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Her blue eyes fly wide and she throws up both hands. “You popped the question?”
“No, and if you spill the beans, I won’t give you five dollars for it.” I stand, speaking firmly, and she’s so short, her gray helmet of hair only comes to the center of my chest.
“Oh, how I wish you were my grandson. He likes to pick me up, you know.” She waggles her eyebrows, but I’m still doing my best to be stern.
“Don’t tell Regina.”
“I won’t tell her!” She crosses her heart. “Fireside Ladies promise.”
“Are you going to sell that book to me or not?”
“Of course not,” she shakes her head, waving me away. My jaw tightens, and I’m about to steal the damn thing when she cuts me off. “I’m giving it to you as a wedding gift. Sly’s a founder’s daughter. She has as much right to this as I do.”
Lifting the heavy book, she puts it in my hands, and it’s better than the best deal I’ve ever closed.
Except for getting Joselyn to take a chance on me.
“You’re a tough nut, Alice.”
“You’re still wet behind the ears.” She winks, driving her pointy elbow into my ribs. “I’ve wrangled with the best of them, son.”
It’s no wonder Joselyn stole my heart. She’s the same as this crazy town, the best kind of antique, the quirky kind that only gets better with age.
* * *
“I think you love this place so much because they all know you here.” Joselyn leans forward across from me at Rioz, and the slinky black dress she’s wearing dips low on her cleavage.
My eyes follow the line of thin, black silk with spaghetti straps over the soft curve of her full breast, and I want to forget dinner, take her home, and unwrap her like a present.
It’s been nine months since that day in Fireside, and I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.
Once we found Courtney and Oliver a safe, affordable place to live, I moved Joselyn back into my house. No surprise, Tom started dropping by to visit her friend pretty regularly, claiming he wanted to be sure they were safe. Now they’re a couple, and Oliver is happy every time I see him—he bounces on his toes and talks too loudly. I’m a fast learner.
My biggest lesson, however, was I can’t live without this woman, and I’ve got plans for tonight.
“Up until I met you, I was a good customer here. It’s only been in the last year I’ve gotten… less reliable.”
We’re sitting at the outdoor patio. It was a warm day, but with the sun down and the stars out, it’s lovely. Our waiter Pat is cued up to hold dessert until I give him the signal.
Her red lips curl in a naughty grin, and she winks. “I can’t help it if you’re not always hungry for food.”
My cock twitches, and I have to focus my mind on the business at hand. “How was your steak?”
“Perfect as always.”
“Ready for dessert?”
“Mm…” She tilts her head to the side, placing her napkin on the table. “I’ve been feeling fluffy lately. Maybe I’ll skip dessert tonight.”
“Women are supposed to be fluffy. You’re having dessert.” She has to have dessert.
That makes her laugh, and she shakes her head. “You won’t say that when I can’t fit through the front door.”
I’m about to say I’ll buy a bigger house when her expression changes. She slides down in the seat making a face like she smelled something rotten.
“What’s wrong?” I sit straighter, looking around the outdoor area, until my eyes land on a man I’ve only seen once before.
Still, I made a mental note when it happened.
