She laughed. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“You know, you should sell your products here at the mill. Or better yet, the cafe.”
“I’ve thought of it,” he said. “I don’t have staff to sit around watching for people to come in. Nor do I want customers moving around the building and getting hurt looking for staff.”
“You’re talking about me, aren’t you?”
“Not today I’m not,” he said, tapping her on the nose.
He was almost appalled over that move, but it made her smile. It wasn’t what he was going for. He just wanted to touch her.
To say he missed her from his bed the past few days was an understatement.
He wouldn’t admit it to anyone.
Whatever they had wasn’t deep enough for him to confess much more than he had.
“Not as much as you used to do,” he said.
“I’ve got my feet under me more. I think I do more tripping when I’m in a hurry or my mind is on multiple things at once.”
She reached for his hand and touched it. Not threading their fingers together. That was fine with him. He wasn’t the holding-hands type of guy.
“You slept okay last night?”
“I did,” she said. “It’s been nice to be in my bed. A little lonely but still nice.”
He wouldn’t address that. They had plans for her to come to his place tomorrow night and stay for the night. He’d stay at her place on Saturday after the event was done. He was going to her parents’ for dinner on Sunday. Not something he was looking forward to, but he had to give a little.
“No problems?”
“Nope,” she said. “It’s all good. I’m sure it was just kids or something. At least I want to think that way.”
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t push it off.”
“If you get me too worked up, I’m not going to want to stay there alone. Is that what you want?”
Clay didn’t know what he wanted.
He wanted her aware, but not scared. He wasn’t sure he was so ready to have her underfoot all the time and felt like a dick even thinking that.
But she’d only been in his life for about five weeks. It felt like so much longer with what they’d experienced together last weekend.
“No. When is your coworker coming?”
She looked at her watch. “Fifteen minutes. I’ve got time. You know, if you don’t want to sell the cider here, how about the cafe? Doesn’t your mother have it on the menu for lunch when they are serving there?”
“It is,” he said. “But I don’t need my mother and Reenie being busier than they are to come out and man the register all the time if people came in.”
Though he had thought of it. He just didn’t want to put more on his mom than he already had.
“I could help on the weekends if there aren’t events. Or the summer. It’s not like I’m doing much more than wedding stuff, but if they are busy for a few hours a day, it’s just ringing people up, right? It’d be fun.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll think about it.” He couldn’t let his mind plan that far in advance. “I’ll talk to my mother and Reenie this weekend and get their thoughts.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with starting slow. You don’t even have to advertise it, but have it there for customers. Or, think of how much busier the cafe could get. People could come to get the cider and grab some sweets while they were at it. You could have specials. Or donuts made with the same flavors as the cider. Cookies. Things like that.”
