But he’d worry about that later.
“I love you,” he said quietly.He had to make sure she heard it, too.
Thea’s eyes sparkled as he reached up to cup her cheek, slowly leaning in, giving her a moment to change her mind.
Then—THUD!A thunderous knock on the door made Nathaniel jump, his fur—no, his hair—standing on end, a small hiss escaping his mouth.
Thea burst into laughter as she pulled away from him.“Apparently, your cat reflexes don’t go away when you’re human.”
Heat rushed to Nathaniel’s cheeks as Thea made her way to open the door.
Once again, interrupted.
But at least now he knew that she loved him.
Chapter eleven
Thea
Theahadahardtime containing her frustration and annoyance as she marched over to the door.Who was knocking before opening time?Didn’t they realize she had important things to do before she opened?
They didn’t need to know that today, the important thing was kissing Nathaniel.
She opened the door, prepared to let her frustration loose, but it faded when she saw Guinevere’s smiling face on the other side.
“I have exciting news,” Guinevere said, marching in and closing the door behind herself.“I found someone who needs a job, and I think she would be perfect to come and help you.”
Thea opened her mouth to say that she didn’t need help, but then she glanced back at Nathaniel.
It would be nice to have some time with him without having to worry about the café.
Hiring an assistant, though…that seemed like far more trouble than it was worth.
“I don’t know,” she said slowly.
A noise came from the kitchen, and Guinevere looked into the back.“Oh, no, did I interrupt something?”she asked, her eyes widening with a big grin on her face when she noticed Nathaniel.“You should’ve ignored me.”
“You know I can’t ignore people,” Thea said.“Come say hello.”
Guinevere’s smile stretched from ear to ear as she followed Thea back into the kitchen.
“Hi, Nathaniel,” she said as she perched herself on Eugenia’s chair.“Were you helping her with something?”
Thea didn’t dare look at Nathaniel.She could only imagine what he would say if she did, because he’d never been one to shy away from making cheeky statements.It was one of the reasons her father had loved him so much.
“You could say that,” he said.She didn’t have to look at him to know what the expression would be—one of pure merriment at her discomfort, the vaguest hint that the two of them had been in an improper situation.She knew from memory the twinkle in his eyes and the self-indulgent grin.
She had missed it for far too many years.
“I can leave,” Gwen said, her eyes twinkling much like Nathaniel’s.
“There’s no need,” Thea said, even if she desperately wanted to be left alone with Nathaniel.She had work to do, and if she kissed him once, she wasn’t sure she would be able to stop—not after ten years of waiting to kiss him again.
Thea pointed Nathaniel to the bowl of muffin mix and handed the grater and a handful of carrots to Guinevere.“If you’re sitting here, you might as well help.Now, tell me about this person.”
Guinevere lit up.“Her name is Linnea, and her cinnamon rolls are to die for.”
Before recent events, Thea might have turned down Linnea simply because she didn’t want to see cinnamon rolls again, or deal with the memories they brought up.
