Because, yeah, Bobbie was amajordistraction.
Earlier, on his drive south, he’d called Chief Ildavorg and set up the meeting Bobbie had requested. The Chief was intrigued, to say the least; especially because Buck and Bobbie were coming in together. Still, the man didn’t dig for information beforehand. He simply asked if Mason—the OPD’s Captain and Buck’s brother—could sit in.
Buck had assured him that Mason’s input would be more than welcome, in fact, he was pumped that his smart sibling would be in attendance. The more ears that heard his and Bobbie’s concerns, the better.
But back to that imagined kiss…
If Bobbie slapped his ass down, he’d apologize and regroup. But if she liked it…
Buck got a stirring in his gut he hadn’t felt in years. It was part lust, because…Bobbie. But mostly a giddy anticipation that he might be able to breathe new air into what had once been the start of the best relationship of his life.
Buck parked his van in front of Bobbie’s pretty little business again, so happy for her that she’d been able to land on her feet after such a rough beginning. And by tough starts, he wasn’t just thinking about her scuttled sailboat. He was remembering her as a fifteen-year-old girl, being abandoned by her selfish, alcoholic parents as they sought their divorce; to be left in the care of her two older, shithead brothers.
What the hell had her mother and father been thinking? Clearly, they hadn’t. Drew and Jeff had already proventhemselves to be shiftless pricks at twenty-eight and twenty-six. Yet, their parents had walked away as if Bobbie would be just fine.
It was amazing that she’d turned out so well.
Buck walked up to the door and…Huh.
Did he knock? Did he go right in? The conundrum from before came back to haunt him.
That’s when he saw the doorbell.
Well, what do you know?
He was just directing his finger toward the button when the door swung open.
“Hi,” Bobbie greeted him, looking a little flushed and breathless. Had she been busy hauling stuff around, or was it his presence that had her looking flustered?
Was it bad of him to wish for the latter?
“Hi,” he answered. “How did you know I was here?”
“Camera.” She pointed to two, small white devices that were pointed toward the door and the street out front.
“That’s smart,” Buck responded. He was glad Bobbie was taking precautions with the safety of her business. You never knew if there’d be a break-in…
Whoa.Not going there. Buck’s brain didnotneed a reminder of the shit he’d suffered over the hardware store debacle.
“So,” Bobbie shifted from foot to foot. “Would you like to come in and have a little tour?”
“I’d love that,” Buck told her honestly. “I have no idea how a catering business works.” He immediately grew distracted, staring at her mouth.
Did he make his move? Did he kiss her now?
Bobbie took the decision right out of his hands. She went up on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his in a fast, controlled hit, then backed off immediately, almost as if it had never happened.
“Well, it’s not all that interesting,” she stated, answering his previous question. Her tongue poked out to…what? Taste him there?
Yes!
Bobbie went on, which forced Buck to refocus.
“Today, for instance, we’re making and freezing things for an alumni party we’re doing this coming weekend at the college.” She gave an open-palmed smack to her forehead and snorted. “Oh. That sounds bad.Mostof what we serve is fresh; the majority of our menu is, as a matter of fact. But there are some foods that lend themselves to being frozen, and that makes our job easier when setting up.”
“I can understand that,” Buck nodded as he stepped inside and she closed the door behind them. He’d trust her implicitly, having tasted her food at the wedding.
Buck took it all in. The single room in front of him, no larger than thirty feet by thirty. It was bright, and clean, and…very stainless. It seemed like almost every surface was highly polished, but he supposed that made clean-up easier. There were sinks, large refrigerators, and covered storage bins everywhere. It looked very professional.
