Summer Love in the City (Summer Instalove)

Her big brown eyes looked up at me sadly. “When I mentioned that the senior video

producers at my work got all of the best jobs, they suddenly got food poisoning. From two

different restaurants. And you know everyone in the restaurant industry, apparently.”

“Sweet Jesus,” I murmured, pulling her back into my arms. “I swear I would never do

something like that. I actually made a few calls and asked around. There were food

poisoning incidents at five different restaurants that night, and they all have the same fish

supplier. There are a bunch of chefs looking into it.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She sat up straight again, looking worried.

“Kim, please – tell me why you’d think something like that about me?”

“Um… You never mentioned what you did for a living,” she stammered. “You kept deflecting

the question. So I had to wonder if you were trying to make me fall for you before you told

me the truth.”

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a business card and placed it in her hand. “I’m an

accounts manager at a bank. I shuffle money around. It’s completely boring to everyone

else, but I actually like it, and I’m really good at it. My father sort of pushed me toward it,

and got me the job, when he got worried about me being a bouncer.”

Taking a deep breath, I realize that she needed the full truth. “A couple of my friends were

working extra hours at real lowlife places. Bribes, drug dealing, sneaking underage people

in. For a few months I kind of tipped back and forth trying to decide what side of the fence I

wanted to be on. Then I ended up a boring banker.”

“You’re not boring,” she said quickly, grabbing my hand. “Not at all.”

“My job is kind of boring, and that’s okay. It’s not my life. My life is this city, and checking out events and places every week. So no – I’m not into anything shifty. Absolutely nothing

that you couldn’t tell your family about. All right?”

Kim nodded, her misty eyes locked on mine. “Devin, I’m so sorry. I think I freaked out

because everything was so passionate at lightning speed. I’m not used to anybody being

this intense. I’m sorry I jumped to insane conclusions.” She swallowed hard as if she were

pushing the tears down. “I’ll be more direct and just ask next time, I promise.”

Holding her hands in mine, I leaned in to give her a kiss on the forehead. “I know. I’m sorry,

sweetheart. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you so hard, so fast. I’m trying to be all smooth and in control, but all of these new emotions are surging out in weird ways.”

She stared at me, blinking twice.