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He nodded and his chest even seemed to fill with pride as he smiled wide. “She’s getting married on Valentine’s Day.”
Jessica’s eyes widened. “Your granddaughter, Amber? Isn’t she like seventeen?”
Mr. Parsons laughed. “It feels like just yesterday she was seven. But no, she’s twenty-one now.”
Seventeen. Twenty-one. Either way, a baby still. And getting married? That was ridiculous. “No, not yet.” She paused. “How long has she known her fiancé?” she asked as they walked back to her van.
“About six months. They met at college. He’s studying to be a dentist,” Mr. Parsons said. “Nice kid.”
“I’m sure he is, but six months? That’s not a lot of time to get to know someone…before making such a huge commitment…” Feeling Mitch’s gaze on her, she stopped. Her insecurity was showing. But damn, now even the next generation was getting married before her? Designing wedding cakes for people her age was tough enough. She cleared her throat. “I mean, I look forward to having her come by. Absolutely. I’d be honored to make her cake for the special day.”
“Great. Thanks again, Jess,” the older man said, waving as he walked back inside and closed the loading dock door.
Jessica climbed into the van and ignored the expression on Mitch’s face as she started the vehicle.
“So, do you not believe in marriage or just children not getting married?” he asked.
“Right? I’m right about this, though, they are too young to get married, aren’t they? Twenty-one? They have at least five years of casual dating left to do first. Another heartache or two, at least. And six months? Can anyone know anyone that well?” Sure, she’d been ready to plan a future with some of the men she’d dated in less time than that. But she was almost thirty and she’d dated a lot of guys. She knew what she wanted and what she didn’t…
“I agree on the age thing, but I don’t know…I think when you find the right one, you know, you know?” He reached across and brushed the back of his hand along her cheek.
Heat rushed through her and she moved closer, Amber and her jealousy fading away. After only a week with him, her feelings were certainly growing stronger. But then, she’d known him practically her entire life. Or at least knownofhim. They may not have spoken much and their age gap had prevented a real friendship years ago, but he’d always been there in the background of her memories. At the Jameson house for parties, at community family picnics, at the local church at Christmas time and Easter when her family attended mass. Even all of Lia’s complaining about him when they were kids had meant he was a focal point in Jessica’s life, however small… So, it didn’t feel like only a week.
He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear and closed the gap between them, kissing her cheek. His lips were warm against her skin and her flesh tingled as his hands cupped the back of her head.
She swallowed hard when his dark eyes met hers. His gaze flitted back and forth between her lips and her eyes. He wanted to kiss her and it was about twenty minutes overdue, in her opinion. Their time together, their long talks getting to know each other, and the hand-holding were all wonderful, but nothing could reveal as much as a kiss, and as much as she’d learned from the first passionate one, there was still so much more she wanted to know.
She leaned closer and paused, shutting her eyes, waiting for him to make his move. Anticipation had her pulse racing. She’d been dying to kiss him as soon as he’d climbed into the van that morning. But this time she’d have to show some restraint as technically she was on the clock. Though she did make her own hours and set her own company policy rules. Nothing in the Delicious Delicacies handbook said she couldn’t make out with her volunteers. Especially when they were smoking hot.
Where the hell were his lips?
She opened her eyes, just as he drew her face closer and the look of desire in his expression made her heart race.
Honk, honk!
Jessica jumped back at the loud blasting of the horn behind her van. “What the…?”
Mitch moved back to his seat, turning to see the intrusion. “A transport truck is waiting to back into the loading dock,” he said, putting on his seat belt.
“And he couldn’t wait another thirty seconds?” Jessica grumbled. She threw the van in reverse with a shaky hand and moved out of the loading zone. She waved at the truck driver, resisting the urge to give him a different hand gesture.
Mitch grinned at her. “Thirty seconds, huh? You think if I started kissing you, I’d be able to stop that quickly?” Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips.
Jessica cleared her throat, pulling her hand back and clenching the steering wheel. If she didn’t focus on driving right now, she’d be dragging him into the back of the van and crushing all the baked goods. She drove along the back alley to Main Street. “Ready for the next delivery?”
“Yep. Let’s see what else I can learn about you,” he said.
“You’ve been taking notes, huh?”
“Maybe.”
Her cheeks flushed and it took all her strength not to ask what he’d discovered so far and whether or not he liked the things he had.
…
Two hours and an empty van later, she parked next to his rental car behind the bakery. “Want to come in for coffee?”
“I think I earned more than coffee,” he said with a wink as he climbed out.
