“She got wise and left him home, I guess. Hey, these your flyers?” She pointed to the yellow paper, where Bethany had printed the details of the contest and how to vote. She’d included a picture of the cake and one of her and Travis in front of Grandma Lou’s, figuring it would add a personal element.
“I’ll take some of these and hand them out in our store.”
“Great. Don’t forget you can cast your vote any time after midnight on Friday.”
Patty turned to open the door at the same time it swung inward. She bumped into Travis, who’d come to help Bethany with the dinner hour. “Hey, Travis honey. Sorry about that. I just came for a bite and bit of gossip. Ciao.”
“Hey, Patty.” The door closed and Travis removed the backpack slung over his shoulder. He blessed Bethany with his usual carefree smile. “Busy day?”
“The usual. How was class?”
“Great, but I have my exam on Wednesday.”
Travis would finish his computer degree at a local college in another semester. It comforted Bethany to know that with a degree behind him, he would have employment opportunities if they were forced to close the shop.God forbid.
“Are things slow here? Mind if I get a head start on studying?”
Bethany smiled. “Sure. Go sit in the corner where it’s quiet. Apple muffin?”
“Sounds great. Thanks, Bethany.”
She headed to the kitchen to fetch the muffin and finish emptying the dishwasher.
A tall man with golden hair leaned against the worktable, drinking a glass of her ice-tea, and eating a muffin. Next to him were dark sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He looked up when she entered and flashed her a heart-stopping smile. “We have to stop meeting like this.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Bethany advanced toward him with a flushed look on her face. Hank smiled because she couldn’t hide her excitement from him, despite how much he knew she fought the attraction. She was happy to see him.
“How’d you get in here?” She had on her grandma’s apron again. As she got closer, he saw dark smudges under her eyes. She hadn’t slept any better than him.
He winked, making sure to drawl his words, anything to get a reaction. “Oh, it wasn’t hard. Scaled an eight-foot fence. Snuck in through the back door. Easy-peasy.” He polished off the muffin and set down the ice-tea. “You should try it sometime.” He patted his belly. “Great way to stay in shape.”
Her lips turned up into a half-smile. She might not want to like him, but she did. He knew it, just as he knew when he would get a choice part.
“Did you get my flowers?” He watched her face and was rewarded with a faint blush.
“I did. They’re beautiful. You shouldn’t have.”
He entwined his fingers with hers and tugged her close. “You’re beautiful.”
The blush deepened. “Don’t flatter me.”
Now it was his turn to frown. “I’m not. You are beautiful. And well-deserving of flowers. I’d like to take you out tonight. I have something I want to show you.”
She cocked her head to the side, her eyes shining. “What is it?”
“That would spoil the surprise, wouldn’t it?”
The doorbell jangled, but they both ignored it.
“I won’t get done until nine.”
He rubbed his thumb in circles on her hand. She didn’t shrink away. He liked the softness of her skin and the calluses under her fingers. “I figured.”
“What about Elizabeth? I did agree to stay away from you. She’s supposed to help me garner votes in the contest.”
Hank’s eyebrows drew together. “Don’t worry about that. I’ll set Elizabeth straight.”
