AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was a text from Chris.
Chris:Sorry. I’ll do better. I promise.
Relief washed over me. He was trying, so I couldn’t stay too annoyed. I texted back to let him know it was okay, we were good, and I’d see him later. Only the last of those statements was the whole truth.
9
CHRIS
The morningafter the dinner party, Sav surprised me with a cup of coffee. I was upstairs, helping Jackson organize their inventory closer to the stairs so I could begin renovating at least half the space. She brought Jackson a drink, walked up to me, and offered a cardboard cup.
“What’s this for?” I asked, inspecting the coffee.
She clasped her hands in front of her dark purple skirt. “A show of good faith.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “You didn’t poison it, did you?”
Jackson snorted.
She shook her head, hiding her smile. “No, I promise there’s no poison. It’s my way of saying thank you for everything.”
I glanced at the steaming cup and then back at her. I couldn’t get over how adorable she was. I loved her smile, and I wished I had seen it more over the previous four years.
Maybe I would get to from then on if I played my cards right.
“Thanks,” I said. “Jackson, keep national poison control on speed dial, just in case.”
“God, you two,” Jackson mumbled, but he was grinning. Sav shot a half-smile at me and went back downstairs.
* * *
Later that evening, I was heading home after catching up on the work at my usual office when I noticed the lights were still on at Sparks. I figured she was probably working late. The flyer for the massive sale went out earlier that day, and she’d stapled them up around town.
She was working so hard, and I admired her for that. She gave her all to everything important to her, and I couldn’t help but want some of that passion aimed my way.
I decided to repay the coffee from that morning and stopped at the Thai restaurant she loved when she was younger. It was the only Asian food restaurant in town, and she had practically lived there in her teens. I ordered the Chicken Pad Thai, and I stopped by the bookstore.
Sav stood behind the counter, working on her laptop with papers spread out next to her. The spreadsheet she worked on reflected in her glasses. “Welcome to the Sparks,” she called without looking up, typing away.
I closed the distance between us. She didn’t shift focus until I was a few feet away from her, and the moment our eyes connected, hurt and guilt pierced through me at the more-than-friendly feelings that rose inside me.
This was already getting complicated.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks for the coffee this morning. It made my day.”
She smiled hesitantly. “You’re welcome. Did you forget something?”
I shook my head, presenting her with the bag. “I noticed you were still working, so I brought you dinner.”
Her face lit up as she recognized the familiar restaurant logo on the bag.
Those two small acts of kindness followed us into the week. We made it a habit.
Sav brought me coffee in the mornings while I worked upstairs, and we had takeout in the bookstore a couple of times to discuss Sean’s wedding or her new store space.
I wanted to make her dream come to life. She had a clear vision for everything, and I wished I was better at interior designing to copy it. I could lay the foundation, but I usually called for outside help with the decorating. I’d have to find a way to help make it work.
I had extra time in my schedule on Friday and found myself hanging around the Sparks. At first, I used the excuse that I needed to take measurements and write notes. Sav didn’t question me. She nodded and told me to make myself at home.
