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His eyes widened as if he could read my mind.
Tearing my gaze from his, I focused on what we were discussing. Whey protein. Taste testing. “Let me work on my recipes. When I have something to try, I’ll let you know.”
“Need help with the recipes themselves? I have some experience making protein shakes. They’re not as good as the ones you sell, but I know which ratio works best for flavor.”
“You’d do that?” Wasn’t he busy with his job and whatever else he did to fill his time? I had no idea what that was besides working out, and suddenly, I was curious.
“It’ll make it easier, won’t it?”
I nodded, the movement feeling stiff and jerky. I tried to relax the tension in my body, but it was no use. Colton’s proximity had every nerve on high alert.
“Let me know when.”
I sipped my drink, trying to settle my racing heart. “I usually work on new recipes after the shop closes at six.”
“I’ve been working the day shift this week, so that works.”
“Really?” Was he doing this out of that same obligation to my sister? Or had we finally turned a corner where we could call each other friends?
His fingers tightened around my elbow. “I’ll be there.”
My usual distrust of people being there for me flared to life. I’d have to wait and see if he followed through. No matter how steady my foster-turned-adoptive parents were, I always waited for them to decide that taking on two little girls from a rough situation was too much. That I was too much.
Delilah had settled in quickly with our parents. I had not. I did everything I could to be good and act like I was fine when I was anything but. I was dizzy with stress and anxiety. Fearful of being left at a social worker’s door again. Thankfully, no one noticed.
“If I say I’ll do something, I will.”
The room fell away, and there was just Colton standing in front of me, his fingers gripping my elbow with concern in his gaze. “Okay.”
That familiar pit in my stomach was still there, but there was hope, too. That Colton wouldn’t disappoint me.
He nodded, raising his voice for the group but keeping his gaze on me. “I’ll get back to my friends, but it was nice to see you, ladies.”
My friends said good-bye, and I watched him walk away, leading his coworkers to a high-top table by the window.
Sophie moved closer to me, lowering her voice. “What was that about?”
I kept an eye on Colton as he talked and joked with the guys. “He’s going to help me with my recipes.”
“A taste tester?” Hailey asked, amusement tinging her tone, effectively bringing my attention back to her.
“That’s what he said. It’ll make it go easier if I understand what a guy working to build muscle is looking for in his shake. Is the amount of whey more important than taste?” This arrangement was purely business.
Zoe tipped her head to the side. “What does he get out of it?”
“We didn’t discuss that.” What did he want? Offering to help with my recipes was friendly, but after his reaction Friday night, I wondered if it was more. That just maybe he wanted me.
“Is he going to lick the juice off your body?” Hailey asked.
Sophie slapped a hand over her mouth to cover a snort, and Zoe almost fell off the stool, laughing.
My eyes widened, sneaking a glance over at Colton. “Oh my God. Keep your voice down.”
When their amusement died down, Hailey asked, “Well, is he?”
The thought of Colton Castle licking anything off my body had me hot and bothered. “I wouldn’t be against the idea.”
I’d be crazy to turn him down. He was sexy.
“Too bad he dated your sister first,” Sophie reminded me.
Sophie was sweet and conscientious. She’d never date her sister’s or friend’s ex. She wouldn’t even consider it, so why was I? Especially with Colton’s strong sense of right and wrong. There was no way he’d be okay with it. Even if he gave in to the crazy chemistry between us, he’d immediately feel guilty after. I hated the idea of him regretting it and walking away. The thought had cold slithering through my chest. It reminded me of the few times my real parents left us somewhere in the middle of the night because they wanted to have fun.
Except dropping kids off at a fire station meant a lot of red tape. We couldn’t just go back to our parents the next day. It was a year of court hearings and my parents taking parenting classes to prove they could take care of us. Twelve months of worrying that the process was too much for them, and they’d give up.
Living with our foster parents was amazing. When we finally settled in, we called them Mom and Dad. When we were returned to my bio parents, it was worse because we knew how other kids lived. They had plenty of food, their parents enrolled them in activities, played games with them, ensured they did their homework, and got enough sleep. They were loved. Experiencing that and then losing it was worse than never having it at all.
Loving someone and losing them was a crushing pain I never wanted to experience again. Yeah, steering clear of Colton was the best thing for my heart.
