Chapter 9
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Eve mentally slammed her forehead against the cabinet door as she busied herself getting everything they needed for dinner.
Okay, dinner had been delivered in a box, so she really didn’t have to do much to prepare, but in order not to scream out loud, she had to stay active. Not just sit idly waiting for Reid to appear, replaying their almost kiss over and over in her head.
She squeezed her eyes shut for a beat and willed herself to calm down, for the flash of heat to leave already.
“You feeling okay?”
She jumped at the sound of Reid’s voice and slapped a hand over her rapidly beating heart. “Yeah. Sorry. Just taking a moment.”
The smirk on Reid’s face told her he knew exactly why she needed a moment, but at least he was gentleman enough not to comment.
Instead, he rounded the edge of the island and inhaled. “Gino’s?”
She wrinkled her nose. The town of Cloud Valley was split in two very distinct camps—team Gino’s pizza, or team Luigi’s. Her allegiance would always fall in line with Luigi’s. “Not in this house.” She flipped the lid closed and jabbed her index finger toward the bold red-and-green lettering scrawled across the top.
“Never tried pizza from this place,” Reid said with a casual shrug. “When I moved here, Madden always ordered fromGino’s. I liked it well enough so never bothered ordering anything else.”
Her jaw dropped in mock outrage. “And I thought you were a man with impeccable taste. I hate to break it to you, but if you take a bite of this delicious meat lover’s pizza and you don’t agree that it’s far superior to its competition, I’m not sure we can be friends anymore.”
Reid grimaced. “Wow, I didn’t understand how important this was. Now I’m afraid to try it, but it smells so damn good I don’t think I can resist.”
She grabbed a plate and placed a gooey slice on it. She kept all traces of humor from her face and handed it to him. “I’d say no pressure, but…”
He cracked a grin as he accepted her offering, and she was eternally grateful for the silly banter over something as innocuous as dinner. This back-and-forth was exactly what she needed to forget the way her toes had curled as his mouth leaned close to hers, as the smell of his cedar and citrus cologne turned her brain into a pile of mush.
“What’s that look about?”
Well, crap. She was about to ruin the easygoing moment of delusion she needed because she couldn’t stop replaying the almost kiss.
Clearing her throat, she turned back to the counter to get a plate for herself then loaded it with two slices of her favorite indulgence. “Nothing, still in shock about Madden leading you astray. I should have known. You needed someone with a little more finesse to show you the ropes around here.” She shot him a wink then carried her plate to the small two-person table where she’d set bottles of water and napkins.
Reid’s warm chuckle followed her to the table, and he took the seat beside her. “So really this is all your fault.”
Grinning, she shrugged and lifted her pizza to her mouth. She stopped with it near her lips and arched her brows in challenge. “Ready to have your life changed forever?”
He mimicked her actions and let out a long breath. “I don’t think I have a choice.”
She ignored the ping of curiosity at his tone. Something deep down in her gut told her he wasn’t just talking about their meal, but asking would go against the bury-her-head-in-the-sand mentality she was going for right now.
Biting into the warm, gooey cheese, she moaned. Spicy bits of sausage combined with the salty bacon and ham, creating the most beautiful symphony of explosions on her tongue. She felt the heat of Reid’s gaze on her face, but she couldn’t care less. No man would ever get in the way of enjoying her food.
Especially Luigi’s.
Reid took his own bite then tilted his head from side to side as he chewed. “It’s okay.”
“What?” She practically screamed the question across the table. “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”
He grinned and held up his palms. “One hundred percent. I’ll call Madden immediately and yell at him for leading me astray. Hell, this might be better than anything I’ve even had at Tilly’s.”
She wadded up a napkin and threw it at him.
Laughing, he ducked and let the cloth fall to the floor. “Joking, joking.”
She chuckled and went in for another bite, enjoying the sense of normalcy after such a crazy day. “Speaking of Tilly’s, I need to be there tomorrow. It’s our busiest day of the year. I can’t put that on my staff while I stay home.”
