Page 36 of Hold Your Breath
“Besides”—she glanced at her watch—“you have oodles of time to get to the meeting.”
“Fine!” He threw up his hands. “I’ll have crumble.”
“You will have crumble,” she told him with a mock-frown, pointing her fork at him, “and you’ll like it.”
The last remnants of his icy countenance melted away as he laughed. When Bonnie arrived at the table, Lou asked for a box for her leftovers and ordered two crumbles with ice cream. Her glare dared Callum to argue, but he just watched her with an amused twist to his mouth.
With a contented sigh, Lou leaned back against the booth, patting her stomach. “After I eat here, I always feel like I’ll never be hungry again. That never turns out to be the case, though.”
Callum grunted. “Guess you won’t have room for that crumble, then.”
“Touch my crumble and die.”
He smiled again, but it slid too fast into a frown. “I wish you’d go to the meeting with me tonight.”
“Remember how I said I’d rather get shot in the face? That still applies.”
His frown deepened as he tried to scowl her into submission. It didn’t work. Her aversion to civic-type meetings of all sorts had been beaten into her years ago. She easily ignored his displeasure…especially when Bonnie slid their heavenly crumbles in front of them. She also left a box for Lou’s leftovers, and the check.
“Mmm,” she hummed around a bite. “Besides, there’s another reason I can’t go. I have stuff to do.”
“What stuff?” For a guy who was ready to leave before getting his crumble, he was packing away the dessert at an impressively rapid rate.
“Peeper prevention,” she explained after swallowing another mouthful. “I picked up some window shades at the hardware store before going to the library today.”
For some reason, maybe because it was a reminder of how he was stuck sleeping on her uncomfortable couch for an undetermined amount of time, this didn’t seem to make him any happier. “Wait until I get there, and I’ll help you hang the shades.”
Her spoon clanked against the glass bowl as she set it down firmly. “Are you saying that I’m incapable of hanging shades on my own?”
“No.” He obviously saw the warning signs of an imminent explosion and was hurrying to backtrack. “I was just offering to help.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, eyeing him suspiciously as she picked up her spoon again.
He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Do you need to borrow my drill?”
“I have my own drill, thanks.”
“How about some drywall screws?”
“Got ’em.”
“I have a level in the truck you can use.”
“Why would I need that to hang shades?” At his aghast look, she laughed. “Kidding, of course. I have a level. I am fully stocked with tools, despite being in possession of a vagina.”
His mouth opened and then closed again as his cheekbones darkened with a flush. Lou was a little proud that she’d managed to embarrass him. Getting him to smile was the best, but she’d settle for ruffling his feathers.
“Ready?” she asked, digging in her purse for her wallet.
“Put that away,” he growled, tossing bills on the table.
“But—” As she started to protest, he shut her down with a look. “Thank you,” she said meekly, instead. “I get next time.”
“No, you don’t,” he said, sliding out of the booth. “You have tires to buy.”
“Ugh.” Standing, she felt her stomach sink at the reminder. “At least the honey thing is a cheaper fix. I hope. Actually, I have no idea how to get frozen honey off of a wooden door. Do you think just soap and hot water would work?”
He shrugged. “Probably. We’ll figure it out.”
