Page 25 of Make Mine Sweet
I shake my head as though I can clear it of Tess. That task has proved impossible since she moved in, but I keep up the good fight. I pull out my phone, take a pic of the empty grocery store aisle, and send it to Pierce.
Ian: Do I get my gold star?
I toss a box of cereal into my cart and pick up the pace. I’ve got enough basics to get me through the week. It’s not an impressive menu, but it’ll do. Next week: start deliveries again.
My phone buzzes with a reply.
Pierce: Who’s the woman?
I stop in the middle of the aisle and double check that I sent the right photo. Not that there’s a woman anywhere in my recent camera roll, but I still check.
Ian: There’s no woman in this picture
Pierce: Only a woman would get you out of your funk and wandering town
Pierce: You sure don’t take my advice
Pierce: So? Who is she?
A sound of disgust groans out of me. Should have left well enough alone. I push the cart more forcefully than I need to, leaning on the handle and furiously typing with my free thumb.
Ian: There’s no?—
My cart slams into another with a resounding clang, and I drop my phone. I start to swear, but the sound dies out when I realize who’s piloting the cart I crashed into.Tess.
Is she the only woman in this town? Are we in one of my daydreams? Admittedly, this would be one of the more pathetic ones, but I would accept that explanation. How is she here?
And why does she have to look so effortlessly stunning? She’s in a T-shirt and shorts, nothing special, but the sight of her makes my mouth go dry anyway. I feel stupidly out of place confronted with her. Possibly because I look like a slob who gave up on himself years ago, and she looks like a golden goddess. Might be that.
“I’m so sorry,” Tess says, even though I’m the one who ran into her. “Is your phone okay?”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” I bend down to grab my phone off the cement floor. It looks to be all in one piece, but I swipe my fingers over the screen to double check. I peer at the camera lenses, but I’m not sure I’d be able to tell at a glance if they were broken. “I shouldn’t have been texting and driving.”
The soft sound of her laughter eases some of the tension from my shoulders.
“You’re dangerous behind the wheel of a shopping cart.”
“You should see me on a motorcycle.” I wince at my own dark humor.Too soon.
“I’ll be sure to watch out.”
I shift my weight on my feet, my mind blank. Are we flirting, or…? Am I this far gone I can’t remember how to do it? It was reflexive back in the day. Would she even want me to flirt with her?
I’ve been trying to forget she called me both hot and charming twenty-four hours ago. I was a lot of things back then that I’m sure not now. Her laughter when I suggested we’d once dated still echoes in my ears. It’d seemed like the right conclusion—she’s exactly my type, and I sure hadn’t been shy when I came to town last. Most of my dates back then had been innocent enough, just flirting and having a good time, but she seemed to think I was some kind of Casanova.
Most likely, she doesn’t care at all. I sure haven’t given her reason to. She hasn’t pushed past me yet, though, so I should at least say something. In the spirit of being neighborly…
“You’re safe with?—”
“Ian?” A tiny, distant voice calls my name.
I look around, then stare down at the phone in my hand. The screen is lit up with Pierce’s name, the time clock steadily tracking seconds. I squeeze my eyes shut. I must have hitCallwhen I picked it up off the floor.
I’m really on a roll making things more difficult for myself. I lift the phone to my ear.
“Pierce?” As though I’d be lucky enough for it to be anyone else.
His laughter tells me he heard our entire awkward exchange. “Is that the woman?”
