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Pulling the door open, she said, “I love that you came back…”
“I was hoping you’d feel that way, but I thought I’d have to work a little harder to convince you.”
Reid.
Dammit.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded, but honestly, there wasn’t much heat to it. Hadn’t he told her that he was going to stop by? Part of her thought he was teasing, but…here he was.
He didn’t look quite so confident right now, though.
“I came to apologize,” he solemnly began. “For upsetting you at the coffee shop earlier, for being an ass at the engagement party, and…lastly…for being an even bigger and more immature ass back in high school.” His hands were in his pockets and he genuinely looked contrite. “I took the place upstairs. We’re going to be neighbors, so we’re bound to run into each other and I’d really hate it if you were uncomfortable in your own home because of me, so…I’m sorry.”
“Oh. Okay. Thanks.” She sounded stilted even to her own ears.
He gave her a curt nod. “Have a good night.”
When he turned to walk away, her impulsive side suddenly reappeared. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
Pausing, he glanced at her over his shoulder. “Um…no. I just finished up with Janice and signing the lease. I was going to grab something before heading back to Leo’s.” Then he walked back toward her. “He’s not home—he’s out with Avery—but…” He chuckled. “Sorry, I’m rambling. You asked a simple question and I should have just stopped at no.”
And for some reason, that made her smile. “To be fair, it would have seemed out of character for you to just say no. I appreciated the explanation.”
He nodded, and they were both quiet for a moment. “Was there a reason you were asking?”
“What? Oh, yeah…my sisters just dropped off a ton of food from the pub and I thought you might want to join me,” she said cautiously. “You know…since we’re going to be neighbors and all.”
Then he smiled at her and…damn. She’d been so busy being thoroughly annoyed with him that she hadn’t taken the time to truly grasp just how handsome Reid Baylor had become.
Not the best time for you to be noticing that.
But it was too late. It was already out there. Reid Baylor was borderline hot.
I’m in trouble…
Stepping back, she said, “Come in.”
And then she wasn’t sure what exactly to do or say because…well…now that she had semi-acknowledged that he was hot, it hit her that she was in a pair of yoga pants, an old, oversized sweatshirt, her hair was in a ponytail, and she basically looked like a mess.
“Um…make yourself at home. I’ll be right back,” she blurted out before running into her bedroom and shutting the door. In record time, she ran into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, put on some lip gloss, and fluffed her ponytail before whipping off the sweatshirt. “Bra. I definitely need to put on a bra.”
Groaning, she put one on and then slipped on one of her favorite sweaters. It was oversized like the sweatshirt, but it just looked nicer. Checking her reflection, she took a moment to calm herself down before going back out into the living room.
After letting out a long breath, she opened the door and found him sitting on the couch.
“Sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting anyone and I felt a little grungy,” she explained before walking over to the kitchen table. “I’m not sure what exactly my sisters ordered, so this is a little like a culinary adventure.”
Reid walked over and stood beside her. She could smell his cologne and then forced herself to step aside just a bit.
“Why don’t you open the containers while I get us some plates and silverware?”
“Sounds good.”
“I had taken wine out to drink, but if you’d prefer something else…”
“Water is fine,” he said. “I’m on call with the station, so…no alcohol.”
Nodding, she grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge along with everything else they needed and joined him at the table. It took a few minutes to sort through everything and she was thrilled with the variety—meatloaf, potato soup, chicken and dumplings, brisket, chicken fingers, fries, and an assortment of warm bread, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.
