Page 52 of Grit
“I don’t need help.”
“Hearingthatis definitely a tradition.” He walked close behind her and hooked a finger in her belt loop. “We could lose that one though, and you could just let someone—me, mainly—help you out from time to time.”
“I don’t need help picking out a book for Abby.”
“Want to go to lunch? What time is your meeting with Brian?”
“One, and I’m going to Tacos Marcianos for lunch.”
“Sounds good to me.” He peeked in her purse.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” He grabbed a granola bar from the outside pocket and opened it. “I love that you carry snacks with you all the time.”
“You know, those are for mykid.”
He finished it in three bites. “You should keep my energy up.” He raised one eyebrow. “You never know when you might need it.”
Okay, she was leaving that alone. Melissa scanned the shop for anything that looked like kids’ stuff. “If you happen to also go to Tacos Marcianos for lunch, then I will see you there.”
“Hey, Melissa!” Jeremy waved from behind the counter. “Let me know if I can help you find anything.”
“Thanks. I wanted a book Emmie mentioned about sirens or something?”
“Oh, that’s in the—”
“I’ll help her,” Cary said. “I know where it is.”
“Okay.”
“What is with you today?” Melissa shot an annoyed glance at Cary. “You can let go of my jeans now.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “But I like getting in your pants.”
“Do you say things just to shock me? Because—”
“It’s so easy?” He herded her toward a stand of books near the front windows of the shop. “I’m not going to lie; I like it when you make that face. Gives me all sorts of ideas. And I love shocking you because you’re just so…”
“What?”
“Unflappable. I think that’s the word. You’re always together. Always on top of everything.”
“Not on top of you.” The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Cary barked a laugh. “Just tell me when and where. Where do you want to go this weekend?”
“What?”
“On our date.”
“I didn’t actually agree to that. I said I’d think about it.”
“You’ve had a few days to think.” He let go of her pants and put his arm around her to turn her toward the books. “Is this the one?”
It was. There was a little girl underwater holding a cat. She looked adorable, clever, and sassy, not unlike her daughter. “How did you know?”
“’Cause I saw it earlier and thought about buying it for her.” He picked it up and flipped it over. “There’s a talking cat. Abby would approve of a talking cat.”
