Not that anyone except Reagan noticed. Weekends aren’t as quiet as weekdays at Upshot, more friends hanging and dates than people tucked up with laptops and books, so it’s not like the sound stood out. Besides, what customer’s gonna care if the barista’s texting between orders?
“And oh my god, look at that smile you’ve got,” Reagan squeals as I fish my phone out of my pocket. “What’d he say?”
Mostly to piss her off, I turn away from her when I swipe open the message. Not because I’m gonna be a dick andactuallynot tell her, but ‘cause, unlike most people who scare the hell out of me when they’re pissed, Reagan just cracks me up. Girl’s five foot nothing,hellabossy, and gets all squeaky when she thinks she’s not gonna get her way.
Dodging her, I glance down at my screen.
Sunshine:Do you want to go somewhere on Monday that might give you some ideas?
Fuck, my face hurts from how big my smile stretches as I tap out my response.
Me:What do u have in mind?
Sunshine:Do you like surprises?
Me:Hell yeah
I fuckinghatesurprises.
Those damn butterflies apparently don’t though, ‘cause just the thought of Jesse being the one doing the surprising? Totally got themall kindsof worked up.
“Um,” Reagan titters, tugging at my wrist as she cranes her neck around to get a better look at my phone that I’d kinda forgotten to be hiding from her. “What kind ofideasis he trying to give you?” She waggles her coppery eyebrows, making me laugh. “Sounds kinda dirty for at work texting.”
“You read too much smut,” I smirk, shaking my head as she tosses me a so-what shrug as I open a fresh bag of espresso beans. “Annnd,youread it at work.”
Another shrug from Reagan.
“Ion the other hand,” I gesture at myself, flashing her my most innocent face, which only makes her roll her eyes, “wasn’t beingdirtyat work, thank you very much.Iam a good boy. Unlike some.”
“Is that what he calls you in bed? Hisgood boy?”
I don’tactuallydrop the bag of coffee I was pouring into the espresso machine hopper. Just almost.
“Oh my god!” Reagan’s giggle nearly makes me slam my finger in the lid of the damn thing as I tip it closed. “Hedoescallyou that!”
This time, customers really do look over at us. Because Reagan just legitimatelyshriekedthat shit.
“Look at your face!”
“Way. Too much. Smut, Reagan,” I deadpan, shaking my head at her as she wipes her eyes.
“So? And besides,you’rethe one whose jaw fell on the floor when I said it,” she giggles.
“For your information,” I plant my hands on my hips, raising an eyebrow at her. “Jesse and I are taking things slow.”
She blinks in surprise at that little nugget of information, but the next moment, she brushes it away. Going straight back to full on smutty-Reagan mode. “Well then, youknowyouwanthim to call you that, don’t you? You want to be hisgood boy.”
I don’t blush. Blushing is totally Jesse’s thing, not mine. That prickly heat running along the tips of my ears? Definitelynota blush. Nope.
“Guess you don’t wanna know what Jesse was texting me about then.”
It’s my turn to laugh as she goes suddenly and totally silent, zipping her lips closed and arching her eyebrows in expectation.
“Jesse was telling me about how he’s been stuck on his dissertation,” I tell her, smirking as her face settles into a look of disappointment. Probably at how very notdirtywhat I’m telling her is turning out to be. “Says he’s just not having any ideas. Like he’s hit a dead-end. So I told him about how I haven’t had any real inspiration for my paintings lately—”
“Ooohh, you paint? Do you have pictures of anything you’ve done?”
Seriously, this girl is like me on steroids. Half my tiny-assattention span and twice my obsession with all things sexy. And you wondered why I love her?
