But before they began, he needed to be sure. Needed to hear the words one more time. “So you’re definitely in, Dearborn? Willing and prepared to spend the rest of September with me?”
Doubt still clouded her blue eyes but didn’t color her voice.
“I’m in,” she said calmly, firmly, and for the first time in his entire damn life, he understood why people jumped for joy.
Setting aside his new bagel ingredients, he marched to the nearest sink and washed his hands. Beneath the cap, his hair would look like shit, so that had to stay. But he stripped off his beard net before turning around and walking back to her, because a man had his pride.
Five feet between them now. She’d have to close the rest of the distance.
He needed that gesture from her. Suspectedsheneeded a sense of control. Like a wary cat, she’d come to him when she was ready.
They stood like gunslingers. Face-to-face. Wide stance. Fists on hips. Direct eye contact. He hoped like hell he was quick enough, smart enough, to win this battle.
Her piercing gaze pinned him in place. “I have two questions for you, Dean.”
He dipped his chin in silent invitation, braced and ready.
“First question: Can you forgive me for assuming the worst of you? Both times?”
An easy one. “If you can forgive me. I screwed up twenty years ago. Should’ve told you Becky and I were through.”
“Done.” Her rosy lips curved slightly. “Second question: Would you go with me to the reunion? As my date?”
Hold the fuck on. That wasn’t a challenge. Wasn’t another hit to Karl’s stupid heart.
It was... aninvitation?
“Unless you’ve changed dramatically in the past two decades, I know you’d rather eat your apron than attend a social event,” she added. “But like I said, I lost a bet to—”
“Was already going.” Which weren’t the right words, but at least they weresomething.
“Sure you were.” She huffed out a laugh, then abruptly sobered. “Wait. Do you have a date lined up? If so, no problem. I can just—”
“No date. Except you now.” Awkwardly, he adjusted the brim of his cap. “Remember Janel Altman?”
“As a matter of fact, I ran into her Tuesday night.” Molly’s smile had returned, and it rounded her rosy cheeks. Jesus, why was she so fuckingpretty? “She’s organizing the reunion, right?”
“Right.” He heaved a heartfelt sigh. “Few weeks back, I put in a bid to cater her tenth anniversary party. Already have as much work as I can handle, but I’ve got employees looking for extra hours.” Johnathan, mostly. If the kid didn’t find more money soon, he’d have to drop out of college. “Janel, that diabolical busybody mastermind, agreed to hire us—but only if I came to the reunion.”
You need to get out more, Karl, she’d informed him, patting himon the arm like he was a senile goddamn grandpa.You have a whole community of people waiting to be your friend, if you’d just let them.
Sounded like a nightmare to him. Between work and family, he was busy enough as it was, thank you very much. And hehadfriends, as that bizarro obit had showed him. Matthew. Athena. Bez. Johnathan. Even all those harpies in their weird-ass erotic-romance-reading book club.
Bethany in particular was sweet. Fifty-something. Quiet. Fluttery. Very enthusiastic about his muffins—and also gargoyle dicks, for some fucking reason.
He wished to Christ he didn’t know that, but here he was. Knowing that.
“So you agreed to go for the sake of your staff,” Molly summed up.
That blue gaze lingered on him like a stroke of her palm. Soft. Warm.
Her stance had relaxed. She was leaning her round ass against the nearest countertop now, arms loose at her sides. Smiling at him, beautiful as a fucking painting.
Every time he looked at her, he had to catch his damn breath. Same as always.
Cautiously, he propped his hip against the sink edge and relaxed a bit too. “Yeah. Even though that’s the weirdest hiring condition I’ve ever heard, and I’d rather gargle knives than go to a goddamn class reunion.”
When she laughed again, her coppery hairshimmered. He wanted to bury his hands, his face, in that gorgeous hair. Wrap it around his fists as she moaned into his mouth. Feel it drag slowly along his skin as she crawled over him.
