“This isn’t the hotel’s breakfast, right?”
“Nah. Woke up at seven and went down with my team to eat before the day started.”
“Oh. Are they waiting for you now?”
“No, the joint program for today starts at ten. They all have free time until then.”
“Okay. So, you were saying about breakfast….”
“The food and coffee was so appalling I knew you’d have an aneurysm if you saw it. Clara did warn me about online reviews slashing their breakfast, but I figured the reviewers were jerks. Turns out I was wrong.”
“So where did these come from?”
“Drove around town until I found a decent-looking place.”
“Wow, how thoughtful.”
Thoughtful is an understatement. It was kind and sweet, and it fills me with an infectious joy. I nearly want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming, and I might have done it if Nate wasn’t watching me. Grinning, he pats the empty space next to him on the couch and I sit, munching on my delicious sandwich.
“Just doing my part in saving the world from a hungry Alice Bennett.”
“Uh-huh… and you were accusing me of being a closet romantic.”
“What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me.” Having finished his wrap, he sips from his coffee cup, eyeing the rest of the food on the table.
“Why did you buy so much food?”
“Thought Summer and your brothers would appreciate a good breakfast too.”
I put two and two together. “Are you trying to bribe my siblings with food? They’ll sniff this out”—I point with my finger between us—“right away.”
“Are you calling me a coward?”
“Hey, I was going to say you’re smart.” I place my now-empty coffee cup on the table and lift both hands in mock defense. “But if you want to go with coward, your choice, not mine.”
“You’re too sassy for your own good. The only time you’re not sassy is in your sleep.”
“Fair assessment. I didn’t hear you get up this morning.”
Something in my expression must betray me, because Nate asks, “You thought I took off?”
I clear my throat, trying to downplay it because I feel like more of an idiot with every pas
sing second.
“Alice?” he insists.
“Well, I woke up alone. The bed was cold and all your clothes were gone. I hadn’t had coffee, so my neurons weren’t up yet.”
“So you jumped to planning my early death?” he supplies, a corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile.
“I love your confidence in me, but I was merely contemplating painful torture methods. I’m far more innocent than you give me credit for.”
“Bet you are,” he murmurs. “You do know my entire team is here, and my bag with fresh clothes is in my room? Even if that weren’t the case, I’d never just leave.”
I lick my lips, nodding. “I see that now. It’s all about the coffee. Breakfast helps with thinking too. Basically the only thing I’m good at on an empty stomach is being neurotic.”
I’m rambling now. Nate plunks his coffee cup next to mine on the table, surveying me closely. I’m sitting with my feet tucked to one side, and I barely have time to register that Nate is up to something before he grabs both my ankles, pulling me toward him. As if anticipating I’ll try pushing my ass against the couch to stop from sliding right into his lap, he reaches under the towel, grabbing my ass firmly and lifting it.