“He apologized. And he saved us from the elevator.” I switch to pink frosting, trying not to think about how Luke’s arm felt around my waist. Strong, solid, safe. And his leather and clean linen scent.Sigh. “He was actually really sweet when I started to panic.”
“The bar is so low it’s underground,” Mitch mutters.
Brent chuckles. “Ouch.”
“I’m just saying, a grouchy electrician isn’t exactly Prince Charming material.”
Brent snorts. “The electrician thing is kind of hot, though. Guy who’s good with his hands, knows how to fix things…”
Mitch throws a dish towel at him through the order window and I laugh.
“I’m just saying what Molly’s thinking.”
My face heats. “I wasn’t thinking about his…hands.” I absolutely was.
The way he worked on that panel, confident and focused, explaining what he was doing in that low voice…
“She’s thinking about them now,” Brent whispers-yells to my brother.
“Gross,” he hollers back.
“Can we please focus?” I gesture at the chaos around us. Every surface is covered in boxed or unboxed treats, and the phone hasn’t stopped ringing all morning.
“We can,” Mitch says, but he’s got that protective big brother look. “But in all seriousness, Molly… You just got your heart stomped on by Nathan. Maybe jumping into something with a guylivingacross the hall isn’t—”
“I’m not jumping into anything.” Though the thought has already crossed my mind once or twice. “And we were trapped together in a high-stress situation. According to Sandra Bullock inSpeed, relationships based on traumatic shared experiences don’t tend to last.”
“Hmm, fair. Though I think it was Keanu who wasn’t up forSpeed 2, not to fault their on-screen relationship,” Brent adds helpfully.
“Speaking of that elevator…” I lower my voice. “Is it weird that it broke down at the exact moment we both got in?”
Mitch and Brent exchange glances.
“You don’t think Danny would…” Mitch starts.
“That sweet old man would never,” Brent says, but he’s grinning at the very thought. “He is sly, that one.”
“He’s been trying to set Luke up since he moved in,” I point out. “And he was awfully quick to appear when the doors opened. Almost like he was…waiting.”
“Or he heard the alarm,” Mitch says reasonably.
“At five in the morning? On a Saturday?” I shake my head. “Plus, he didn’t look surprised we were stuck. He looked kind of…excited?”
“Danny, the secret puppet master of love,” Brent muses. “I’m into it.”
“You’re into any matchmaking scheme,” Mitch says fondly.
“True. Remember when I tried to set you up with that guy from my gym?”
“That was last week. We’ve been together for five years.”
“I know, but you could use more friends.”
I tune them out, focusing on the steady stream of customers. But my mind keeps drifting back to this morning. The way Luke said my name in that rough voice. How he held me close. The way he laughed—actuallylaughed—and his smile…
I try not to think about what happened after. The way he pulled away, the coldness in his eyes when he said—
No. Nope. Not thinking about that right now.
