AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Let’s go,” she said. “We don’t want to miss our under-the-stars reservation time.”
“That we do not,” Will said, tucking her hand in his. “You’re all set? Elvis is secure?”
“Yes, sir.” She grinned at him. “I can put those flowers in a vase later.”
Will leaned forward and kissed her again, a short, quick kiss that left her unbalanced for a moment when he pulled away. “Nope, I can’t kiss you again. Then we’ll really be late.” A flush worked its way into his cheeks, which Gretchen secretly liked. She loved the way he took care of her by opening the doors and walking her to her side of the truck. He’d been nothing but a cowboy gentleman with her, despite their awkward moments.
His blush had disappeared by the time he got behind the wheel, and Gretchen decided to dig a little deeper. “So,” she said.
“No,” he said, interrupting her next breath. “I don’t like it when you start sentences like that.” He tossed her a healthy glare and backed out of her driveway.
Gretchen blinked, trying to figure out how else to start a sentence. “Um,” she said.
Will began to chuckle, and Gretchen’s face started to heat. She was sure she carried the flush in her cheeks now.
“You can’t start sentences without using the word so?”
“Why don’t you like it?”
“Because,” he said. “You make it sound like it’s going to be a casual question, and then it’s not. It’s like this punch in the lungs.”
Gretchen blinked, trying to absorb what he’d said. “A punch in the lungs?”
“What were you going to ask?” He looked over to her, not paying attention to the road at all.
Gretchen looked out the windshield and shook her hair back over her shoulders. “I don’t know. I’ve forgotten now.”
“Oh, come on.”
“No, really.”
Will made a sound of disbelief combined with annoyance—Gretchen knew, because he’d made that sound while on the phone with his brother before. “You can say it.”
“So I left a review for Cooper and Co,” she said. “Oh my word. I just started the sentence with ‘so’.” She looked at him, her eyes wide. His shoulders shook as he laughed silently. “I didn’t realize I did it so much.”
Laughter burst from his mouth, and despite his earlier glare and her growing embarrassment, Gretchen giggled too. She might as well embrace her relationship with Will. He was going to say what was on his mind. They were going to get interrupted when they tried to kiss. Things could go from glares to giggles in less than ten seconds.
Gretchen found it all very exciting, and she turned toward him and crossed her legs, glad she’d chosen a skirt that would allow her to do so.
“So,” she said, really enunciating the word. Will’s laughter dried up and Mr. Growly Bear came back. Gretchen just grinned at him, because she liked him when he was soft and sweet, and she liked him when he was grumpy and glaring.
“Mister Cooper. If your girlfriend could get out of work on Monday, what do you have planned?”
He did the male equivalent of shaking his hair over his head, which was lifting his chin and looking out his side window. “I have a few things up my sleeve.”
Gretchen laughed this time, because that was cowboy-code forI don’t know yet, but I have the weekend to figure it out.
Now, she just needed to make sure she could cover things at the shop so she could spend the day with Will. Him taking a day off was ahugedeal, and Gretchen determined she’d close Sweet Water Taffy for the day if she had to.
* * *
Monday morning arrived,and with it, Gretchen showed up at Cooper & Co to get her cream. Despite her texting and asking every hour yesterday, Will would not tell her where they were going today.
She’d managed to go into the candy kitchen yesterday morning and make what she needed for today, and she’d asked Jon to act as the boss. He’d agreed, and while he hadn’t asked, it was implied Gretchen would be out with Will.
She’d been to Daddy’s yesterday, and she’d told him she wouldn’t be by this afternoon. He could manage without her, and she’d put his medication in a clearly marked baggie and magneted it to the fridge. She’d call him later to make sure he’d taken it.
Excitement built in her chest when Will appeared, pushing the dolly carrying her crates of cream in front of him. She quickly put her van in park and jumped from it.
