Page 49 of Made for You
“Thank you. I love your dress.” She had on a marigold short-sleeved dress with little cream flowers all over it. She’d worn a dress on Friday, too, something equally sweet and pretty. I’d gone for jeans and a teal blouse that looked great with my hair but was honestly nothing special.
“I wear dresses when I can because when you spend your work life in scrubs, there’s something wonderful about feeling a little more composed.” She tucked a golden flyaway hair behind her ear.
“That makes sense,” I said, knowing that if I didn’t wear some version of a suit to work, I might feel the same.
Catherine sighed. “I wish I felt that way. I’m mostly just tired, and even though I smell like fried chicken and pie when I leave work in my uniform, I rarely feel like pulling on anything other than sweats and a T-shirt when I get home.”
Dove grinned. “You look adorable in your sweatpants, so it’s great. Plus, who cares what you wear? You’re amazing.”
If I wasn’t looking at the sincerity on her face, I would’ve rolled my eyes. It was the most saccharine statement ever, something another person would simply throw away, but this woman meant every word.
Catherine blushed deeply, though her soft smile seemed genuinely pleased as she turned to me. “Did you get to talk to Rosie?”
“I did, thank you for asking. We got it worked out for the most part, I think.” I hoped. I felt better after I understood her perspective—not wanting to upset me and all that. Didn’t mean I agreed with her, but I got it more so now. And I hoped my being here would help her feel better about letting me see when things weren’t quite right. I wasn’t going anywhere.
“I’m glad. She’s so great and I hated the thought I’d messed something up.”
Dove’s worried face plucked a heartstring I hadn’t realized existed.
I patted her hand. “Don’t worry at all. I’m glad you said something so I knew and we could talk it out.” She returned my smile with a heartened one of her own, and then I noticed the growing crowd in the shop. “All right, we better order some coffee, or the owners are never going to let us come back.”
“Not true.” A masculine voice had all of our heads finding it and my heart rate quadrupling.
Because there he was. The man I couldn’t get out of my head.
“Oh, hi, Bruce. What are you doing here?” Dove asked, a coy little look at me in the least subtle move of all time following her question.
A flash of his perfect white teeth had me swallowing hard.
“Kiley and I decided to get coffees and new books this morning. We needed a pick-me-up.”
Nothing in his expression tipped me off, but I searched his face for answers. He winked, then turned to look at Kiley, who was waiting in line at the register. Somehow, I hadn’t even noticed her walk in.
“Better get our orders in before she ditches me for someone cooler,” he said, an adorable expression that made me want to kiss him sketching across his face.
“Are you—is everything okay?” I asked as quietly as I could.
His gaze captured mine. “Now?” He reached down and took my hand, then pressed a kiss to the back of it without breaking eye contact. “Yes. Everything’s great.”
Heat warmed my cheeks, and I failed to hide my grin. Then he released my hand and moved to Kiley, chatting with the man behind the counter and nudging his sister with his elbow.
“Oh… okay. Yeah. I know we’re just getting to know each other but can we please hear a little more about that?” Dove’s voice was dreamy as she blinked after Bruce.
When I turned my attention to them, Catherine was nodding, wide-eyed and eager.
“Let’s order and then I’ll catch you up.”
My gaze flicked to Bruce’s back.Ugh.He looked great from behind, too. If I didn’t know him, I’d see his tall form and wide shoulders, that narrow waist and the dark hair, and I’d be curious. I couldn’t imagine encountering the man in the wild, just out of nowhere and without warning.
Granted, I’d seen him shirtless and sweaty as he chopped a half cord of wood when I’d arrived, and I wasn’t sure that view was a particularly good place to start since, when I saw him later, I already knew what freakishly ridiculous muscles he was hiding.
“Your order?” A cute guy with a beard waited patiently as I blinked him into focus.
Apparently, I’d been daydreaming of Bruce as my friends had ordered.Get ahold of yourself.With a chagrined chuckle, I placed my order and stepped to the end of the counter, where the girls waited. More than embarrassed by my mental wanderings, I was disappointed that I’d missed saying goodbye to Bruce. A quick glance around the coffee shop showed that plainly.
“Okay. Spill.”
Dove got her coffee, then Catherine, and then mine came up. We returned to our table and snuggled into the little alcove that would provide some privacy. Not that I expected anyone to be listening, and I didn’t recognize any of the other patrons, but the shop was filling up and I didn’t love the idea of becoming the topic of small-town gossip.
