Page 77 of The Affair
I nodded, trying to ignore the twinge of guilt I had whenever my mom was mentioned. It had been weeks since we’d spoken. “Yeah, I think they would be.”
“And you’re not upset about this not being solely an antique store anymore?”
I shrugged. “It’s better than being closed.”
“That’s the truth. Where else would I get a job that pays this much?”
Shaking my head, I stood and walked closer, closing the gap between us. “Funny.”
“It’s one of my best qualities, don’t you think?”
“What?” I asked. “Humor?”
He nodded, reaching out for me. His fingers barely grabbed on to the belt loop of my jeans, but it was enough to pull me into his lap.
I felt that fluttery feeling in my stomach again.What if someone saw us? What if a customer walked in?
His mouth, mere inches from mine, curled into mischievous smile. “Can I have the rest of the day off?”
“What?”
That was not what I’d expected him to say. Honestly, I hadn’t expected any words to come from that mouth. I’d fully intended to use it for another purpose entirely.
“I want to go do a few things before our date.”
“You want to leave?” I said, motioning to the current situation of me in his lap, both of us finally flu-free. “Right now?”
“Just saving up all the good stuff for later,” he promised before slapping his hands around my ass to lift me up.
I yelped, an embarrassing yelp that sounded super girlie, but I was caught off guard by both the abrupt movement and his hands all over my backside.
Before I had a chance to breathe, both he and his seductive smile were on the move. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
Feeling flustered, I asked, “Where are we even going?”
“Nope. It’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” I made a sour face, which only made his grin widen. “Can I at least have a hint, so I know how to dress?”
He mulled that over a bit before answering, “You know that black dress that was peeking out of your closet earlier today?”
I tried to recall everything currently shoved in my child-sized closet. I barely knew what was in there, so how did he? “The black dress… oh! The one with the deep V?”
He just smiled and sauntered toward the door. “See you tonight.”
Smiling to myself, I thought,yes, you will, Sawyer Gallagher.
Yes, you will.
Chapter Nine
You know the expression,sweating like a whore in church?
That was me exactly ten minutes after arriving home when it finally dawned on me that I was going on a real, legit date. My chest began to heave. Every inch of me was damp, and my mouth was dryer than the Sahara Desert.
This was it.
A date.
