Page 55 of Take A Number
“Hello?” Dean’s deep voice reverberates into the line, and my stomach clenches with unease.
“Hey, Dean?”
“Hey, sugar butt.” I can hear the laughter in his voice.
“Are you coming into the bakery today?”
“Should I be coming into the bakery today?”
“Oh well…that’s up to you, I was just wondering…”
“Yes?”
“I was wondering if you were going to have dinner tonight?” I ask a little too fast and cringe with thankfulness that he can’t see me right now. I begin to pace, hoping it will quell my nerves.
“I eat dinner most nights, Norah.”
“Right…of course.” I scratch the bandana on my forehead nervously. “It’s just…I had these two really nice cuts of salmon, and I was thinking about making them.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Do you want some?”
“Of your salmon?”
“Yeah…I, um…thought you could come over, and I could cook for us.”
The line goes quiet for a second before Dean replies, “Norah, is this a booty call?”
My eyes widen, and I cough out, “No…a booty call? No. I just…I had the salmon.”
“So I’ve heard.”
I exhale heavily. “Forget it, okay?”
“Norah…”
“What?”
“I’d love to come over and have some salmon.”
Ugh, I hate my life. “If it’s an inconvenience, I can eat the salmon myself.”
“Oh, can you?” he asks with a teasing tone in his voice.
My lips thin as I sarcastically respond. “Yes…if you recall from our trip, I’m well equipped to consume on my own.”
Dean’s deep chuckle vibrates through the line, making the hairs on my arms stand as I recall how it feels when he laughs into my neck. “I’d really hate to see you eat alone.”
“I’m going to kill you.”
“No, you’re not,” he replies smugly. “But hey…I’m good with hooking up tonight, but I have a better idea.”
“What?”
“You come over to my place and let me cook for you.”
“What? But…the salmon,” I stutter, not really liking the idea of being out of my own space.
