“I know. But ‘chocolate hell’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
“Devilishly good, then?” said Andy.
“Devilishly.” She held out the spoon, which had been thoroughly licked clean.
As he took the spoon, his fingers brushed hers by accident. Had she noticed? Had she held eye contact just a little longer? Flustered, Andy turned away to put the spoon in the sink.
“I’m going to go finish getting ready,” said Erin. She retreated to the bedroom and closed the door.
Andy closed his eyes. He hadn’t felt like this in years.
Hundreds of years.
He opened his eyes and grabbed a second spoon, then hastily scooped up a large dollop of frosting and popped it into his mouth.
Even an overload of chocolate didn’t help.
Erin peeked out the bedroom door. “Andy?”
Andy, his mouth full of frosting, could barely respond. “Mm?”
“What are you wearing to lunch?”
He swallowed the frosting hastily. “Let me see your outfit first.”
She closed the door again.
Andy leaned on the counter and tried to clean the errant frosting from his mustache. He didn’t have to have a mustache and beard, after all, or salt-and-pepper hair, or a red suit and bow tie. He could have appeared any way he wanted to, but a solid identity kept him from going completely mad over the years.
A solid identity, and frequent helpings of good chocolate and coffee.
When Erin emerged, she twirled before him. Her tropical print dress spun prettily with plenty of movement in the full skirt.
“Well?” she said.
“Devilishly beautiful,” he said.
“Aren’t men supposed to say, ‘You look like an angel’?”
“I’m not a man,” said Andy. “And besides, angels don’t know the slightest thing about looking good.”
She rolled her eyes. “Demons are the experts?”
“Undisputed.” He gave her ensemble another look, then concentrated as he ran his hands down his body as he had done before when they went to Erin’s school together.
Her eyes widened as his attire changed from his preferred chambray-and-denim work clothing combo to a casual suit the color of papyrus.
He turned in a slow circle with his arms extended. “How’s this? I tried to go with the tropical look.”
“It’s … very nice,” she said, still looking him up and down. “We’ll look like a matched set.”
“Really? Can I see?”
They went to the mirror together. Erin stood in front, with Andy behind and slightly to the side.
“We do look like a matched set,” he said, pleased.
Erin’s gaze took in their appearance, then shifted and caught his gaze in the mirror. “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable with my mom at the grocery store. I didn’t know what else to do.”
