She gazed up at him, her heart pounding. “No, I’m good.”
“Do we need to get back to Pleasant Beans? Is all this okay just sitting here?”
“No one’s going to steal our stuff. Besides, someone parks their RV in the parking lot overnight to keep watch. It’ll be fine.”
He nodded, eyes still on her.
“What?” she asked, glancing down. “Do I have something on me?”
He smiled and stepped closer. “No, darling, you’re fine. More than fine.” He blinked a few times, then turned away. “So… we should get back to the shop.”
She stared at him.What was that?And did he just call herdarling?Her stomach did a little flip at the endearment. “Yeah. We should go.” She headed for the parking lot.
TJ followed, thankfully silent. Lila was afraid she’d trip over her own tongue if she had to talk right now.
When they reached the car, she was surprised when he opened her door for her, even though she was the one driving. Not that she minded; she just wasn’t used to anyone being so gentlemanly.
Back at Pleasant Beans, they found Mary and Paddy along with Cyrus and Polly finishing up for the day. Grandma and Doc, plus Wilfred and Irene, were taking the afternoon shift.
“How’d everything go?” Cyrus asked.
“Fine,” Lila said. “The booth’s all set up.”
“Wonderful,” Polly said. “I bet you’re glad that’s done. Are you taking supplies down in the morning? Need any help?”
“I’m her help,” TJ announced behind her.
The couples exchanged knowing smiles. “And fine help I’m sure,” Polly said with a wink at Cyrus. The elderly pair headed for the door. Not a minute later their replacements shuffled in.
“Polly’s smiling like a Cheshire cat,” Grandma quipped, hands on hips. She studied Lila and TJ. “Just what have you two been up to?”
“What? Us?” Lila blinked. “We just got back from setting up the booth for the festival.”
Grandma crossed her arms. “Hmm. Well, Polly doesn’t look that sly for no reason. But never mind. How’s the booth look?”
“It looks great,” TJ said with a smile. “Wait till you see it.”
“I’ll see it eventually,” Grandma said. “Come on, Irene, let’s go put our things away.”
Irene gave them a beady-eyed look as she followed Grandma to the back.
Wilfred shook his head. “She’s in a mood today.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?” Lila asked.
“She gets these notions in her head, and when she doesn’t get her way, she pouts. This time she can’t decide on a chocolate pie recipe. Now she thinks she ought to make all six kinds.”
“Heavens, no!” Lila threw up her hands, then facepalmed. “I forgot about the pastries.” She looked at TJ apologetically. “We’re going to need another table in the booth for them. We can stash coolers underneath to save room.”
“Do we need to go back to the hotel?” TJ asked.
“Do you mind?” she said, making a face.
He took a step closer. “Not at all.”
Her heart skipped a few beats. If this kept up, she wasn’t sure she’d make it through the day. He was getting awfully hard to be around. How was she supposed to guard her heart? Maybe she should avoid him after the festival. But how, if he kept coming into the shop?
She pushed the thought aside, told Grandma about the afternoon shift, then she and TJ headed out again.
