“I’m just saying women can’t stay young and single forever. Soon we’reoldand single, and that’s not nearly as much fun.” She nods at Rose like she’s looking for commiseration.
Rose is what, thirty? She’s hardly an old maid. Implying she’s in the same boat as a divorcée in her seventies is way out of line. I’m ready to put myself between her and these women when they go on talking as if they aren’t holding up the other customers and confusing the hell out of us.
“Your parents are so glad you have a man in your life,” Nora says.
Rose starts to speak, but these two aren’t interested in giving up their platform.
Fran shakes the ice in her drink. “Can’t even enjoy their retirement, they’re so worried about you.”
Rose flinches, her mouth snapping shut on whatever she might have said. She runs her palms down her apron, barely holding onto the veneer of nonchalance she’s aiming for.
“Your mom asked us to come see the young love for ourselves and report back.” Nora glances from Rose to me. “Get the details straight from the source.”
“Please,” Fran says, “spare no details.”
Rose looks at me over her shoulder. As soon as our gazes lock,I can predict what’s going to happen like I’m looking in a crystal ball. If I know anything about Rose Rainey, it’s that she sees letting people down as a personal failing. She makes off-menu specialty drinks to keep customers happy and covers for Troy every time he asks to switch shifts, even when she has other plans. She never corrects people when they get her name wrong, and it’s only four letters, for goodness’ sake.
She can’t tell these women we’re not dating. If anyone’s going to set the record straight, it’ll have to be me. Just look them in the eyes and shut this whole thing down.
Except I can’t tear my gaze away from Rose.
I don’t know why she told her parents that we’re dating, but she must have had a good reason. I can’t think of one, but there must be something. As if it matters. She could have had a bad reason, for all I care. When she looks up at me with those bright, blue eyes, I’m lost.
I step closer, sliding my hand along her back until it rests on her hip, drawing her into me. She presses against my side with a soft exhale, her eyes swimming with confusion. Her mouth drops open to ask a question, but I get there first.
“You heard right. I am her boyfriend.”
6
rose
Thewhooshingnoisethat’s overwhelmed my brain ever since Fran and Nora exposed my lie quiets as if my ears suddenly filled with cotton.
I’ve never been pressed up against Reed’s body before, and I am not prepared for it. He’s sowarm. Muscular, but not overly so, with a thin layer of softness to him that makes me want to get grabby with him. Which I kind of am. One of my hands clutches his waist, the other rests on his chest just below his pec.
Words escape my brain like rats abandoning ship.
I thought for sure he would tell everyone the truth as soon as he had the chance. That whatever I said to my parents was too bad because absolutely nothing is going on between us. Then, he would scare everyone away with dirty looks before they could ask follow-up questions. Instead, he confirmed it all with two sentences, and I don’t know what to think.
Well, except that Nathan’s one-man standing ovation seems like overkill.
I gaze up at Reed, trying to get a bead on what his explanation for this could be. I know mine—an inability to tell my hovering parents “no” even when they’re thousands of miles away. But Ican’t imagine why he would go along with it. He says no all the time. He loves that word.
His scowl has the barest upward tilt to it, but that almost-smile isn’t what’s throwing me off. It’s his warm, brown eyes. They shine back at me, holding something I haven’t seen there before and can’t name. Which is too bad because I really need to know if I’m getting fired later tonight.
Somewhere, something is squealing, and several sets of eyes are locked on us. Some of the onlookers probably just want their coffee, but curious gazes bore into us from every side. Fran and Nora are both congratulating us. Fran even whipped out her phone to take a picture, so my parents should be fully convinced of our relationship within hours. This doesn’t settle the anxiety in my stomach.
Neither does Reed’s palm sliding across my back as he releases me from that glorious side-hug.
“Any other questions?” His tone says he’ll have no further comment on the matter.
Nora and Fran smile at us like their bingo numbers just came up and scurry away. But that puts Reed’s brother Luke and his daughter, Jovie, front and center.
It turns out she’s the source of the squealing. The little girl’s bouncing around, one hand in a fist at her cheek, the other holding her phone to her chest.
“Oh my gosh, Uncle Reed! Why didn’t you tell us about her before?”
Nathan slides closer to join his other family members. “Yes, Reed. Why didn’t you?”
