Bubbles hovered almost immediately.You’re seriously bringing him
Yes
She stabbed the send button. Let him rescind the invitation. That would be just like him—
Fine. Your funeral
Whose funeral? She started to tap out the words and stopped, deleting each letter with deliberate slowness. Lord, she wanted to choke him sometimes.
Eyes closed, she tried that four-corner breathing again. Scowling, she tapped out another text.
We really need to talk
I can meet you for lunch at Kebo’s
The slow inhale she’d just taken strangled in her throat. Was she honestly ready to tackle this?
Her phone buzzed, dropping a separate thread text from the top of the screen, simply entitledColton
Hey, what are you doing for lunch?
She shut her eyes again, hoping the pitiful barking from the kennel behind her covered her own wounded noise. Lord.
Meeting Scott at Kebo’s
A pause hovered, and she could almost hear his “Huh.” Lord help her because her life was an absolute mess today, from Petunia’s IV coming undone to Mae peeing all over the waiting room to Mrs. Milson’s cat Lucky throwing up on the exam table, and now this. She should have simply told Scott she wasn’t coming to the party that wasn’t hers any longer.
You’re gonna tell me in person if I’m dumped, right?
Seriously? She might choke him, too.
You’re not dumped. How could you be dumped after what happened on the couch last night?
How do I know you’re not just using me for sex?
Oh, dear Jesus.We have to HAVE sex for me to use you for sex
Might be why you’re meeting another guy for lunch
He thought he was funny, and she might kill him for real.I’m having that talk with him
Gotcha. I’m going to hit up Andy then and go somewhere else. Let me know what you want for supper
A boyfriend who doesn’t think he’s a comedian
Good luck with that. Let me know when you find him
This from the man who’d asked if she would dump him via text. An unwilling smile quirked at her lips. In terms of his emotions, he’d settled a lot in the past three weeks. They weregood together, and he was good to her. They spent a lot of time together – and as she’d expected, he’d proved to be a steady and invested partner.
But, golly, the man had a smart mouth.
Smart and talented. He was a good kisser, and last night, they’d gone a little farther than they normally did, a makeout session that ended with her panties on the floor, his shoulders between her thighs and several off-color jokes about his taking things slow.
With all things said and done, Holly enjoyed a new appreciation for the concept of a man who took things slow. She didn’t quite get why they were holding off on actualsexsex, but the filler activities were fun.
Tucking her now silent phone in her scrub pocket, she pushed off the counter. “Hey, Savannah? I’m having lunch out today.”
Like any weekday, the parking lot at Kebo’s was packed, vehicles spilling into the overflow lot behind the new metal building. At least here, though, she wouldn’t deal with Mrs. Gail spreading her business everywhere like if they went to the Hickory House out on 19.
