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Slowly, I began packing things into boxes. There wasn’t a ton of stuff, and that white chocolate cheesecake was going upstairs into my fridge along with all the leftover cookies.
All right, maybe next week I’d be complaining about more than eight pounds.
Never mind the Freshman Fifteen. I was about to experience the Mother Nature Ninety.
“Quiet afternoon?”
I squealed and turned around, clasping my hand to my chest. “Jesus, Maverick! Announce yourself!”
He laughed as he approached the counter. “Sorry. I thought you might have heard the door. Quiet afternoon?”
“Busy morning, quiet afternoon,” I confirmed. “Do me a favor and lock the door, would you? Flip the open sign to closed and pull down that blind before someone gets ideas.”
“That kind of day?”
“Don’t,” I said, putting cupcakes into a box. “I haven’t even done your cupcake, I’m sorry. Everything has gone to shit ever since I woke up this morning.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. It happens. You’re exhausted. I know you’ll get it done.” He pulled the blind down. “Besides, the longer it takes you, the more excuses I have to hang around and make you like me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I slid various pie slices into a couple of boxes. “Any excuse.” I smiled over my shoulder. “So your trip was a waste. Sorry.”
“Nah, it’s not a waste. I managed to get some writing done at the bookstore and ended up buying three books.” Mav shrugged. “What are you doing now?”
“Boxing all this up. I’m going to take it to the retirement home for all the seniors.”
“Need a hand?”
I blinked at him. “You know they’re insane, right? Also, on Sundays, they have these art and craft classes that get pretty… wild.”
“Wild? They’re seniors. How wild can they get?”
I pouted. “Oh, you have no idea.”
He hesitated, then shrugged. “All right. My car is round the back and it’s bigger than yours. Let’s go.” He rounded the counter and started to help me put things in boxes.
“Not the white chocolate cheesecake!” I almost yelled. “That’s mine.”
Mav looked at it, then at me. “All three-quarters of it?”
“Yes. And don’t touch the cookies either. They’re also mine.”
He looked at the stack of cookies. “Why do you need all that food? Was this weekend really that tough?”
I closed the lid of a box with various leftover pasties and sealed it with a sticker, focusing a little too hard on smoothing it out. “Like I said, I’ve had a rough day.”
“Yeah, but that’s a lot of sugar for one day.”
“Oh, my God, will you let it go?” I looked up and gave him a pointed look. “If I want to eat almost a whole cheesecake by myself, I will, okay?”
Mav stared at me.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “I didn’t mean to snap. You haven’t done anything.”
His lips twitched into a smile. “No, I’m glad you did. Now it makes sense.”
“What makes sense?”
“Piper, I’m a writer. I write in a woman’s point of view sometimes.” He paused. “I have a very colorful internet search history that potentially has me on a FBI watchlist somewhere.”
“I don’t get it.”
“You’re snappy, tired, and you want to eat three-quarters of a cheesecake to yourself.” He chuckled. “You’re either on your period or you’re pregnant, but I know we used protection that night.”
“Oh!” I stepped forward and slapped his arm. “I am not pregnant!”
“Phew, thank God. I’m just getting used to this town. I’m not sure I could deal with a tiny needy human.”
“Oh, shut up,” I muttered. “Go and put these boxes in your car before I beat you with my spatula.”
He grabbed a stack of boxes, thus ensuring I couldn’t hit him. “Sounds kinky.”
I picked up the next stack and narrowed my eyes at him. “Keep walking.”
***
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Maverick looked at me from across the car. “How bad can it be?”
Famous last words.
Everyone knew you never said that. What a stupid question.
“All right, then.” I got out my side and walked around to the truck. We’d put most of the smaller boxes into bags, and between us, we managed to get everything out and to the door of the retirement home where I tried the door.
It was locked, so I rang the bell.
“Hello?” a crackly voice came through the intercom.
“Hi, it’s Piper. I’m here to see Grandma and I have goodies.”
“Doors open, Piper, come on in.”
“Thanks!”
The door buzzed, and with a very deft use of my elbow, I managed to push down the handle and open the door. I propped it open with my hip and held it so Maverick could pass. He was carrying his body weight in boxes.
He waited for me just inside and I led him to the reception where we could finally put the boxes down.
“Ooh.” Amanda pursed her lips. “What have you got? Did you close early?”
I nodded. “Long weekend, quiet afternoon. I sent Felicity home at lunch and decided to give myself a little break, too, so there’s a bit of everything.”
