“I told you it wasn’t a date.”
She lifted a brow. “Intimate corner table at a restaurant with a beautiful woman in a sexy dress? That’s a date, regardless of who set it up.”
Mrs. Gerald stopped beside their table. “Cappuccino.”
Jesse smiled up at her. “Thank you.”
“Are you sure you don’t want a slice of pie with it? I have some fresh apple and blueberry this morning.”
Jesse put a hand over his flat stomach. “Just ate. But thank you.”
The second Mrs. Gerald left, Aspen leaned forward and hissed, “You got coffee?”
“Yeah, I don’t drink tea, and I haven’t tried the coffee here before. Maybe this will be the first good cup in Amber Ridge.”
“I wouldn’t—”
He choked on his first sip. “Oh, God, what is this? It tastes like battery acid.”
“Yeah, it’s bad. Worse than everywhere else in this town, which is saying something. I’m becoming quite accustomed to tea.”
He wrinkled his nose.
She pushed the pie across the table. “Here, try this. It will cleanse your palate.”
“I’m not—”
“Try it. Trust me.”
He held her gaze for a full second before lifting her fork and scooping some pie into his mouth.
Her lower belly did a little flutter. Why was that so hot? Because he’d usedherfork? Or because there was something incredibly sexy about his mouth?
Probably both.
His gaze shot to the pie. “Jesus, that’s good.”
“Right? It’s amazing.” She took the fork from his fingers and ate some more.
“So…last night.”
Oh man, were they still on that?
“I was supposed to be meeting Luke from work,” Jesse continued. “He sent her instead.”
“I know. You told me. I still don’t understand why.”
“Because he’s an interfering asshole.”
She lowered her gaze to the pie. “She was pretty.”
“She was.”
Aspen’s stomach dropped, even though there shouldn’t be any reason for it to do so.
“But the person I’m interested in isbeautiful.”
Her gaze flew up, every inch of her skin tingling.
