I side-eyed his medical knowledge. “Are you a kid?”
“No.”
“Do you have any?” For his precious fam.
He reeled back. “No. I babysit.”
“Don’t let them take the vitamins from your purse, then.” I set the supplement on the shelf. The sound of his laughter sent a tingle across my skin, so I flipped my hair to redistribute the energy. “Who do you babysit?”
“Cousins.” He propped his arm up on a shelf, eyeing an energy drink. “They're terrors if they've had too much sugar."
I wrinkled my nose at him.Terrors?Why did anyone ask him to babysit when they had a literal party princess in the family?
He sniffed his pits, then drew his elbows into his sides. “What?”
“It’s hard to imagine you around little kids.”
“Why?” He sounded genuinely baffled.
Did he not see it? “You’re a big, gruff…”
“Beefcake?” He grinned.
“Oh, shut up.” I pushed his hard, immovable chest. “You’re notthatimpressive.”
“Well, if you’re having such a hard time picturing it, you should come to dinner and witness it for yourself.” His eyes glinted with mischief. “You could meet the whole fam.”
“After a week of dating? That’s way too fast.” I needed more time to put myself together for them.
He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. The crinkle of rough paper nearly stopped my heart.
I raised my hand to him and whispered, “Tell me you did not bring your tuna sandwiches in here.”
He glanced down. “What? It’s lunch. I need the protein.”
I pressed my fingers to my lips and tried not to laugh.
This big, ridiculous guy was going to be a gold mine of content. I couldn’t wait to get started.
23
Shake It Up
We sipped on protein shakes as we strolled to the other side of the mall. I lifted my cup. “Our first video could be ‘his version of a protein-packed lunch versus mine.’”
Zack frowned at the green mixture. “This isn’t lunch; it’s a shake. Besides, I thought you needed candid moments. The whole point was not to stage them.”
“Good point. Save your sass for the camera.” I held up my phone and pressed record. “This is my version of a high-protein, classy meal.”
“You forgot to raise your pinky,” he droned. “Not classy.”
Nice one.
I bit the inside of my cheek to stop a smile and shot him a wry look. “At least I don’t keep seafood sandwiches in my pocket. Nasty.”
“It’s wrapped up,” he protested.
“Mmm, lukewarm tuna…and your breath afterwards?” I wrinkled my nose at the camera. “Not classy. Not very kissable, either.” I winked.
