Page 10 of Blueberry Cake
Queenie reached out for him, slowly fastening each button on his shirt. He tried not to watch in awe as her delicate fingers closed them up. He was impressed. Even he couldn’t manage to dress with one hand. Then again, he’d neverhadto. “That sounds like a set up.”
Boyd peered down at her. “How so?”
Queenie secured the last button, smoothing the fabric down with her hand. “Well, if you mess it up on purpose you’ll know if I’m pretending to like it so I don’t have to go out with you.”
“I was actually hoping you’d be honest and tell me if I’m a shitty cook.”
“You could just ask me out, you know?”
He twisted a strand of her blonde hair around his finger, drowning in the knowledge he was the reason for herflushed cheeks. “What do you do for a living?”
“Guess.”
With a crooked brow, he let his gaze drift over her as if he would find a visible clue. “I feel like you are trying to trick me. Can I ask questions?”
“You may.”
“Something to do with business?”
She grinned, popping open the final button she’d just fastened, letting his necklace and the top of his chest tease through. “No.”
He turned to the stove and lit the burner. “You seem like a bubbly person. Is it something social?”
“Bubbly, huh?”
“Don’t try to throw me off, Queenie,” he scolded.
“Damn, you’re too sharp for me.” After an intoxicating laugh, she added, “Yes, it’s social.”
“Do you work with children?”
“Kind of.”
“Teenagers?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Teacher?”
“Nope.”
There was a lilt to her voice that meant Boyd was close. He ran down a list of jobs in his head that could involve teenagers. “A nurse?”
“No.”
The chicken sizzled in the pan, and Boyd added a box of pasta to the now boiling water. “But do you work at a school?”
He glanced over his shoulder, heart skipping a beat at her playful grin. She was clearly enjoying this. She nodded.
After pondering a little while more, he admitted hisdefeat, “You got me.”
“Social worker,” Queenie confessed.
“Do you enjoy it?”
“It takes a toll, but yes I enjoy it. What do you do?”
“I own a marketing company and real estate.”
