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“Cheeseburger pizza, please!”
Brenna laughed. “Gotta love a girl with a one track mind.” Her laugh drew a few looks, as it always did, and she was, of course, completely unaware of her effect on people. “How do you feel about Italian sausage and peppers?”
“Sounds good to me,” I told her and placed the orders.
“So, did anything else interesting happen at the bake sale today?” Mischief twinkled in her eyes and I wondered if she’d heard something, not that there was anything worth hearing.
“One of the mothers thought she could pass off Mara’s confections as her own.”
Her blue eyes went wide. “Oh no!”
“Exactly,” I laughed. “It wasn’t until the last minute that she realized Mara had added ‘made my Mara’ on the bottom of each cupcake. In red gel frosting.”
“Oh. My.” Before she could finish the sentiment, Brenna erupted in laughter. Her shoulders shook and her cleavage jiggled in a mouthwatering fashion. She made a beautiful picture and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. “Classic Mara, but ouch, brutal.”
I laughed at her correct assessment. “She was pretty embarrassed but they sold out and that’s what matters, at least that’s what I told her.”
“And how did that work out for you?”
“Let’s just say she found me a lot less appealing after that.”
Brenna gasped and put a hand to her chest in mock outrage. “Now that I don’t believe.”
“Believe it, babe.” I winked and she rolled her eyes, but the smile on her full lips told me she appreciated it.
“Well isn’t this a cozy scene?”
I didn’t recognize the voice but the woman had a baby on one hip and a kid about Mariana’s age bouncing at her side, pegging her as one of the school mothers. “It is, thanks. Can I help you?”
The woman huffed out a laugh. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
“Should I?” I knew I hadn’t dated her because in the past I stayed away from single moms because there was too much expectation. “Your kid goes to school with my daughter, right?” I looked to the game room where Mariana laughed with friends, wishing she was here to tell me who the hell this woman was.
“Yeah. I gave you my number and you never called. Now I know why.” She glared at Brenna. “So you two are together, huh?”
“How is that any of your business?” Brenna’s thick accent was loud and now half the restaurant had tuned in. “All you need to know is that he didn’t call. Honestly!”
“I just want to know if I’m barking up the wrong tree. No need to get catty about it.” She hoisted the kid higher on her hip, still glaring at Brenna.
“Not catty, just telling you to mind your business, which my business is not.”
Thankfully our teenage waiter chose that moment to arrive with our drinks and food. He carefully nudged the woman out of the to set down to hot pizzas. “Do you need more chairs?”
“No thanks, honey. She was just leaving.” Brenna glared at her with a serene smile on her face until the woman growled and stomped off. “What a hot commodity you are. Should I feel honored or somethin’?”
I laughed. “Or something, yeah.” We stared at each other for several long moments, heat arcing between us, unspoken passion stoking the flames.
“Yay, pizza!”
Brenna’s lips curled into an amused grin as she turned her attention to Mariana. “It’s like you have a radar for pizza, little girl.”
“I do. I think. What’s a radar?”
Brenna laughed again. “It means you have an extra sense to know when there’s pizza around.”
“Oh.” Mariana’s shoulders relax. “Yeah I have that ‘cause I love pizza.”
“Then let’s protect our clothes before we dig in.”
“I’m too big for a bib,” Mariana insisted and I couldn’t help but grin.
“First of all, you’re never too big for a bib because you can eat as messy as you want, but this is pizza so we’ll just use a napkin.” Brenna showed her how to fold the napkin and tucked into the collar of her shirt to keep it pizza sauce free. “Easy peasy.”
“Lemon squeezy,” Mariana added with a giggle.
The longer the meal went on, the more I started to see Brenna in my life. In our lives.
By the time we said goodnight on Brenna’s doorstep, I realized that somewhere along the way, I fell for Brenna McKenna.
Brenna
“Oh, for crying out loud, Brenna, just tell the man how you feel!” Jessie May’s words vibrated with affection and frustration, her emotions were palpable over the phone.
I sighed and shook my head before burying it in my hands. “That’s just it, Jessie May, I’m not totally sure how I feel!”
“Liar.” Her accusation was softened by the mocking laughter that sounded from her end, at least a little.
“I’m not lying, I swear. I like Grant, a lot. Probably a lot more than I should, but that doesn’t make this love, Jessie. It could be delirium brought on my amazing orgasms. It could be nothing more than a crush, or worse, infatuation.”
