Tate joined me and reached out his hand. “Hey, buddy. Do you remember me?”
Nicholas hesitantly took it, but shook his head no. I was pretty sure he was just messing with Tate.
I chuckled. “He’s a little tired from the ride. Makes him cranky and shy.”
“That’s okay. We’ll wake you up.” Tate winked. “I have snacks.”
“Oh good. I’m hungry,” I teased.
Tate grinned as our eyes locked. Then he gave me a once-over. I wasn’t sure if he’d meant that to be obvious. “Don’t worry. I’ll feed you, too,” he said, a hint of seductiveness in his tone.
Was this my imagination? It was so hard not to flirt with him. That had been the case from the moment I’d met the guy.
Nicholas held my hand as we entered the house. I sensed Tate’s presence behind me right before I felt his hand at the small of my back, guiding me inside. It sent a zap of electricity through my starving body.
Tate’s German shepherd immediately ran to greet us, her paws scratching against the floor.
“Calm down,” Tate said as he grabbed her by the leash. “Nicholas, this is Khloe.”
Nicholas reached his little hand out to pet the big dog, who calmed down fairly quickly. Tate smiled as he looked on, still holding Khloe’s leash.
After only a few minutes, Khloe seemed used to us being here. She also listened very well to Tate’s commands.
“You hungry, little guy?” he asked our boy.
Nicholas nodded eagerly. He was back to his normal, vibrant self now that he’d had a little time out of the car.
Tate waved us farther into the house. “Let’s head to the kitchen, then.”
My eyes widened when I got a look at the kitchen counter. Tate had laid out dozens of snacks, everything from Cheez-Its to Teddy Grahams to Oreos.
“Oh my God.” I laughed. “Did you rob the snack aisle?”
“Hit the market while you were on the road. I never asked you what he likes and didn’t want to bother you while you were driving, so I just got a little of everything. I know it’s a lot of sugar. But I wanted to impress him the first time. I’ll tone it down, eventually.”
“Something tells me you won’t. That’s always been your thing.” I winked.
He returned a flirtatious grin.
Yeah. It can’t be my imagination.
Tate prepared a plate of snacks for Nicholas and sat across from him at the table, watching him eat like it was a spectator sport. And Nicholas was in his glory as the dog sat at the base of his chair, waiting for the crumbs that would inevitably fall.
When Tate finally pulled his gaze from Nicholas, he turned to me. “What can I get you?”
“Got anything to drink besides juice boxes?”
“I have water, seltzer…wine. Although, I doubt you want to drink at three in the afternoon.”
“Look at you offering me alcohol.”
“Well, youarelegal now.”
“Seltzer sounds great, actually.”
He stood. “I have mandarin orange, lime, strawberry, or grapefruit.”
“True to form, you just get them all, huh?” I shrugged. “Surprise me.”
