Page 55 of Bookworm

"Of course, you did." With a shrug, I added, "To be fair, though, Gertrudegot nicerafter we gave her the flowers. And her dog, that littleYorkie, Sir Lancelot? So stinkin' cute."

He made a noise.

Whether it was one of agreement or disagreement, I couldn't tell.

"It's crazy how you became friends with the customers so fast," Bo muttered.

I felt the corners of mylips tip higher. "Yeah, crazy amazing."

Bo shook his head.

"It's called socializing, Stryker. You should try it."

"I hate most people," he said seriously.

My first thought: Wow, that's bleak.

My second: I hope I'm not one of them.

It was a strange thing, but right when he said it, I realized how much I didn't want Bo to hate me. Because I didn't hate him. Not even a little bit.

"You're quiet," he said. "That's not like you, Kent."

"Just taking a breather," I said with a grin, telling my brain to shut up. "By the way, my favorite delivery was number seven.The Pietrosbaby shower. They gave us cake."

"They gaveyoucake," Bo corrected.

"Hey, I asked if you wanted any."

He sighed. "I told you.I'm in training.I don't eat that stuff."

I clucked my tongue. What was the big deal? It was just a tiny piece of cake, and Bo was built like a tank. One bite wouldn't have done any harm.

"Besides when I looked back, you'd already inhaled it."

My eyes widened. "I did not."

"Gone in 60 seconds."

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't time my eating habits.Thank you very much," I said, a blush rising to my cheeks. "And I'll have you know I ate that delicious slice of chocolatey goodness at a normal, polite speed."

Bo shrugged. "If you say so."

Ugh, he was so annoying.

"Surprised your favorite wasn't the last one."

"Nothing could beat that cake," I said with a smile. "Mr. Willard was sweet, though."

"You mean pervy," he said.

"You're just jealous, Stryker."

A scoff. "Nah,jealousy's not my thing. Plus, he wasn't my type."

I laughed in surprise. "Was that a joke?"I asked.

"No."

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