“Pen.” He pulls me into his lap.
“Eep!” I giggle. “Sir, we don’t have time for this.” My tease is half-hearted.
“Exactly.” He takes his fork and spears a bite. “Which is why I’m putting a stop to it. Now, eat.”
“So bossy this morning.” I take the offered food.
“Says my very sassy girl.” He grabs a piece of bacon from his plate.
Like it’s nothing, we proceed to eat from his plate, me on his lap at the kitchen table.
“You lovemy sass.” I lick syrup from my lips.
“Pen, I love everything about you.”
A fizziness bubbles through my veins.
“Well, except for this new-found obsession you have for buying GB clothes.”
“But helovesit!” My gaze drops to GB in the green shirt with tiny pineapples dotting it that I’d put on him while Rowan finished cooking breakfast.
“Does he?” Rowan’s head tilts and eyes look past me. “That dog will do anything to make you happy.”
“Like someone else I know.” I fork a bite and offer it to him.
“Guilty as charged.” He takes the bite.
“Well, I’ll be in jail beside you.” My heart swells.
Each day I fall just a little more for this man. It’s like I dove into the ocean and just as I think I’ve reached the bottom, there’s more to go.
“Also, I think it’s the relief that’s making me extra sassy.”
The interviews for the director of voluntary services position wrapped up yesterday. No matter what decision is made, I can breathe. I know I did the best I could in the interview, and I’d knocked it out of the park the last month as interim director. Outside the MVP Foundation’s partnership, which came in pre-me, and Sasha later revealed was more coincidence as they’d been working with Jamal for several weeks prior, I’ve established a volunteer program with a local high school and secured donations from several businesses.
“They’d be idiots not to select you.” Rowan’s palm squeezes at my waist.
“True,” I say saucily. “If they don’t, they don’t.”
“Still?”
“Still.” I sigh. “I really hope they choose me.”
My false bravado fools nobody at this table, especially Rowan. He’s so in tune with me. Even if he doesn’t know exactly what goes on in my head, he’s able to discover my emotions, the hidden and not-so-hidden ones.
“When do you think you’ll hear?”
“Nelson wants to decide by Friday.”
“Then Friday I’m taking you out somewhere special.”
“What if I don’t get it?”
“I’ll still take you out somewhere special.” He folds me into his chest. “Only we’ll have dessert for dinner, all the dessert.”
Shifting in his lap, my hands slide up and cup his face. “Now, I kind of hope I don’t get it.” My fingers trace his smirk.
“Luv, you can always have dessert with me.”
