Nip it in the Bud (Bunch-A-Blooms 3)
Page 10
“What are you up to today?” he asks.
I glance down at my plaid boxers and tank top. Sundays are my lazy day. I tend to spend my time curled up with a good book or catching up on my TV shows in my pajamas
“Reading.”
“Anything good?”
“I think so. I’m trying to finish the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz.”
“Wasn’t there a movie?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say excitedly.
“I think I caught it on Netflix. It was a pretty interesting concept.”
“If you liked the movie, you have to read the books. They’re so much better.”
“They always are.”
“Do you read?” I ask.
“Whenever I get the chance. I like nonfiction self-improvement type of books, classic literature, and some science fiction.”
A man who reads feels like a rare gem.
“That’s cool. I love classic lit, chick lit, horror, and romance.”
He chuckles. “Ahhh, a romantic at heart?”
“Maybe just a little.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Are you busy this afternoon?”
I swallow. Being along with him this soon makes me nervous. Especially when he appears squeaky clean. Sometimes, those are the people with the most to hide. “I thought this was the getting to know you stage?”
“It is. I just thought you might like to do that over ice cream?”
“You’re trying hard to rack up the brownie points or what?” He’s constantly surprising me.
“Happy bonus.”
I like him, darn it.
“Since you answered, I’m guessing it’s safe to say I haven’t scared you off yet.”
“You’d be correct. Tell me more about this ice cream.”
“Have you ever been to Aglamesis Brothers?”
“To Agla who?” I ask.
He chuckles. The rich baritone sends a gaggle of geese soaring in my belly. We’re moving past the butterflies faster than I like. But who am I kidding? He had me at I like to read.
“It’s an old-fashioned soda fountain that’s been around since nineteen thirteen. They have all kinds of homemade candy and ice cream. Do you know where the King Arthur’s Toy Store is off Madison Road?”
“The one next to the Blue Manatee Bookstore?”
“That’s the street. The Aglamesisis Bros is between the two.”