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“Not a beer girl?”Rick asked, amused.
“Not often.I drink beer with a curry more than anything.”I set the bottle down, the condensation running along the glass and pooling on the wood.“Now let’s see what I’ll have to deliver to Jess.”I opened the back flap of the plain white stationery and unfolded it.“You have your own stationery.That’s cute.I do, too.”
“Stationery buddies.”
God, I wanted to be so much more than buddies with this man.
I wasn’t okay.
I scanned the text.“Wow.”
“It’s a big job.There’re other weak points, not just the parts you put your foot through.The deckin’s been here since before Jess and Connor moved in.”
“I’ll say.It looked old then.I should have known better than to come out on it.But you did say you’d been on to her to fix it for ages.Not that that’ll take the sting out of it.”I took another sip of beer.It went down easier the second time.
Rick drank, too.A bead of condensation escaped the bottle and ran on to his jaw, and I was helpless to do anything but follow its slow path down his neck.
Fuck, I’m toast.
I needed to get away.I should have made some excuse, but I just sat there, drinking beer with him in the sunshine.
“Any plans?”Rick probed.“First Friday night in the States, an’ all.”
I pulled my lower lip between my teeth thoughtfully.“Well, as you know, Jenny and I had our big night out earlier this week.I also have to go grocery shopping.”
He laughed.“I’m honestly amazed you made it this long on the meagre supplies in Jess’ place.”
“Oh, she has atonof supplies, but they’re all baking related.I counted twelve bags of flour and sugar and seven bottles of vegetable oil.”
Rick shook his head, smiling.“Connor doesallthe cooking.Jess might be a champion baker, but I can’t say I’d accept a dinner invite.”
I laughed out loud.“I’ve hadthreefrozen dinners since I arrived.I can’t eat anymore or I’ll turn into a ready meal carton.”
His gaze dropped down to my lips for a moment, so quickly I wondered if I imagined it, and then his eyes found mine again.“You’d be the prettiest damn TV dinner I’ve ever seen.”
Heat crept up my neck, and I turned away, pretending to pick some lint off my jeans.I felt sixteen again, my stomach filled with the fluttery little butterflies of attraction.
“Thank you,” I eventually murmured.
He took a drink.“God’s honest truth.”
I curled my toes into the grass.The sun was warm on my skin, and I wondered idly if I could stay in this moment forever.If I had to go back to what remained of my personal life in London.
“As you’re here….You wanna come to a baseball game?”Rick asked.“When in Rome, and that.”
“Sure.When is it?I have the bakery to think of, but it’s closed on Sunday.”
“It’s this Sunday afternoon.My cousin runs a little league.His kid’s eight.Cute as hell.One of the parents usually does hot dogs.It’s a whole thing.”
“Baseballandhot dogs?I’ll be killed if I go back to London without stories of those things.It’s a date,” I added automatically.
Rick’s brow arched, a grin tugging at hisverykissable lips.“It is?”
“I mean, yes, I’d like to go.Not that it’s adatedate.You know what I mean.God.I should really stop talking.”I closed my eyes.
Rick nudged my shoulder with his own.“I’m lettin’ you off the hook.I’ll knock for you around one.Sound okay?”
“Great.That’ll give me time to go grocery shopping.Where’s good around here?To my shame, the last time I visited, my mum did the food shop.”
