And somehow, I’d grown the desire to protect her, to love her, without hardly knowing her. I set the tray down inside the van and I checked on my partner, still working on the pole. I grabbed my radio from my pants pocket and spoke into it. “You good up there, Eric?”
“Yeah, boss. Almost done.” He replied.
“Good. I’ve got some treats for you.”
Ten minutes later, Eric finished on the pole and lowered himself down on the bucket lift until he reached the truck. He climbed out and stretched once his legs hit the ground before strolling over to me. “The wires are good to go. You can test it now.”
“Great.” I pointed at the coffee and food. “Make sure you try an apple cinnamon muffin. They are amazing.”
I climbed inside the cab of the truck and grabbed my iPad, bringing up the test app the company used. I punched in the usual settings and ran the test, setting the tablet down on the middle console.
But my mind wouldn’t focus on the task at hand.
All I could think about was the curvy cutie. I needed to see her again.
At least I knew where to find her.
The next morning,I drove straight to Appleridge Sweets before starting my day. There wouldn’t be enough coffee in the world to keep me from being tired today, but I had to try. Otherwise, I’d be useless.
I barely slept a wink the night before, constantly tossing and turning. It didn’t help that my large Saint Bernard dog, Gruff, kept whining, his senses picking up on my mood. Finally, I let him sleep on the bed which was an even stupider idea because he took up over half of it. During our morning run, he continued acting off, not listening, and pulling on the lead. Puppy stuff. I hated when my vibes were chaotic, like I wanted to crawl out of my own skin.
I know buddy. I don’t feel like myself, either.
Paisley hadn’t left my thoughts, not for a second, and it drove me crazy. Why was she on my mind so much? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about her?
And how did she cause such a reaction in me already? So much so that my damn dog had noticed?
I parked my truck and let out a breath. I came to make sure she was okay after the storm, that was all this was. Right?
Ha, who am I kidding?
I came to ask her out. Because imagining a life without her in it? Impossible.
Shoot your shot and ask her out. You got this.
I got this.
Killing the engine on my truck, I climbed out, shutting and locking the door behind me. I strolled into the bakery, cool, calm, and collected even though my entire world on the inside had exploded into a million incoherent pieces.
As soon as I stepped through the door, the smells of the bakery tickled my nose, my stomach growling for them despite not being hungry. You’d think the first place you’d look was thepastries and treats, but not me. No, I searched forher.Paisley. The one I couldn’t get out of my head.
I spotted her behind the espresso machine, steam rising above her head as she prepared a customer’s drink.
Instantly, my breathing quickened, my body reacting to the mere sight of her.Beautiful. So damn beautiful.
Her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, her clear make-up free face, and her genuine, warm smile when helping a customer drew me in and I became helpless to her.
Not wanting to be rude, I took a place in line and waited until I reached the counter, all while watching her.
She spotted me almost as quickly as I spotted her and a shy but friendly smile played on her sexy mouth. She mouthed the wordhias she made a drink.
I winked, wanting to get a reaction. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she nearly spilled the steamed milk, all while giggling like a schoolgirl.
Fucking love it.
“May I have anAmericanowith a double shot of espresso and extra foam on top?” I ordered from the older woman while sneaking glances at Paisley. “And a half dozen cinnamon apple muffins.”
“Sure thing.”
