Page 48 of Elevator Pitch

I stiffen and avoid eye contact, but I feel his eyes on me

One day, I won’t embarrass myself in front of this man.

I gather the courage to look at him, and he raises his eyebrow.

“I’ll take that as a positive review, hoping you don’t make noises like that when something is bad.”

He looks at me expectantly.

“It’s perfect. Thank you for thinking of me.”

He takes a sip of his coffee.

“I always—shit.”

He erupts into a fit of coughs, choking on his coffee. I run over to pat his back and rub it as he settles down.

What was he going to say?

“Sorry. Wrong pipe,” he chuckles nervously.

“I’m glad you’re alright.”

My phone buzzes on the counter. I pick it up and see that Daya texted back. I point to my phone and tell him I need to respond.

“No worries.”

Daya

Dios Mio.

You let the HOT neighbor in?

Me

We haven’t had our standing coffee time during the holiday break.

He brought coffee and donuts.

Said he was bringing the date to me.

Daya

Sounds like he was written by a woman.

Keep me posted.

Make sure he cleans all those cobwebs out!

Me

OMG

BYE

I stifle my laughter and look up at Grey. He’s on his phone as well. I apologize for the interruption, and he waves it off. He opens the donut box, taking one out that’s covered in powdered sugar. My mouth waters. When he bites into it, his face tells it all.It’s as good as it looks. I’ve got to try it. I grab napkins from a drawer and set them beside him.

He slides the box across the counter for me to take my pick. I choose a glazed one with sprinkles and grab a napkin to set it on. A comfortable silence floats through the kitchen as I bite into the donut and moan again subconsciously.

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