My grin spread across my face. Oliver might not be the kind of guy I could see myself with, but he was amusing. I’d give him that.
“All I was going to say was that I wasn’t exactly acting like myself last night. I’m sorry for?—”
He held up a hand. “Let me stop you right there, because you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for.”
I tipped my head back and resisted groaning. “Fine. Sorry was the wrong word. I’m just trying to say that last night was out of character for me.”
“You mean you don’t typically go around kissing strangers you just met outside a bar? I’m shocked.”
Something about the know-it-all way he said it, eyes staring right into mine, made me want to kiss him all over again to prove him wrong.
“Exactly,” I said instead.
“What sort of person are you then?” he probed.
I took another exaggerated sip of my coffee, staring at him over the lip of my mug. “The kind that doesn’t like to get into the gory details of my psyche before eight in the morning.”
“Got it.” Oliver snapped his fingers. “I’ll wait until the evening.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I narrowed my eyes. “All I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t expect it to happen again.”
He stroked his chin at that and pretended to look thoughtful. Then he leaned in so his face was only inches from mine. “What if I beg?”
A small gasp escaped my lips. But before I could regain my composure and give him a response, Giles entered the room behind us.
“Breakfast is ready,” he said, giving us both a quizzical look. “Do you two know each other or something?”
“No,” I said at the same time Oliver said, “Yes.”
Giles furrowed his brow and looked to Mattie, who had stepped into the room behind him.
“They just met,” she clarified. “At the bar last night.”
“Oh, small world,” Giles said, still assessing the two of us. My brother-in-law wasn’t exactly the warmest and cuddliest of people, but we got along okay. He was more of a loner than anything. We’d hardly had a conversation alone since he and Mattie started dating. I knew she secretly hoped that my being here would spark a friendship between the two of us. I wasn’t opposed to the idea. I just simply didn’t know if I had the time.
“Did someone say breakfast was ready?” I asked, dying to change the subject and get away from the curious nature of Oliver’s stare.
“It’s on the table,” Mattie said, shooting me a devilish grin.
“After you,” Oliver said, placing his hand on my lower back and motioning toward the kitchen. He seemed to be reveling in every moment of my discomfort, and it drove me nuts.
I stepped away from his touch and moved into the dining room before sitting down for breakfast. Oliver took the seat across from me and winked before digging in.
I did my best to ignore his stolen glances throughout the meal and focus on my food.
So much for never seeing this guy again.
And so much for a kiss without consequences.
FOUR
Frankie
The small woodencabin was lighter than I expected as I picked it up to examine it before setting it down with the rest of the small trinkets. The store smelled of pine and vanilla, which I had to imagine was due to the large assortment of candles in the back corner.
“What about this for Mom?” Mattie held up a pink-checkered sweater that did look exactly like something our mother would wear, except for one fact.
“Are you forgetting she lives in Florida?”
