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Eyebrow raised high enough to give it a new postal code, I reached out and put the cookie into his upturned hand, my fingers resting in his palm for a little longer than intended but I couldn’t help myself.
“How much?”
I would simply make a note that I had dropped a cookie, as we never served those. They were instant trash. “For you, free of charge.”
With a stare as powerful as his, I was sure he saw into the depths of my soul and spied the shame of deception, but since I didn’t make carelessness a habit, onedroppedcookie wasn’t going to affect her overall sales. I cast my gaze to his shirt collar because if I didn’t put the brakes on fast, he’d be witness to all my dark secrets.
“As lovely as that would be…” he said.
Rolling my gaze back up, I braced myself with a smile. “You know, Landon, you could just say thank you.”
I winked and lightly touched his arm with my fingers, allowing them to linger for a heartbeat before I pulled away. Two could play this game.
“How about a trade?”
“Ooh, a swapping of goods? What did you have in mind?” I braced my hands on the edge of the table and leaned a little closer, allowing my v-neck to hang away from my body for a daring glimpse of the satin underneath. Maybe sex did sell. Although, this time, it wasn’t the baked goods I was offering.
He took the bait and narrowed the gap between us. “One cookie for one boat tour.”
“What?” I pulled back, my jaw unhinging. “That’s not even close to a fair trade.”
“Who said anything about fair? I never play fair.” He opened the inside pocket of his vest and pulled out a business card, handing it to me. “I run a small whale-watching tour company, and I’d love to take your cookie in exchange for a tour.”
The two-dollar cookie sat untouched in the palm of his hand.
“And if I say no?” I swallowed, worried he’d see the lump slide down my throat. I certainly heard it splash into my rapidly souring stomach.
Yes, I lived beside the ocean, but I had a terrible fear of water, never venturing any further than ankle-deep whenever I was roped into visiting the beach. I didn’t like the way the ocean pulled on me, threatening to wash me out to sea.
Erin bumped my hip. “She accepts.”
Bug-eyed, I faced my friend, unaware she’d been watching the whole time. “What?”
Erin smiled and nodded, talking to me and not the gorgeous guy standing on the other side of the table. “How often do you, a, go out, and b, go whale-watching?”
“Well…” I’d only managed a couple of dates over the past few months. Did it count if they were all the variety of scratching an itch and nothing more?
“See, that was easy.”
I wanted to wipe Erin’s smug look away, but she was so cute with her hand on her hip and a deep-seated sense of pride radiating off her words. Bitten hard by the love bug, she wanted everyone to feel that sensation, but she’d aimed her arrow at the wrong person. That wasn’t me. I didn’t do love and romance and all the gaganess of it all.
Slowly, because I was suddenly afraid of what bemused expression would be on Landon’s face, I twisted back around.
“So, it’s an official date?” He held the cookie to his perfectly pouty and perfectly pink lips. “I can’t take a bite until you agree.”
My gaze flipped between Erin and Landon. I had to be certifiable. Yes, I wanted to meet Cedar and Landon seemed to be my golden ticket, but did that mean I had to stare death in the face to do it?
Both waited, but it was Landon I wanted to impress more.
“Fine. But I’ll hold you both responsible if I die.”
Chapter Three
Swallowing down a massive lump of hard-core fear, I then inhaled and shifted on my feet, assessing the situation and the handsome man with a raised eyebrow and an expectant expression on his face.
“When and where?”
Landon took a bite of his cookie and some crumbs clung to his full lips. Licking them off, and nearly sending me over the edge in the process, he pulled out his phone. “What about tomorrow? I have a tour leaving at three.”
