AllFreeNovel
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“Oh, for the love of God, what is his obsession with the milk chocolate-covered fruit?” I hiss as I hurry to my feet and take it from her and set it on the desk.
“He thinks you love them and I’m guessing he’s terrified you are going to take this to court.”
“I’m not. And why does he think I love them?” I raise a brow and study her.
“Because I said they were your favorite. I had to think off the cuff. Spur of the moment. Who doesn’t love chocolate-covered fruit?” she asks.
“Maybe someone who’s incredibly lactose intolerant but has no self-restraint.” I cross my arms over my chest because I’m fighting the urge to push her up against the door and kiss her senseless.
Her head tips back in laughter, and I swear it’s the best fucking sound I’ve ever heard.
“That can’t be good.” She smirks.
“Definitely not. How about you take this one home? I can call the arrangement its own Uber if you want.” I tease.
“I can put it in the fridge for everyone to enjoy tomorrow.” She smiles and my chest squeezes. “Are you okay? Your mom was amazing today, but I’m sure that wasn’t any fun for you.”
“I’m fine. You should head home. It’s late.” Mazie is officially running the office solo now. She’s been a total rock star thus far.
“Yeah, I was just leaving.” She walks toward the door but then stops and turns around. “Hey, would you want to go grab dinner at Gino’s with me? They gave me a gift certificate for a few free meals as my going-away gift, so it’s on me.”
“Are you asking me out?” I waggle my brows.
“No.” She shakes her head frantically. “As friends. No kissing. No being alone in an apartment. Just two friends eating at the diner.”
“How can I turn that down?” I flip off my lights and follow her out the door.
“Well, it’s not steak and lobster. We’re talking tomato soup and grilled cheese.”
We step onto the elevator, and she moves to the opposite wall from me.
“And no orgasms allowed, right?” I can’t help but smile as her face flushes. Thoughts of dropping to my knees and burying my face between her thighs flood my head. I clear my throat before slyly adjusting myself because the thought has my dick throbbing against my zipper.
“Definitely not.”
When we arrive at Gino’s, they’re all thrilled to see her. Even some of her regular customers come over and hug her, and it hasn’t even been very long since she stopped working here. Some older dude, Darryl, makes her agree to meet him there this weekend because he misses her. She’s sweet and kind but also strong and independent, and people are drawn to that.
Hell, I’m drawn to that.
We sit at a booth for almost four hours talking about everything under the sun. She tells me about college and how her mom stood on her chair and whistled at her college graduation. I tell her about the fun I had in my fraternity days and how I almost failed out my freshman year of college before pulling my shit together. We talk about our childhoods and our families. She opens up about her father running off with his secretary, and I now understand her issue with office romances—even if this is a completely different situation. She feels like her dad replaced her with his new child, and her pain is palpable as I listen.
I tell her about the breast cancer scare that my mother had three years ago and how I want to have the kind of marriage that my parents share. She loves hearing all the funny stories about how over the top they are.
“They love you. So what if she goes on the news to defend your honor? I loved her passion today,” Mazie says with a smile as she reaches for her hot tea and takes a sip. “It was evident that she’d walk through fire for you.”
“Yeah. My parents really are the best. And it sounds like you have an amazing relationship with your mom.”
“She’s sacrificed so much for me, you know? For me to go to college and have the things that she never had. She’s my rock. My best friend.” She shrugs.
“Hey, since we’re giving this new friendship thing a try.” I glance away to look out the window as I ask, to avoid looking too eager. I’m certain it’s obvious to her that I’m interested, but I really want her to say yes. “What do you think about going with me this weekend to Central Park? It’s going to be cold soon, and we can rent bikes and ride around and take a boat ride on the lake there.”
“That sounds like a lot of fun. And we are friends…so I don’t see why not.”
“I don’t either.”
And just like that, things are looking up.
Chapter 11
