Dabbing at the coffee on his chest with a napkin, he says, “Don’t need to. Have it memorized.”
My jaw drops. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?” Oliver asks, lifting one eyebrow.
What’s on the tip of my tongue, I can’t say. Not yet. It’s too soon to say, “I knew I loved you.”
That would be insane. Even if it’s what I feel.
“I knew you liked musicals,” I say.
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
The coffee tastes wonderful. And I have a wonderful man in my room.
“What’s on the agenda for today? Sewing? Fittings?” Oliver asks.
I shake my head. “Today is my day off. Skylar has decided it.”
He laughs. “Somehow I don’t think it’s wise to go against her wishes.”
“See? You fit in perfectly with my crowd. As long as the gossip getting out of control sometimes doesn’t bother you too much.”
Oliver sets down his coffee cup on the nightstand and brushes a hand through my hair. “I’d rather have ten people saying the wrong thing about me occasionally than a building full of people who would never know if I suddenly disappeared. More importantly, I just want to be wherever you are, Iris. That’s it.”
I nod solemnly and finish my coffee. “So you think we can make this work?”
“Most definitely. It will because I’m crazy about you and I always go after what I want.”
“What happens when the crazy intense feeling wears off? What if one day you wake up and realize we were just meant to be a really awesome one-night stand?”
Oliver cups the back of my neck and draws me in for a kiss. “I know you worry about that kind of thing. But I’m not going to disappear on you. I wouldn’t want this to end. Period. But my words don’t mean much. So let’s do this thing together and let me prove it.”
“Okay. Let me make you some breakfast.”
“No, ma’am. I’m going to the Bluejay Cafe and picking up your favorites while you get a shower. And I plan on telling every Nosy Nelly in town that I’m your boyfriend. Just so everyone knows what’s going on and nobody can float any more rumors.”
I scrunch my nose. “Boyfriend. Ew. Boys have cooties.”
“Silly Biscuit.” He kisses my nose.
“I’m still getting used to that word. Boyfriend. Teasing is my coping mechanism.”
He kisses me one more time, and then he’s off to fetch breakfast.
I take a hot shower, luxuriating a little longer than I usually allow myself, then get cozy in my favorite light sweater and leggings.
I light a candle in the living room and pull out my knitting, sitting near the open window that looks out toward the street. When it warms up later, I’ll take my knitting and my book to the porch. This is going to be the best day I’ve had in a long time.
Sooner than expected, Oliver returns with breakfast. My stomach grumbles at the sound of the doorbell, and I sprint toward him without bothering to check the doorbell camera.
But what waits for me on the other side of the door is not Oliver, and most definitely not breakfast.
“Aunt Patty?”
Thirteen
