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At his wink, my stomach did a funny flip-flop. I decided for both our sakes I better go back to helping Owen with his lunch before I combusted right then and there.

CHAPTER SIX: GAVIN

The conversation flowed so easily between us that I lost track of time. I couldn’t remember when I’d been able to talk so freely with a woman. I’d also never seen Owen so at ease so quickly. It had taken him a while to warm up to Macy and some of the other WAGS. Like his old man, he seemed as smitten with Mina as I did.

Or maybe he was smitten with Mina because of her dog. I had to give thanks to Ozzy for keeping Owen so amused that it freed Mina and I up to talk.

When the terrace door opened, I expected it to be Rory, but disappointment flooded me when it was Cal and Macy. “All right. It’s time to get our tubin’ on,” Cal pronounced with a smile.

Glancing between Mina and me, Macy gave me a knowing look. “We’ll just wait for you and Owen at the tubing office down the street.”

“Thanks. We’ll catch up.”

“We can at least take Owen with us.”

Like me, Owen seemed reluctant to leave. But JJ and Jack managed to change his mind. After giving Ozzy a big hug, he came over to hug Mina. “Bye, bye, MeMe.”

Grinning, Mina said, “Bye, Owen. You can come to play with Ozzy anytime you want, okay?”

“Yeah!” he cried as he clapped his hands.

And then he skipped off to join the others. When we were alone, I exhaled a ragged breath. Staring intently into Mina’s eyes, I said, “It’s crazy, but I don’t want to go.”

“I must be mental because I don’t want you to go either.”

Sensing it was now or never, I asked, “Will you go out with me?”

Mina smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.” Grabbing her phone, she looked down at her calendar. “How about tomorrow night? I could take you out of the bright lights of Helen.”

“No, I don’t want to do that.”

“Fine. We can stay here.”

Her brows creased in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“I want to go out tonight.”

Sputtering, Mina replied, “Y-You…T-Tonight?”

I chuckled. “Yes, tonight.”

“Wow…”

“Did I just overplay my hand?”

“No, no. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that I have responsibilities here at the restaurant.”

“And let me guess, Rory wouldn’t do them for you if she knew you were on a date?”

With a burst of laughter, Mina said, “While that is possible, it’s more about the fact that I have to be the one to close up, or my assistant manager. Rory is clueless when it comes to that.”

Undeterred, I replied, “Then I’ll just come hang out with you after work.”

“You’d really do that?”

“I really would.”

Mina’s eyes lit up. Good. I really want you to try my samples.”