I search my memory for another term of endearment, butloveis the only other one I can think of besideshot stuff, and I feel both are likely inappropriate suggestions. Then it hits me.
“Cupcake? Final offer.”
“Hard pass,” Kelsey says on a laugh.
We work in silence for a couple of minutes before Kelsey pauses, looking up at me from beneath her eyebrows.
“Speaking of outrageous nicknames. Are you going to explain Puffin to me?”
Dang, this girl. She’s got a memory like a steel trap.
“I did explain it,” I hedge.
“I mean, you lied to me about why your Army buddies call you Puffin. But I thought now that you’re throwing around terms likebabe, you might tell me the truth.” She flutters her eyelashes at me.
“God, you’re cute,” I say, leaning across the table to give her a light kiss on the lips.
Her hands reach up to cup my face, deepening the connection between us. We make out like a couple of teenagers before she finally pulls away a few minutes later.
“So, are you going to tell me?” she asks.
Her cheeks are rosy, her breath coming quicker than before. I can’t help but stare at her lips, which are red from the friction of our kiss.
“I actually have a secret I think you’d like more,” I offer.
“Oh, really?”
“Yep. But you have to promise it stays between us.”
“Of course.”
I pause, trying to build the drama. “I send all of Trent’s emails.”
A laugh bursts out of Kelsey. “What?!”
“I manage Trent’s work email account. I respond to all his messages.”
“So this fall…?” she asks.
“All me.”
“That checks out,” she says, her eyes twinkling with delight. “That was such a good secret. It all makes so much more sense now.”
“You’re taking this remarkably well.”
“I started to think Trent was intelligent. I may have even admitted to liking the electronic version of him.” I laugh again. “This is so much better.”
“You like the virtual version of me? Ah, that might be the first time I’ve ever heard you give a compliment.”
“What? No it isn’t. I’m a nice person. I give compliments every time they’re deserved.”
“I said what I said,” I respond.
Kelsey’s mouth drops open. “For that, now you have to tell me about Puffin too.”
“What? That’s not the deal. I told you about the emails!”
“We never made a deal,” she says, her smile wide. “You gave that information up freely. Now, tell me about Puffin.”
