climb into Violet’s arms.

The more time she spent with Leo, the more questions Violet had. And the current one was why she was a cat person.

CHAPTER 6

“Women like a man who can cook,” Violet told Leo.

It had been a few weeks since he’d replaced her battery, and she was doing her best to coach him on how to get Christine’s attention. Especially since their almost-kiss. Violet was afraid that if he didn’t land in someone else’s arms soon she’d cave and do something stupid like fall into his arms, lips puckered and ready.

Leo was adamant Christine wasn’t interested in his cowboy side, and had discounted him due to it. Which meant they needed to somehow surprise her, make her reevaluate him.

“And bakers are a plus. Even though women may act like they don’t want baked goods, we secretly do. This would be a sneak attack.”

“The way to a woman’s heart?”

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