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“Your apple piealwayssounds good.”
“All right. That settles it then. I’ll see you tonight. Don’t work too hard.”
I chuckle. “I’ll try. I love you, Grinny,” I tell her.
“I love you too, my boy.”
I’m nearly to the hospital cafeteria as I hang up and I’ve been so distracted on the phone that I didn’t realize Marlow is right behind me. When I pause and turn to look at her, she’s smiling and her eyes are bright. It stuns me silent for a moment.
“The way all of you love your grandma is just so…I love it,” she says, putting her hand on her chest.
“She’s easy to love.”
She smiles and we enter the cafeteria, both saying hello to all the regulars. I’m surprised that they seem to know Marlow already—she’s only been working here for a few days. Even Charles, the grumpy cook that always looks ticked off to be working in the mornings, smiles when he pops his head out of the kitchen and says hi to her.
Once we get to the counter, our hands crash as we both reach for the last blueberry streusel muffin.
Since my parents and grandparents taught me right, I back off and let the lady have the muffin, but for whatever reason, I can’t make it too easy on her.
“I’ve had this muffin every day that I’ve worked here. It’s going to knock everything out of balance to have to eat—that.” I point at the puny cranberry muffins left in the basket.
She smirks and moves toward the register. “Balance is overrated.”
She buys the muffin and unwraps it right in front of me. I absentmindedly purchase the cranberry muffin and a coffee, unable to take my eyes off of Marlow. Just as she’s about to take a big bite of the muffin, she leans over and holds it up to me.
“Sorry, I touched it. Take it. You should see your expression. I didn’t know you were all about the blueberry muffins.”
I chuckle. “I do love them. Take it, you’ll see why.”
“No, I insist.”
“Like you said, you touched it.”
She frowns like she’s offended and then can’t hold onto it without laughing. “I think Ihaveheard something about you being a germaphobe. I guess it’s true?”
I shrug. “I’m a doctor, what can I say?”
“Okay then. Your loss.”
She closes her eyes for a second when she takes a bite and then moans. Damn…she’s making that muffin look even better than it already did. Once she’s finished chewing, she looks at me and nods.
“It’s delicious. I can see why you’re such a boring creature of habit over this muffin.”
“You have me there. It is kind of boring to eat the same thing every day, but it’s a fucking good muffin.”
Her face flushes when I curse and it’s adorable. And she smells so good, looks so good.
I run my hand through my hair and she watches, her expression unreadable.
“How are you liking this place? Pine Community…Landmark Mountain?” I ask.
“I love it. I haven’t had one bad…” She laughs and looks self-conscious.
“What?”
“I was gonna say I haven’t had one bad experience since I got here, but that’s not exactly true.” She makes a face.
I laugh. “First you take my muffin and then you throw it in my face what a jerk I was—”
