Her shoulders lowered slightly, and she couldn’t pull her eyes from his. The irises were so captivating up close, full of varying shades of brown and green. And those long lashes... perfect. She wanted to say yes. Badly. What was stopping her?
Me. I’m stopping me.
His smile was as gentle as his words. “Maybe another time.”
She started to nod, then stopped. What was she doing? This stunning, kind man was trying to help her. She had to meet him halfway. “I’ll go,” she said, sitting on her hands again.
His grin sent a tingle straight to her toes. “Excellent. You’ll have to drive, though. I don’t have an extra helmet on me today.”
“Good, because I’m never getting on a motorcycle.”
“Never say never.” He stood and picked up his empty plate and almost-full teacup.
“Oh, I can definitely say never. Because it’s never going to happen.” She joined him, and they set the dishes by the cake. “Maude will get these,” she said, turning toward him.
Most of their in-person interactions had been when she or both of them were seated. This time she was paying attention to their height difference. The top of her bun was level with hissternum, and she had to look up at him. She’d already noticed his slightly scruffy whiskers, but now that they were standing close to each other again, she wondered what they would feel like against her skin. She’d never touched a man’s face before. Not even her father’s—at least not that she remembered.
Blinking, she got a grip. Staring at his stubble was weird, and she didn’t want to come across as more peculiar than she already was. “I-I’ll grab my purse and we can go.”
“Lead the way.”
When they reached the front of the store, X was standing behind the counter reading a homeopathic magazine. He was the only one in sight. “Where did Maude go?” Britt asked.
“I sent her on an errand.” He put the magazine down. “Alongerrand.”
Hunter chuckled. “Looks like you have your hands full, X.”
X grinned. “Almost fifty years and counting. I wouldn’t want it any other way. You two heading out?”
“Yes.” Her hand went to her shirt hem.
In one smooth move, Hunter entwined his fingers with hers. “Heard of Yo Jo’s?”
X thought for a second. “Don’t believe I have. Coffee?”
“Yep. That’s where we’re going.”
Hunter was still holding her hand like it was no big deal, and X either didn’t see that they were holding hands or, unlike his wife, decided not to make a commotion over it. But to Britt, it was a massive deal. She’d never held a man’s hand before either. And Hunter’s was delightfully warm. A little rough, as expected from his job. Also, all engulfing.
The tingle that had traveled through her earlier felt like a lightning bolt, making it hard for her to remember that he washelping her with her anxiety, not anything else. Still, holding his hand wasthrilling.
A customer walked into the store, making X’s eyebrows rise with surprise. It was Monday, after all. With a nod to Britt and Hunter, he hurried over to her. “Welcome,” he said with a big grin. “How can I help you?”
As X and the customer conversed, Hunter led Britt outside. Although it was close to five o’clock, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was still hot. He shielded his eyes with his free hand as they stepped off the sidewalk.
Britt glanced at their hands still together, unsure what to do. Surely he hadn’t forgotten he was still holding it. But there was no reason to anymore.
He dropped her hand and headed for the car. “Still a hot one, isn’t it?”
She nodded, a little disheartened that they weren’t walking hand in hand anymore. She pressed her key fob to unlock the car. Feeling like she had to address the handholding, she said, “Thanks.”
“For?” He walked to the passenger side.
“Keeping me from stretching out my shirt.”
He smiled. “My pleasure.”
For a split second, she thought he meant it.
