Uh huh. I’m. Not. Dating. Yet.
Think of it as lunch with me.
Except, you are not six foot something with sandy brown hair, a chiseled jaw and perfect smile.
I didn’t mention his fine ass.
I don’t have a perfect smile?
Cheeky girl. Ignoring her question, I texted:
He’s coming back. TTYL.
“I didn’t know if you wanted any sweetener,” Parker said, putting down the tray of food and drinks in front of us. “So I grabbed a few of each kind.”
That was thoughtful. “Thanks,” I said. “And thank you for lunch.”
“My pleasure.”
“So how exactly did you get roped into this?” I asked, noticing his eyes for the first time. Hazel, though slightly more green than blue, probably thanks to his sweater. They were kind eyes, but I wasn’t so easily fooled.
Makis had seemed kind too, in the beginning.
“Roped isn’t the right word.” Parker opened his bottle of water.
“No?” I teased. “So what word would you use?” I regretted the words as soon as they flew out of my mouth. Much too flirty.
The corners of Parker’s lips lifted ever so slowly, his eyes mischievous. “More like, cajoled.”
Laughing, I put the lid back on my iced tea after sufficiently sugaring it. “That’s just as bad. Maybe even worse.”
“Hmm.” He took a bite of what looked like a turkey sandwich.
“A very convenient time not to be able to respond.”
Parker smiled even as he chewed. I took the opportunity to dig into my own sandwich.
“Pia probably could sense I was going stir-crazy,” he said when he finished. “It’s rare for me to have a day off, between my regular job and working at the inn.”
“I’ve seen the updates you made. The place looks great. It’s really nice of you to do that.”
“I am staying there rent-free,” Parker said, taking another bite of his sandwich.
“Right, but Pia told me Mason said you’re doing it more out of convenience, to help with renovations whenever you have a break.”
“The inn needed renovating,” he said. “Plus, when it’s done I’ll be able to use the job on my resume. I’m hoping to start my own construction company. Maybe,” he added.
“Why maybe?”
“It’s… complicated.” He cocked his head to the side. “But speaking of the inn, it’s still hard to believe you’ve been there, and we never ran into each other.”
“Well, we did the other day. And I’ve only been down there one other time since meeting Pia. Aside from years ago, of course. But that doesn’t count.”
“You weren’t at the New Year’s Eve party?”
“No,” I said. “My ex…” I stopped, not wanting to talk about Makis.
“Pia told me a little about him. Moving on.” He smiled good-naturedly. But I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by.
