“You don’t know what I’m used to, Sela.” His tone was firm. “But ifwhat I’m used towas what I wanted, maybe I’d be with someone right now.”
Damn it, that was a good point. I opened my mouth to say something, but I didn’t know what.
“So we’re keeping our distance?”
I nodded solemnly. I didn’t want to, not really, but I had to be smart, or I’d never find out what came next. “Yeah. We are.”
“So this is our last hurrah?” He motioned to the coffee and the mound of pastries between us.
“Looks like it.”
“Too bad.”
“Definitely,” I agreed.
“Oh, perfect. You’re together. Again.” Edith placed her hands on the table and stared at me and then Brock, and then back to me with a sparkle in her eyes. “I was looking for you.”
“Who,” I asked.
“Both of you.” Her smile dimmed, and I knew bad news was coming. Edith inhaled deeply and put her smile back on, big andbright. “You two looked like you were having such a good time together, and the mayor said she saw you leave together.”
“Edith,” I began, but she cut me off.
“What young people get up to is none of my business. Mostly,” she added with a laugh. “The point is that I signed you up for the pie contests today, making and eating.”
I blinked. “But that’s today. We have no time to practice.”
“Nonsense. You have all morning and most of the afternoon to get used to working together. And this is for a good cause,” she added as if that had anything to do with her meddling. “The contest starts at four o’clock, which gives you plenty of time to practice.” Edith scurried off before either of us could say anything.
Brock wore a wide, satisfied grin. “I guess the universe isn’t done with us yet.”
I wasn’t sure if I should be thrilled or terrified.
Chapter 8
Brock
“We can do this. No, Ican’tdo this!” Sela moved left and then right inside her small kitchen, unsure what to do or say. “This is crazy! Edith is normally a lovely old woman, a little raunchy, sure, but this is crazy.” She turned to me, her blue eyes wide and frantic. “This is crazy, right?”
It was a little crazy, but I wasn’t as bothered by it as Sela clearly was. “It feels like small-town shenanigans.” The old woman was clearly attempting to match us by any means necessary, and it would be annoying as hell if I wasn’t on the same page.
Sela stopped moving abruptly. She froze, her stare aimed at my chest, and I thought maybe she was offended. Her head fell forward, just brushing against me, and then her shoulders shook.
Was shecrying? “Hey, it’s all right.”
She looked up, her shoulders still shaking, but I saw that it was laughter rather than tears. Thank fucking goodness. “You’re right,” she sighed. “It is small-town shenanigans, and I should be used to it. The matchmakers are notorious meddlers, and really, I’m just surprised that I didn’t see this coming.”
My shoulders relaxed. “So we’re good?”
Her head shook, her blond curls brushing across her shoulders with every move. “Oh no, we’re totally screwed, which is really why I’m freaking out. I don’t want to humiliate you in front of your new town.”
Her words surprised me. “That’s what you’re worried about?”
Her brows knitted into another frown before she rolled her eyes. “Duh. I can bake, but simple things like cookies and brownies, cakes and bars, and even a pudding in a pinch. Pie? Nowhere near my wheelhouse.” Her chest rose and fell, drawing my attention to the swell of her magnificent chest under the pale green sweater.
I placed my hands on her shoulders and slowly slid them up until her face was cradled in my hands. “We’ve got this,” I assured her with a smile that made her eyes darken with lust.
“How can you say that when I just told you that I cannot make pies? Are you going to mesmerize the crowd with those gorgeous eyes and make them think they’re eating a delicious pie?”
