I clear my throat and try not to stare at her like a creep. “Come on in,” I say as I step to the side.
She flashes an easy smile and my heart skids in my chest. I didn’t realize how much I missed getting a genuine smile from Kendall. It’s been years, not since college.
She smiled just like this at brunch the other day. I thought my heart was going to explode in my chest. It felt amazing to make her smile like that.
She walks in and kicks off her heels. “Oh wow,” she says as she gazes around the open-concept space of my townhouse. “You have a really nice place.”
“Thanks.”
“Did you decorate it yourself?”
I laugh. “Nope. I hired a professional. You should have seen how this place looked the first year I lived here.”
She looks at me, her smile sly. “I bet I can guess. Frat house chic, right?”
I grin at her. “Something like that.” I walk into the kitchen. “What can I get you to drink? I have sparkling water, organic juice, tea, coffee. I also have wine and beer if you want something a little harder.”
“Sparkling water would be great. Thank you.”
I grab her a chilled bottle from the fridge and hand it to her. She’s mid-sip when she sees the food on the counter. “You ordered food?”
“Yeah. I thought you might be hungry after work.”
She flashes another bright smile at me. My stomach does a backflip.
She sets her water on the counter, rips open one of the bags, and grabs one of the Chinese takeout boxes. When she opens it, she stills. For a second, she just stares blankly at the container of sesame beef.
That doubt from earlier turns into regret. Shit.
She looks up at me. “You ordered sesame beef for me?”
I rub the back of my neck. “Uh, yeah. I remember it was your favorite in college.”
The sweetest smile tugs at her lush lips. She closes her eyes and inhales before grabbing a pair of chopsticks and digging in.
Relief washes through me. She’s not mad. It’s all okay.
She’s two bites in when she looks at me and pauses. Her tan cheeks flush red. She flashes a shy smile.
“Sorry,” she says after swallowing. “This is pretty barbaric of me to stuff my face in front of you like this, isn’t it?”
I lean against the counter and chuckle. “Not at all. Have at it. You want a plate?”
She shakes her head as she grabs a container of fried rice and dumps it into the sesame beef. “This is my preferred way to eat Chinese takeout.”
“I remember. You always did eat takeout like a starved Viking,” I joke.
She smiles and reaches across the counter to shove me. I laugh. “I’m kidding. That’s how I eat too, remember? It’s nice to know I’m not the only one,” I say.
She’s quiet as she looks at me, like she’s about to stay something. But then she just looks back at her food and takes another bite.
I grab the container of shrimp lo mein and have a few bites. For a minute, we eat in silence together.
“This was really nice of you. Thank you,” she says softly as she looks at me.
“It’s no problem. How’s your aunt doing?”
“She’s good.”
