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lly reschedule appointments with you?”
After waiting a beat for the answer, he rolled his eyes. “Well, that’s not the case with me. When’s the next time you’re available?” He obviously didn’t like the answer he received because he said, “No, that’s not acceptable. It’ll have to be sooner.” One eyebrow lifted. “Then clear more room and make time.”
I could tell Gutierrez on the other end of the line called him a sour name because he pulled out that condescending-yet-amused smirk he always flashed me whenever I was particularly nasty to him. “Be that as it may, I still need an audience with you sooner.”
A moment later, he must’ve gotten his way because he nodded. “Very well. That’ll do. I’ll see you then.” And he hung up without offering a farewell.
Unable to stay away, I wandered his way and topped off his coffee cup that was already half full. “You just make friends with everyone you cross, don’t you?”
Picking up the mug to take a sip, he met my gaze. “Of course. I have to be the biggest dick in any conversation. It’s an unexplainably persistent compulsion I can’t seem to shake.”
He was actually making fun of himself. For some reason, that charmed me. I could never stand people who took themselves too seriously.
Nodding, I gifted him with a genuine smile. “Well, you fill the role excellently.”
He shrugged, unoffended. “People often mistake kindness and compassion for weakness. I don’t want there to be any confusion with me.”
I lifted my coffee pot and saluted him. “Then I’m here to assure you, you leave no room for doubt.”
His gaze glittered with a compelling heat as he focused on me. I wasn’t sure if he liked how I’d just inadvertently called him strong—granted, a complete asshole, but a strong one—or if it was something else about me that seemed to appeal to him, but it made the juices in the pit of my stomach bubble with jittery excitement.
Turning away to mask the stirring sensation, I checked on a pair of customers at a booth nearby. But all the while, I could feel his eyes on me. And so I was drawn back to him within minutes, unable to stay away.
“You know,” I murmured, tapping my nails on the countertop next to his cup, mere inches from where his own hand sat as he updated his calendar on his phone. He wore one of those smart watches that did just about everything but wipe your ass for you. I’d always found watches on men super attractive. No idea why. But when things in me heated up another ten degrees, I jerked my attention from his wrist and cleared my throat.
“You don’t have to stick around here and wait on me,” I rushed to add. “I remember where your mother lives. I can just meet you there at eight on my own just fine.”
Instead of answering, he finished his task before setting his phone down and asking, “What’s the pie like here?”
I narrowed my eyes and set my hands on my hips. “You think I’m going to bail, don’t you?”
He slid his gaze from the desserts behind the counter to focus on me. “No,” he said with such conviction that I had to believe him. Then his jaw bunched and he glanced away before mumbling, “It’s a long way from your building to Preston Estates. I didn’t want you to have to walk that far after dark.”
Oh.
I hadn’t expected him to wait here for me like this out of concern for my wellbeing. Growing uncomfortably warm, I cleared my throat and said, “Stay away from the vanilla cream pie. By this time of the day, it’s sat out too long. If anything, stick with apple.”
He nodded. “A piece of apple pie then, please.”
Huffing out an unsettled breath, I hurried away to comply. “Fine, you can stay,” I called, trying to sound moodier and more irritated than I actually felt so he couldn’t guess that I’d thawed toward him in any way. “It’s no skin off my nose what you do. You better not tip like a stickler asshole, though.”
“Well, thank you for giving me your permission to do something I was going to do anyway, in this very public establishment I have every right to be in.” Leaning toward me, he lowered his voice. “And for your information, I always tip well.”
He typically had to have the last word too, I realized.
With a sniff, I turned away. A large group entered the café, and they kept me preoccupied long enough that I was forced to stay away from him until my replacement arrived. After I updated her on today’s crowd, I stopped by his stool as I removed my apron.
“My shift’s over. Do you want to cash out your tab now, or try the muffins next?”
He held up a folded bill. “Keep the change.”
I snagged it and started for the cash register, unfolding as I went, only to jar to a halt when I realized he’d handed me a hundred.
Sending him a dry glance over my shoulder, I sniffed. “Well, now you’re just bragging.”
He shook his head, smiling softly. “There’s no winning with you, is there?”
“I wouldn’t count on it if I were you.”
