Page 68 of No Headlines Please

"And warm? Like…as in ready to serve?"

"Maybe."

"What, you don't know for sure?"

"I guess it depends on the dish."

Stupidly, I said, "Well, if it was lobster bisque, let's hope it was warm. Have you ever had it cold? I mean, it's still good, but…" I let my words trail off as I realized how irrelevant they were to the topic at hand.

But this whole subject was making me nervous.

I wasn't even sure why.

Instead of going straight for the cancelled wedding, I should've asked about his other secret – the favor for a friend. At least that secret would have nothing to do with me or my own jumbled feelings.

On the sofa, Maddox remained utterly silent, as if waiting for me to process everything he'd said.

I let out a resigned sigh. "But I guess soup isn't the point, huh?"

With a wry smile, he replied, "Hey, I could talk about soup all day."

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. Because then, you wouldn't have to share your deep, dark secrets."

"So…" His tone grew teasing. "What do you think of tomato?"

Nice try. And yet, I couldn't stop myself from playing along. "Tomato bisque? Or tomato soup?"

"You tell me."

"Honestly? I like both, but I'd still rather hear the rest of your story." I searched his face for clues. "So I'm guessing you were the one who cancelled?"

Looking slightly curious, he asked, "Why do you say that?"

I almost laughed. "Well, who would cancel on you?"

If he was flattered, he didn't show it. "Some might think the opposite. Who would cancel on her."

Once again, I imagined the bride in question. "You mean, because she was really nice? Or really pretty?"

He looked at me for a long moment. "Who says someone can't be both?"

In my mind, I could practically see her. "So…she was pretty and nice?"

"No." His gaze dipped to my lips. "But you are."

My breath caught, and for one terrifying second, I forgot all about the cancelled wedding.

I forgot about my questions.

I forgot about warning bells entirely.

But then, with a titanic effort, I shook off my stupefaction to confess, "If you're trying to distract me, I'm pretty sure it's working."

His eyebrows lifted. "Pretty sure?"

"Okay, really sure." But then I couldn't help but laugh at least a little. "You're quite the flatterer. You know that, right?"

"It's not flattery if it's true. What, you don't believe me?"