“You have to try some!” Amelia said. “I put baby marshmallows in them!”
Mom handed me a plate with a single cookie that vaguely resembled the Stay-Puft-marshmallow man if it had a run-in with a blow-torch. I accepted the plate. “Real sugar?”
“And refined flour. It’s just one.” She shook her head. “We didn’t know you would be over, or we would have used the almond flour.”
I scrutinized the cookie then looked at Amelia, who gave me a sad face. I’d eat it for her. I sat down at the island. She grabbed the goopy mess and offered it to me.
I gobbled the cookie from her hand. “Nom! Nom! Nom! It’s the cookie monster!”
She burst out in laughter, her voice like heavenly music. “Is it good, Unky?”
“Amazing. I’ve never had a more delicious cookie in my life,” I said as I tried not to choke on the sticky marshmallows.
Mom simply smiled and poured me a glass of water.
“What’s deyicious?”
“Delicious. When something is yummy in your tummy.” I poked her belly, heightening her giggling.
I might not have a significant other to share my life with, but I had an amazing family.
CHAPTER SEVEN
JAKE
“Excuse me,” Gabriel said loudly as he approached. “Can you explain the difference between sharp and mild cheddar?”
I cleared my throat. “Certainly, sir.”
We’d played this game all week. He would come in and pretend to be an interested customer. We’d flirt under the guise of helping him choose the perfect ingredients for his Sunday dinner party. It had become a fun pastime and the highlight of my day—when we weren’t texting in the evening, anyhow.
“I prefer sharp for its bite,” I said as a fellow employee walked by. “It’s a classic flavor, sure to please anyone.”
He leaned in, something twinkling in his gaze. “Sharp? Hm, I’m more of a blunt kind of guy.”
“Ugh, I do not need to be thinking about dick and cheese at the same time,” I whispered.
“Yeah, you’re right,” he shivered as if the thought was terrifying. “Would you like to do something tomorrow?”
The smile that forced its way onto my cheeks threatened to split my face. He made me grin like no other, so much that my cheek muscles grew sore. I guess they were out of shape. “Yes.”
“I’ve been scheming. Let me treat you?” he asked and put the wedge of cheese he’d been pretending to inspect back on the shelf.
“Okay.” I’d been waiting and hoping he would ask me out again. It seemed like a sure thing.
When we didn’t flirt on his lunch break, he texted me as soon as he got home from work. We talked about all sorts of things, from the mild late-season warm up the meteorologists were predicting, to what it was like treating high profile clients. We clicked well, in my opinion, and it was nice having someoneto talk to. The flirting and sexual innuendos on his end were fun too. Despite my insistence we take this slow, it was nice being reminded that he wanted to have sex with me.
“Great. I’ll pick you up at nine. Or we can meet somewhere if you’d prefer?” He selected a box of wheat crackers and set it in his shopping basket.
Fear darted through me. I couldn’t have him picking me up in my neighborhood. He was likely to get robbed. He was a walking target with his nice clothes and laptop bag. “I uh… I live around Halsted and Addison. You can pick me up on the corner.”
The moment the lie was out of my mouth, my stomach soured.
“Perfect! Nine tomorrow morning.” He winked and took off for the salad bar. “Thank you for all your help! My dinner party will be smashing! I’ll be sure to leave a glowing compliment with your manager.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Gabriel was a fun guy, and his sense of humor was sexy. Letting out a big breath, I mentally berated myself. I shouldn’t have lied but I was embarrassed about living in a dump. I watched for a long minute as he piled salad ingredients into his container.Please, please let this work out.I’d never been so into a man before as I was with Gabriel.What is a little white lie, anyway?
I passed the hour by cleaning up some juice a butter-fingered customer had spilled. I took my time, because as soon as I was done, the boss on duty had informed me I’d be cleaning the fish bins today. Which meant I’d be home late. Even worse, I’d have to ride the bus smelling like tuna. Still, I couldn’t help seeing the brighter side of things. Gabriel was clearly interested and wanted to take me out on date number two. I’d be prepared this time.
