Page 96 of Wish You Were Mine
“I know you’ve got a lot going on,” he said, gently pulling me back to the moment. “Meets every weekend, right?”
“Right.” I nodded, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “But this weekend’s a home meet, at least. So no traveling.”
“That’s good,” he said, his voice warm, steady. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So…what were you thinking for this party? Cake and ice cream? Appetizers? Drinks?”
“Um…all of the above? Plus decorations,” I said, feeling slightly anxious thinking about it all. “But with just over two weeks left, I’m not sure I’ll have enough time to pull it all off.”
“Which is why I’m here to help,” he said. “Do you have a budget you’re working with?”
“I’ve talked to my mom about it.” I shifted in my chair, suddenly hyperaware of how young that probably made me sound. “She said she’ll cover it…since I don’t exactly have a job right now.”
“Gymnastics and school are your job.” He tilted his head slightly, raising an eyebrow.
“I guess… I think I’m just a little self-conscious. Like, weren’t you teaching at the prep school while getting your master’s and PhD…and bartending on weekends? Meanwhile, I can barely juggle my classes and training.”
“You are not lazy, Lucy,” he said, voice steady and sure. “And in case you haven’t realized it…you’ve been impressing me since the moment we met.”
Our eyes caught, holding for a second too long. Just long enough to feel like he’d stepped across some invisible line with his admission.
He cleared his throat. “Impressing me with your excellent work ethic in the chemistry lab, of course.”
“Of course,” I echoed, unable to stop the grin that tugged at my lips. I liked that he seemed a little flustered by his own words.
“So,” he said, nudging the conversation forward with a small smile, “what are you thinking for the appetizers? Are you planning to make everything yourself, or…?”
“I’m not sure how much the food will cost yet,” I admitted. “But I was thinking it might be easier to have it catered. I just don’t think I’ll have time to cook or bake or even shop for everything.”
“Well,” he said, eyes twinkling, “not to create a conflict of interest, but The Garden caters parties. I could hook you up if you wanted. You’d just need to handle the cake.” He smirked and added, “And I also happen to know a great contact for that. The owner of the bakery next door is a friend.”
I arched a brow. “So basically, if this whole professor gig doesn’t work out, you could go into event planning?”
“I don’t know about that.” He laughed. “But I do have some connections, if you want me to reach out.”
“Honestly? That would be amazing.” I hesitated, wondering if he was too good to be true. “If you really don’t mind helping with this stuff, that is…”
“It’s no problem.” He leaned back. “We’ve got a few catering packages at The Garden that make it easy. I can show you. But no pressure if you want to go with someone else. There are plenty of great places in town.”
“Oh no, that sounds perfect. I already know Theo likes the food and drinks at The Garden.”
We migrated to the couch with our water glasses in hand. He pulled out his phone and scooted close enough that we could both see the screen, and I tried really hard not to notice how good he smelled. Clean and woodsy, with something warmer beneath it. The kind of scent that made you want to press your cheek to his chest and forget the world for a while.
I almost leaned in closer to breathe him in better. Almost.
But I didn’t. Because he was still my professor.
Even if those lines were getting very, very blurry.
He clicked through a few images, describing each option. I nodded along, pretending to focus, but every time his arm brushed mine, my thoughts scattered. I caught him glancing at me once, and for a second, when our faces got close, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was feeling the same things I was.
Did he like this closeness, too?
Was he having just as hard of a time breathing as me?
I looked back at the phone and focused on choosing the package that had the things I thought Theo might like.
“I think this one will work for Theo’s party,” I said, pointing to the option I liked best.
“Great,” he said. “Then I guess we just need a headcount. I can have everything delivered once I’m out with Theo.”
