“It’s the way of life in the business I’m in.”
“What business is that?”
“I’ll tell you in time.”
“Will that be during or after you take advantage of me?”
“You’re not a business deal in the works.”
I point my spoon at him. “Take that back, Bobby.”
“Not going to, sweetness. I repeat, you are not a business deal.”
“Then what am I?”
“Beautiful. Funny. Smart. Have a talent for creating art with napkins.”
I beam and murmur a soft, “Thank you.” I reach for a hand towel, shape it into a pretzel, and place it in front of the camera.
Bobby laughs. “Baby.” He draws out the word, and I am hot from my hairline to my toes. “I’ll buy you napkins in every color.”
“Promise?”
He mimes crossing his heart. Smiling, I bite down on my lower lip. “Adorable, Bobby.”
His face softens. “No one’s called me that before.”
I blow him a kiss, followed by, “You’re adorable, adorable, adorable.”
His eyes shine. I can’t look away from how happy he is. He is sexy. Boyish. Bobby must’ve gotten all the girls in school. Did he go to college? Is that where he met his ex?
“Will you be able to call me while you’re gone?” Six days without hearing his voice and seeing his face is like a lifetime of torture.
“Not a fan of text messages?”
“I like hearing your voice and seeing your face.”
“Same for me, Ever. Send me your work and school schedule, yeah?”
I bring up my calendar apps and do as he asked.
“What time you working ’til, sweetness?”
“Three-thirty. I get there at seven, just in time for the morning shipment of goodies. We open from eight to five. My coworker Maggie comes in at ten and closes.”
He runs his fingers over his shadowed jaw. “The devil is in the details. Thank you.”
“You weren’t bored?” I stare at his handsome face framed by dark hair. He’d look good with a beard, all rugged and mountain-man-like. Or more like a mafia don with the roses, snakes, and angel wings inked on his neck.
“Nah. I like hearing you talk.”
Nice. “Are you tatted elsewhere?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, princess?”
Before I can respond with a smart-ass remark, he unbuttons his shirt one-handed and removes it while holding the phone. The phone moves, and he sets it on a cabinet of some sort, maybe a tall filing cabinet. The angle and height give me a full-body view.
He has a full sleeve of bold ink in shades of gray, red, and blue. Across his pecs are angel wings. His abs are bare of ink. Along his sides are more tattoos. It’s difficult to make out what they are, but they look like words.
