"You definitely have a problem," she insisted.
I sighed. "There might be a story behind my distaste for tea."
"I knew it!" She lifted onto her elbow to see my face. "Go on."
I chuckled softly, feeling ridiculous for having to explain the origin of my hang-up. "Goes back to my childhood. My parents used to make iced tea a lot, usually unsweetened unless they were splurging and used sugar. Remember I told you we were poor? We used to reuse the bags, which made the drink watered down on top of being sugarless. But we didn't have much choice. You drank watered-down tea or water. When I became an adult, I avoided tea at all costs but discovered coffee in college. I used it to stay awake since I was working full-time while going to school. You could say I developed a bit of an addiction."
"Now I understand. For the record, there are all kinds of teas, and they offer great benefits. I'll bring you one of my blends, and you can tell me what you think."
Typical Tallulah. Thoughtful. Kind. "I appreciate the offer. So you plan to come back? Because I think you should come back as often as possible." I trailed my finger down the middle of her chest to the v-shaped curly hairs cradled between her hips.
"Since you're inviting me, I'll come back for sure, which is better than inviting myself and coming across as desperate."
I arched an eyebrow at her. "Desperate? Let me tell you about desperate. Desperate is wanting to see a certain wellness center owner and pretending to be interested in yoga so you don't come across as desperate."
"Oh, honey. You could have just called me up and asked me out." She cupped my face. "But I like a little desperation in my men."
Cupping her hand against my cheek, I turned fully sideways to gaze into her eyes. "I'm your man now?"
"If you want to be."
"I very much want to be."
"Then yes. And I'm your woman," she said softly.
"I like how that sounds." I leaned in and kissed her. It should have been short and quick, but she was intoxication personified.
The next thing I knew, my tongue was in her mouth, and I was on top of her, nestled between her thighs, ready for another round.
Chapter 27
Tallulah
Irolled out of bed late Sunday morning after taking a nap to recuperate from my night with Jamison.
We had gone to a nighttime festival, where local artisans showcased their art, music, and food. I left with delicious crusty bread and two jars of jam I was eager to try. Then Jamison and I went dancing, which kept us out late—but not too late. We were Gen-Xers, after all. It was nice to wake up in his arms, cook breakfast together, and enjoy a leisurely meal before coming home.
But I was still tired, and the nap had rejuvenated me.
I stood in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, thinking about how magical the past two weeks had been. Leslie, Tyler, and I met with Ochoa and his team again and presented the revised presentation. Though we had to wait a full two weeks to hear from him, I had suspected we would have good news based on his improved attitude when we met.
Sure enough, last Friday he reached out and confirmed he liked our ideas, and with a few tweaks to the partnership program, he wanted to roll it out right away. He also wanted to lock us all into longer-term leases, which all the owners except one accepted because she planned to sell her business.
Jamison and I talked every night and occasionally during the day, but the weekend belonged to us. My daughter knew I was seeing someone, but she was preoccupied with planning her wedding, which meant Jamison and I could spend time together without me having to explain my behavior to my nosy daughter.
Wrapped in a colorful silk robe and with my hair down around my shoulders, I strolled into the kitchen. Blossom sat at the table, looking at something on her phone, her bare feet tucked under her on the chair.
"Morning," I said in a cheerful voice.
"Morning," she said, lifting her gaze before returning her attention to the phone. "You're in a good mood."
"It's a pretty day. I'm alive. I can't complain. Have you eaten already?"
"Yes. I ate at Manuel's before I came home."
"How is my future son-in-law? Haven't seen him in a while." I opened the refrigerator and removed one of my wellness shots.
"Hmm."
