“Damn it,” I say, groaning. “Why didn’t you tell me? You know that shit pisses me off. I would’ve gone over to take a look at it for you.”
Logan cocks an eyebrow, giving me her classic don’t-get-sassy-with-me look. “Ummm…you’re the one who didn’t answer your phone. And there isn’t anything you could’ve done anyway,” she says, waving me off. “I have to have a new water heater put in, but my landlord says they can’t come until tomorrow.”
“Still pisses me off,” I grumble. “But since you’re going to be here, why don’t you plan on staying for supper? Brittany is cooking.”
“Will she mind?” Logan asks, walking toward the pantry. “Can I steal a Pop-Tart? I was in such a hurry this morning I forgot breakfast.”
“I don’t think she’ll mind, but I’ll talk to her and make sure. And eat the chocolate ones; that strawberry one is mine.”
She nods and reaches for the Pop-Tarts on the top shelf, but she’s not quite tall enough. I take a step toward her but stop when she grabs a chair from the table. My mind drifts to Logan’s water heater. Who is she going to call when she’s in Tennessee and has a problem? Who’s going to fix her garbage disposal or change the batteries in her smoke detector?
I watch silently as she slides the chair toward the shelves, steps up, grabs the box, and puts the chair back. It was a simple task—and obviously not all problems will be fixed quite so easily—but it reminds me that she’s a big girl and fully capable of solving her own issues. And I’ll still be here for the ones she can’t.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“You’re going to do great in Tennessee,” I say sincerely. Logan tilts her head, probably wondering why in the world I went from Pop-Tarts back to Tennessee.
I’m two steps down the hall when she calls my name. “Connor?”
“Yeah?” I peek over my shoulder to find her standing in the hallway. “Thank you…for everything. I can’t wait to meet Brittany tonight.”
I smile. “You’re going to love her.”
“I already figured as much.” She smiles back, a look of pride and—most importantly—acceptance shining from her face.
Everything is going to be okay.
For the both of us.
This is crazy, I think to myself, staring at the door. Is it proper dating etiquette to drop in on someone at work just to say ‘hey’? Probably not, but Connor does own the place and I’m in the area, so what the hell. I tug the door open and the familiar bell dings, signaling my entry.
Everyone in the shop turns toward me. I freeze, surprised at the amount of people in here. Honestly, I thought it would just be Connor and a client. Nope, there’s actually…one, two, three, four—
“Can I help you?”
I turn toward the front desk and the tiny girl seated behind it. “Um, I’m here to see Connor.”
“Good timing,” she says. “He just finished with a client. He’s in the pisser.”
Okay. That’s not at all what I expected her to say, but she’s cute in a gothic Tinker Bell sort of way so I decide to go with it. “Is it okay if I wait?”
Tinker Bell shrugs, popping the gum in her mouth. “Suit yourself. You can keep me company. I’m hella bored.”
I stick my hand out. “I’m Brittany.”
She looks at my outstretched hand hesitantly before slipping her much smaller, more delicate one into mine. “Nora.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Are you sure you’re in the right place?” she asks, scrunching her nose.
“Hell yes, she’s in the right place.” Turning around, I come face-to-face with Connor. “I see you’ve met Nora,” he says, snaking an arm around my waist. I step into him, the front of our bodies molding together.
“I did meet her.” My words come out way too husky for my liking, so I clear my voice. “She’s very sweet. You’re very sweet,” I say, looking over Connor’s shoulder. Nora is staring at us, mouth agape. I look around, and everyone else in the shop is staring at us too. “Do I have toilet paper hanging out of the back of my pants?” I whisper, pressing in closer to Connor.
He smiles, slow and sexy. “No,” he whispers. “You’re just that fucking gorgeous, and they’re all wondering why in the hell you’re here to see me.”
“Psssh.” Slapping at Connor’s chest, I push away. “I highly doubt that.”