Babe? She wasn’t sure about that, but they could tackle endearments later. She did kind of like the way he drawled it,though, all slow and deep. “You’re not going to tease me about that for fifty years.”
He snorted. “Apparently, you’ve never met Gene.”
If Mr. Gene and Mrs. Louise were a mirror of her future, she could handle that. He didn’t love her and she didn’t love him, not yet, but it didn’t mean it couldn’t come. If she remembered correctly, his grandparents’ great romance had begun with a meal and coffee, too. Hope dazzled through her, erupting in a wide smile.
This —they— could totally work.
Dusting pastry crumbs off her fingers, she met those dark eyes, a new and very hot honesty in them unfurling a pang of desire in her belly. “Well, now can I kiss you, Colt?”
“Later.” He lounged deeper in the chair, a long, lazy stretch of his legs that fired the pang into a swelling ache. His grin flashed, pure devilry in his eyes. “When I drive you home and we’re alone.”
“I can’t wait.” Anticipation made her breathless.
“That’s promising.” He unfolded, setting their cups and napkins on the tray. With it balanced on one hand, he held out his other for her. “Let’s get out of here.”
She eyed his palm, steady and callused, significance and reality in the gesture. Holding that hot gaze, she placed her fingers in his and let him pull her to her feet. The sense of free-falling swirled about her, but she stepped toward him instead of pulling away. This was Colt, her friend she knew to be a good man, a good partner.
If she fell, she could trust him to catch her.
Chapter Four
The clean sharp smell of greenery blended with a mix of lush florals washed over Colt when he pushed open the back door to his mama’s shop. Candles and ready-to-go floral arrangements shared space on antique shelves and tables with an array of gifts and home goods. Colt pulled in a deep breath — coming in here sometimes felt more like home than the actual house he’d grown up in. When he’d been little, Mama had brought him to work with her, and once he started school, he’d gotten off the bus here, spent his afternoons in the upstairs room or playing in the side yard.
“Colt.” Pleasure lit Mama’s face, and she laid her shears down, abandoning an arrangement to hurry around the counter.
“Hey, Mama.” Plastic bag of Kebo’s takeout hooked over his wrist, he grinned then wrapped her in a tight hug before stepping back so she could look at him. If he knew anything, it was how his mama operated. Untangling himself from the plastic, he nodded as Mrs. June bustled in from the front room. “Hey, Mrs. June. Brought your favorite lunch.”
“Oh, Sue, this boy.” Mrs. June leaned up to buss his cheek. “Thank you.”
“Y’all been busy?” He unpacked containers and laid out plastic cutlery.
“Pretty steady.” Perching on the stool behind the counter, Mama flipped open the lid on her foam container to reveal her chicken salad plate with home fries on the side. Mrs. June carried her food back to the front room and whatever she was puttering with up there. “Andrea Yates came in to order center arrangements for that Thanksgiving night party your friend Scott throws every year.”
“Yeah?” Colt didn’t correct her misconception that he and Scott Barlow were friends. Barlow and Lamar were buddies, Holly and Barlow were friends, but even before Colt had messed up with Lamar, he and Barlow hadn’t interacted much. Nothing against the guy – they simply had nothing in common and Scott was kind of an ass. In the past, Holly had helped Barlow with that shindig. Wonder why she wasn’t this year?
“Hmmm.” Mama popped a home fry in her mouth and waved a hand like she was sprinkling fairy dust. “She wants ‘spare and elegant’ with candles and some kind of greenery and white flowers.”
“Sounds nice.” A spurt of humor tugged at his mouth. Holly would be doing composition photos of those flower arrangements for sure. She was worse with that camera than she’d been with that vinyl-cutting machine.
“Your daddy and I rode by the house last night, but you weren’t home.” Mama shook her head. “That dog was racing around the back yard like he has no sense.”
“He doesn’t.” His grin widened. Ralph was a mess, first pouting if he didn’t get his way, then bursting into paroxysms of joy on a moment’s notice. He forked up a bite of greens. “Holly and I rode over to Moultrie for dinner.”
“Oh.” A hint of intrigue flared in Mama’s hazel eyes, but he kept his expression impassive. He wasn’t ready to share the miracle that was Holly wanting him with her. She’d be planning wedding flowers before he knew it, and he didn’t want to jinx this.
“Yeah.” He lifted his smoked pork chop, a different smile curving his mouth. “I got a promotion, and she treated me to supper to celebrate.
Mama’s eyes rounded, a pleased sound escaping her. “A promotion? Really?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Her surprise shouldn’t hurt his feelings, but it kinda did. “Warehouse route manager. Herb’s moving up to district manager and started training me for his spot today.”
The office made him a little nuts, but they’d ordered one of those desk tops that raised and lowered so he wouldn’t be sitting all the time. That helped.
“And you told Holly Callahan first?” A hint of hurt darkened her eyes.
“Well, I knew you and Daddy were at church.” Maybe that would fly. Lord help him if she ever figured out his first instinct had been to tell Grandma and Grandaddy. He loved his parents, but there were all these . . . layers. He got why he carried all their expectations – maybe if his sister had lived more than an hour, that would have been different – but the situation still pressed in and suffocated him sometimes. “Holly was dropping off some dog food I ordered for Ralph, and we got to talking, then she offered to take me to supper.”
“I see.”
