I had a meeting with them to discuss next month’s change to their dessert menu, so there was a legit reason for me to be there, meaning I didn’t feel like a bunny boiler when I scanned the restaurant to see if either Bond or Canon. Really, I was only looking for Bond— because, duh.
It wasn’t hard, and I spotted him almost immediately. At what I now knew was six feet and six inches tall, he stood out. I wasn’t short at five foot seven, but even I had to tip my head back to look up at him. In fact, all of the Kleins were tall, with Jarrod being the tallest, and there was something about it that drew women in like flies to them. They were also very easy to look at and had lovely personalities, so you kind of got the complete package with them.
He was standing at a table of women, smiling and talking to them as they stared up at him wide-eyed. Did I feel jealous or insecure? Hell no! I had no reason not to trust him or automatically assume it was something more than the owner of the restaurant talking to some customers, so I continued walking until I got to the bar and saw Casy wiping it down.
“Well, if it isn’t the woman who’s as gorgeous, delicious, and as unique as her cakes,” he greeted, making me blush.
This was how the man got the tips he did—he was a world-class flirt who’d melt even the hardest heart with his smile alone.
“I’ll bet you say that to all the women,” I snorted, hopping up onto one of the bar stools and making myself comfortable.
“No,” he shrugged. “Just you. Canon’s on a call just now, and, as you can see, Bond’s working the floor, so you’ve got me all to yourself. What’ll it be, purdy lady?”
“Pineapple juice, please.”
Picking up a glass, he began putting ice in it. “So, I hear you had a date with Mr. Boss Man the other night. How’d it go?”
I waited until he’d filled the glass with the juice and put it in front of me to reply. “I think it went really well.”
Leaning on the bar, he looked at something behind me and then focused back on my face. “Do you like him?”
“I do.”
“But do you like him, like him?” Casy pushed.
“I do,” I repeated, taking a sip of the juice.
For some strange reason, the chipped nail polish on my nails caught my eye as I did it, and I made a mental note to text Naomi and see if she wanted to come for a mani/pedi at the salon. I wasn’t a beauty buff like my sister, but it didn’t say much about me when I went to meetings with shitty nails, did it? At least, that was today’s excuse for doing something about my appearance. It wasn’t at all because of a certain Klein.
“How much do you like him?”
Setting my glass on the bar, I studied him for a moment. “What’s with the sudden interest over how I feel about Bond, Casy?”
Glancing behind me again, he tried to scrub the top off the area he was cleaning. “I just- Well, I—” He stopped and looked around us, like he was searching for an excuse. When he turned back, he clicked his fingers and yelled, “Because I’m in love with you.”
If I’d been holding the glass still, I’d probably have dropped it. Never in a million years did I expect him to say that, and something about his expression told me he hadn’t even meant to say it. So why had he?
The answer came only seconds later when a pissed off voice clipped behind me, “Jesus Christ, Casy.”
Spinning on the chair, I saw Bond, who was glaring at his employee like he wanted him to go up in flames.
“I panicked. You were standing there, and I figured I could get the answer to how much Heidi liked you out of her.”
“Have you ever had a girlfriend, man? You find that shit out as you go along. It’s part of the relationship process,” Bond growled.
Looking back at Casy, I caught the moment he tossed the towel on the bar and then threw his arms up in the air. “Of course I’ve dated, but this is Heidi. She’s one of the special ones.”
I wanted to be flattered by this, but something about it reminded me of my brother. “Do you mean special, or do you mean thpecial? Be warned, how you answer this dictates how much longer you’ll be breathing for.”
Casy shot me a dirty look. “I mean special. A man would cut off his arm to have you in his life.”
“Okay,” Bond cut in, grabbing my hand and pulling me into his chest. “We’re done here. We’ve got a meeting about next month’s desserts, so I’ll be in the office if you need me.”