Page 93 of Of Pucking Course

That warmth from earlier resurfaces.

We both thank Kara for opening up her shop for us and head out to Sam’s car. After he loads up all the shopping bags in the back and we hop in, I grab his face and kiss him.

“Thank you,” I murmur against his mouth.

“It was my pleasure. Ready for part two of your makeup birthday?”

I gasp. “There’s more?”

He chuckles and kisses me again. “Of course there’s more.”

Chapter 33

Dakota

We walk through the door of a cute little pop-up restaurant space a few miles from Kara Salonga’s boutique.

The space has a dozen two-person tables and chairs, along with bar seating against the wall.

“What is this place?” I ask Sam.

He just smiles at me. “You’ll see.”

A second later, a tall, handsome guy with a killer tan walks out. “Hi, Sam?”

“Hey, Tyler. Good to finally meet you in person.” The two shake hands.

The second he says his name, I recognize him. He’s Tyler Grant, Maya’s older brother and the guy behind the Instagram account @thesandwichguy. He makes short IG reels of himself whipping up delicious gourmet sandwiches and has more than a million followers. His videos are so entertaining and always leave me craving the sandwiches he prepares. I’ve never met him in person, but Maya talks about him a lot.

Tyler turns to me. “And you must be Dakota. It’s sogreat to finally meet you. My sister Maya has told me so much about you.”

I shake his hand, excited to meet him. “I’m a huge fan of your Instagram. The sandwiches you make are incredible. I’ve tried out a few of your recipes and they’re all so yummy. Especially the BLT. Best BLT I’ve ever had in my life. Your spicy kimchi mayonnaise is life-changing.”

I suddenly feel self-conscious for rambling, but Tyler grins proudly.

“That means so much. Thank you,” he says. He flashes a dazzling grin. He’s as handsome as Maya is beautiful, with his deep brown eyes, thick black hair, and tan skin.

“That BLT is how I won over my wife,” he says.

“Really?” I say.

“Yup. We were friends for a long time. I’d had a crush on her for a while—she had a crush on me too, actually. Neither of us had any idea.” He chuckles. “I was just her best guy friend who always hung around and made her favorite sandwich whenever she was hungry. And then one day we came to our senses and started dating.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet,” I say.

Sam flashes a knowing grin. I smile, heartened at Tyler’s love story with his wife…and how similar it is to my history with Sam.

Except you’re not going to end up together. He will always just be your friend and hookup, nothing more.

I ignore the sting of my own words and focus on enjoying this surprise Sam put together for me.

Tyler leads us to a table for two at the center of the space. “I’ll be right back with drinks for you two. Then I’ll get started on the menu I put together for this afternoon.”

Tyler disappears into the back. I look at Sam, who’s sitting across from me.

“Wait, The Sandwich Guy is going to serve us a private lunch?”

Sam grins. “Yup.”

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