Page 23 of Better Not Pout
“Yeah. I didn’t think I’d be seeing any of my family until we went to the cabin, but looks like that plan’s moved up some. You okay with that?” Reaching up, he rubs his palm along the back of his neck, his expression seemingly hopeful.
I thought I’d have more time to mentally prepare for this, but I guess we don’t have another choice. We’re diving in headfirst. Ripping it off like a Band-Aid.
“I guess we’ve got to be. It’ll be fine. I think. I hope. I’m pretty sure. Probably.” I’m rambling, so I snap my mouth shut and offer him an awkward smile. “Sooo… you came by just to tell me about your brother? You didn’t have to go out of your way to bring coffee, you know? You could’ve just texted.”
“Wasn’t out of my way. Right next door, remember?”
Oh. Yeah.
He steps closer, his voice dropping an octave. “Just so you know, I brought you coffee this morning because if we’re convincing everyone you are my girl, then she’d need it after I kept her up all night, exhausting her body until she couldn’t move. Gotta take care of her. After all, optics are everything right now, yeah?”
Holy Santa on a sleigh.
The floor feels like it quakes beneath my outrageously fuzzy slippers, but I think it might just be my legs trembling when I try to press my thighs together.
I’m trying to formulate a response to that when he winks and steps back. “Gotta head to the bar. Have a good day…Sugar.”
It’s nearly lunchtime,and I’mstillthinking about this morning and the wordsugarin Wells’ sexy, deep voice over and over.
Safe to say I have not been focusing on what I should be doing, which is working. I almost burned the tips of my fingers off with three hundred degrees of sugar base while attempting to make a batch of candy canes.
The wordsugarhas taken on a whole new meaning.
Groaning, I drop my pen onto the counter next to the cash register. I can’t freaking focus.
“Everything alright, sweetheart?” Grams asks, suddenly appearing in front of me, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.
My hand flies to my chest, clutching my now racing heart. “Jesus, Grams, you almost gave me a heart attack!”
Penny’s head pops up from her bed in the corner, and she whines when I shriek, as taken by surprise as I am.
She chuckles, lifting her brow and peering down at me over the top of her glasses. “You’ve been distracted today. Something going on?”
“Nope, nothing at all,” I mutter. “Why would anything be going on?”
And why is she looking at me like that? All… Grams-ish.
And why the heck is Penny somehow giving me the exact same look?
Jesus.
I look down, busying myself with cleaning up the counter, except it’s not really messy at all, and I’m just moving pens, notebooks, and receipts around to different spots in an attempt to avoid her gaze.
She totally knows.
Shit.
“Rosalie Sullivan, I know you better than you know yourself, and I witnessed you with those candy canes earlier. You’re normally careful to a fault,” she says, and I shove a gulp down my throat.
Damn, am I this transparent?
I open my mouth to speak, but she beats me to it.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with the handsome young man next door, now would it?” she asks with a bit too much hope in her voice.
Damnit on Dancer.
I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Like I give that man any space in my brain. He’s to?—”
