Page 43 of The Hang Up

People noticed us, but they smiled, and it felt bittersweet that we wouldn’t get that same reaction at home.

“Let’s wait to eat until it slows down. And we don’t have to just domethings. What do you want to do?” I asked.

He nodded to the people passing by on the sidewalk and then lifted our clasped hands and kissed the back of mine while staring into my eyes. The affection. The warmth. “I’m doing it.”

Oh God. My heart. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “That’s sweet,” I said, kissing his cheek. “Pick something else.”

He laughed and pointed to a stop down the street. Delaney’s Bookstore. “Does that meet your requirements?”

“It’ll do.”

We spent a while in the bookstore. Joshua had a look on his face he normally reserved for me or his Corvette. How had I not known Joshua loved to read? I didn’t remember him reading. But maybe he’d been too busy becoming a billionaire back then.

After the bookstore, we went to Margie’s. The scent of coffee and fresh pastries hit us as soon as we walked in. My stomach growled. I’d been too nervous to eat much breakfast. The place had café tables and a small counter with seating in bright and cheery colors.

The woman who waited on us was gorgeous with red hair. And I was ashamed to admit I watched Joshua to see if he noticed. He gave her a friendly smile, but his eyes kept straying back to me.

“I’m Crystal,” she said with a welcoming smile. “What can I get you?”

The food didn’t disappoint, and after we finished, Joshua called Crystal over. “I heard you have a new chef. This was delicious.” He took my hand and squeezed. “My boyfriend and I are from out of town. Obviously.”

She grinned. “Kinda figured.”

“And Brock is a chef—”

“In training.”

“I was going to add that. Although you’re already an amazing cook.”

“Thanks, babe.”

“Can we meet your chef?” Joshua asked, ignoring the way I was tugging on his hand.

“We don’t want to bother him,” I said to Crystal.

“Honey, it’s no bother. He loves talking to people, and the lunch rush is over.”

The chef came out, and we talked about food and kitchens and Gordon Ramsey, because why not? I caught Joshua watching me with heart eyes, and I couldn’t resist kissing him right then.

“You two are so adorable,” Chef said. “How long have you been together?”

I glanced at Joshua. Had it only been a few weeks? Admitting that seemed wrong.

“It’s new,” Joshua said, wrapping his arm around me, “but we’ve known each other for years.”

We explored the town some more and kissed under the gazebo. Everything was amazing. Until later, when we went to the bar.

CHAPTER11

Joshua

I hadno desire to go to the local bar. All I could think about was taking Brock back to the room and fulfilling his earlier request. We hadn’t gone that far yet, and the thought of sliding into Brock’s hot body had me not caring about all the things Point Pleasant had to offer.

But Brock wanted to go.

“They’re having live music. We can dance and do the coupley things we can’t do back home. Not yet, anyway.” He mumbled the last part. “And it’s a gay bar. It’s perfect!”

I agreed because Brock should get to do all those things. I was just being selfish. And I couldn’t deny him anything.

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