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Chapter Ten
Hollyn was feeling relatively confident about seeing Jasper until she got to the bottom floor and stepped out of the stairwell. She had a brief moment of alarm when she saw Jasper leaning on the counter and laughing at something Andi said. The last time Hollyn had made this walk, she’d embarrassed herself. And had he been this hot when he left? Her memory must’ve fogged the level of hotness, some built-in mental protection from the intense attraction. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this. Jasper and Andi looked so at ease and comfortable. Maybe she shouldn’t interrupt.
But then Jasper turned and caught sight of her. His face lit with an open-mouthed smile, and Andi waved her over like she’d been waiting for her to arrive. Hollyn took a deep breath, smoothed the front of her black capris, and headed over.
“Look who’s back!” Andi announced and swept her arm out like she was presenting Jasper as the prize on a game show.
Hollyn could feel her nose twitching, but she smiled to counteract it. “I heard.” She turned to Jasper, bracing herself for the full impact of her small-talk nerves. “How are you feeling?”
Jasper put a hand over a spot on his lower abdomen, making his gray T-shirt pull tighter against his abs. “Strong like bull. Bull without appendix.”
Hollyn smirked. “Well, you look gor—” A ripple of horror went through her. “Grrreat!”
Andi’s eyebrows lifted at Hollyn’s Tony the Tiger impression, and she bit her bottom lip, no doubt catching Hollyn’s slip. Yes, she’d almost saidgorgeous. To Jasper’s face. Fantastic.
Jasper, blessedly, didn’t seem to notice. Or he was actively ignoring her gaff. “Thanks.” He reached back to grab a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll and then placed them in front of Hollyn. “And the pastry’s on me because without you, I’d basically be dead.”
“Dead?” Andi asked.
“True story,” Jasper said with a nod.
Hollyn cocked a brow. “So your life is worth three whole bucks?”
“No. It’s worth a sweet, delicious mouthful of heaven,” he said with mock offense. “Obviously.”
Sweet,delicious, andmouthfulall ended up sounding completely filthy in Hollyn’s head, and her face heated, her cheek tic doing a dance.
ShenoticedJaspernoticingher tic and only got more mortified.
Andi gave Hollyn a knowing look. “Welp! I have a chapter to write. You kids have fun! Good luck with your house hunt, Jasper.”
“Andi—” Hollyn said, but her new friend was already making tracks to the stairwell. She looked back to Jasper. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You didn’t,” Jasper said, swiping a bit of icing off the edge of her plate and licking it off his finger.
Hollyn slid onto one of the stools in front of the bar and broke off a piece of cinnamon roll. If she had something to do, this awkward small talk would be easier. “What’d she mean by house hunt?”
Jasper stretched his arm down the counter, making his T-shirt ride up a little at his hip—not that she noticed and took a mental picture.Whatever. Shut up, brain.He grabbed a little handwritten sign—card stock he’d folded into a table tent—and turned it her way.
Hollyn read it aloud. “‘Need a roommate? I make coffee, am a clean freak, and don’t steal food.’” She looked up. “You’re looking for a new place?”
She popped the bite of cinnamon roll into her mouth, and tried not to make a sex noise. It reallywassweet and delicious.
“Yeah, I moved back from California not that long ago and have been staying with my sister. But she’sin lurveand moving in with her boyfriend, so she needs me out. I was planning to get my own place but”—he patted his side—“medical bills aren’t cheap. So a roommate is needed.”
Her face scrunched. “That sucks.”
He gave her a bemused look.
“What?” She touched her mouth. “Do I have icing?”
He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Liar. What is it?”
He shrugged. “It’s just, we’re having small talk and it’s not awkward. I feel cheated. I was promised awkwardness.”
She pointed at her face. “I’m ticcing like crazy.”
