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His eyes close briefly, and he nods his head, seemingly annoyed, before he shakes it off. “Be careful. I’ll see you next week.”
Before I know it, he’s through the front door of the shop, and I’m left staring, wondering what the hell that was.
A laughing Everly does her version of a run until she slams into the bakery case full of cupcakes and starts pointing.
“What was that?” Belle moves next to me, bouncing Gracie on her hip.
Good question. What the hell was that?
But instead of saying any of that, I brush it off. “It’s just Sam being Sam.”
“You cannot be this dense, Amelia. That man wants you.”
Gracie reaches her arms out to me, so I take her from Belle and nuzzle my nose in her sweet-smelling curly blonde hair. “Your mommy is crazy, Gracie. Let’s go find you a cupcake.”
Her drooly little smile melts my heart. “Cookie.” She points. “Want cookie.”
Everyone wants a damn cookie today.
After we get both girls tucked into the booth while they happily make a mess with their cupcakes, I make sure Lyla has the restocking under control and take a seat with my favorite girls for a few minutes of downtime. Sipping my tea, I smile at Belle. “So what time do you leave tomorrow for California?” She’s flying out for her husband’s away game and bringing the girls to spend a little time with their Uncle Cooper, who’s a Navy SEAL stationed in Coronado.
Belle puts down her decaf coffee.
She’s pregnant again and pissy every time she has to order decaf. “Oh, no. You’re not changing the subject that easily, missy. What’s going on with you and Sam Beneventi? Seriously, Amelia, that man looked at you like he wanted to lick you from head to toe before he left. Spill it.” She raises her eyebrows like she’s going to intimidate me.
It’s not working.
What it is doing is reminding me of his raspy voice telling me he was going to taste something sweeter soon...
He couldn’t possibly mean...
Could he?
Maybe?
“Belles, this was so much easier to do when it was me giving you advice,” I admit, frustration creeping through.
Belle claps her hands like the girls do when they see a pretty new cupcake and squeals, “I knew it.” She points at me accusingly. “You like him! You like Sam Beneventi.” Then her loud voice softens. “Oh my God. I knew it! Declan was wrong. He can suck it.”
“Annabelle. What. The. Hell? You and Dec have been talking about Sam and me? Are you kidding me?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“Ha ha! You said it. There is a Sam and you. I knew it.” She laughs as she wipes the icing off Everly’s messy face. Blonde curls dipped in chocolate are sticking to adorably dimpled cheeks.
I blow out my breath, exasperated. “There isn’t a Sam and me. Not that way. Not any way. Not yet.”
Yet? Where did that come from?
Holy hell. That’s the first time I’ve admitted anything like that out loud. I save myself by adding, “Not ever.”
Belle gently kicks me under the table. “But the question is, do you want there to be a Sam and you? Because based on what I just saw... what I’ve seen whenever the two of you are in the same room, he wants an Amelia and Sam.”
When I look across the table, unable to force the denial from my lips, Belle’s smile grows and she points her finger at me in victory. “I knew it!”
I’m glad one of us did.
