Was it me, or did Delaney’s eyes widen?
If there was one thing I knew, it was when a woman was up to something. And Delaney definitely had a look about her all of a sudden.
“That’s great. I know you guys have been trying to get in with them for years.”
I looked at Parker while he spoke but watched Delaney from the corner of my eyes, a sneaking suspicion making me want to test a theory.
Jenn slipped me a drink order. While I made it, I said to Parker, “We’re pretty stoked. Would have come over to the inn but Mae suggested it might be too busy. She has a point.”
There!
While pretending to concentrate on the drink I was making, I watched Delaney, who definitely looked suspicious, especially when she sought out Mae five minutes later, saying that she wanted to say hello.
When the two of them disappeared into the back, I was convinced.
They’d talked about me on the trip. I’d have bet a hundred dollars on it. The question was… what did they say? More importantly, what did Mae say about me?
Maybe tomorrow would be the perfect time to find out.
14
MAE
I stared at my laptop screen, the words all running together and blurry. Giving up, I closed it and looked out my parents’ front window just as Beck pulled up. Watching him stride up the walkway, as I’d done a million times growing up, it was clear something had… shifted between us. Or maybe just me. But there was an awareness that had never been there, or maybe had lurked beneath the surface, which was undeniable. Yesterday at the bar the air had been thick with tension. Not a bad kind of tension, like waking up on the day of a dentist appointment. More like the seconds before you reached the top of a roller coaster hill, knowing the next few moments would be exciting and fun, but also a little scary too.
He wore a hat this morning, always a good look on him. I smiled when Beck adjusted the rim, something he usually did when he was nervous. Not that Beck got nervous all that much. He was one of the most laid-back guys in the world, maybe with the exception of Parker. Sometimes, too much so.
But man, he looked good in a hat.
The front door opened.
“That anxious to see me again, huh?”
“Obviously not.”
“Then why you waiting at the window with bated breath?”
“You’re impossible.”
We headed into the kitchen. It was small but functional, and we’d spent many days in here studying, swapping notes and being fed by my parents.
“Mom and Dad think they found a place,” I said as Beck opened the cupboard and grabbed a coffee cup. I turned away before I bored a hole in the back of his jeans. Beck had always filled them out well, but the last thing I needed was him catching me staring at his ass.
“Whereabouts?”
“Well,” I said, sitting and wrapping my hands around my own still-warm mug. “They’re a little north of where they originally started looking in a town called Delray Beach. They fell in love with the downtown, though I guess it’s a little pricier so their dream of oceanfront might not be possible. They have an appointment with the realtor tomorrow to look at a few places.”
“Good for them. They deserve it.”
I agreed, pushing the box in the center of the kitchen table toward him. “You have to try one of these. There’s a bakery in Kitchi Falls known for their cinnamon buns, and they’re amazing.”
“High praise from the master pastry chef. How can I say no?”
He took one out of the box, and I watched as Beck bit into it, staring at his lips. Blinking, I turned away, opening my laptop.
“Holy shit, you weren’t kidding. These would be worth a day trip.”
“Right?”
