“I’m sure she would love that.”
His gaze is fixed on mine. “We’ll talk about it. I’m sure I’ll see you soon.”
“You know where to find me.”
I feel the heat creeping up my neck and instantly want to take the words back. Cole raises an eyebrow at me, a smirk lifting his lips as he begins to back away. “Bye El.”
“Bye, cowboy,” I murmur as he turns around on the heel of his boot and heads back to his truck. I quickly tear my gaze from him and the way those jeans hug his ass. I force myself into my car, pulling the door shut in a rush before turning on the engine. My phone is still in my hand with his contact information shining back at me.
I swallow roughly, tapping on the message button. I shouldn’t text him this soon, but I want him to have my number. You know, just in case.
My heart pounds erratically in my chest as I type out my message, acting purely on impulse and press send.
Ella
I owe you…
Cole
You do owe me.
But don't worry. I won't be collectin’ that debt ‘til you're ready.
I stare at my phone, the unfamiliar feeling of butterfly wings wildly flapping in the pit of my stomach. I want to hold on to the sensation, even if it seems too good to be true.
Ella
I hope you do.
Cole
I'm a man of my word, El. I always follow through.
A giggle escapes me and I can’t help myself as I cover my mouth. A smile breaks out across my lips and I’m grinning like a damned fool as I glance in my side mirror. Cole is still sitting in his truck behind me and I don’t miss the smirk on his face as he stares back at me. He waits until I pull my car onto the road before he whips his truck around and disappears in the opposite direction. Deciding against going to visit the animals, I head back home with Chloe sleeping in the back. My thoughts keep swirling around Cole Wild and the way he looked at me with those bright blue eyes of his.
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt any of these feelings.
And I’m not sure whether I should embrace them or run in the opposite direction.
CHAPTER TWELVE
ELLA
“Ella honey, can you please grab some extra napkins on your way in?” Iris calls from the dining room as she arranges the food on the table.
Reaching into the cabinet where she keeps them, I pull out a small stack of napkins and hand them to Chloe. “Take those into Grammy Iris, please,” I say with a gentle smile. Chloe quickly takes them from me and goes running into the other room.
We have a tradition of doing Sunday dinners at Iris' house. We aren’t always able to do it every week, so we try to make sure it happens at least twice a month. It’s just Chloe and I here with Remi and Iris. We usually come over early in the afternoon and the three of us cook together while we sip some wine.
We all head into the dining room after we finish cooking and settle into our seats around the table. No one hesitates as we all start to pile food onto our plates.
“Who wants to start?” Iris says cheerfully after swallowing a mouthful of food. She looks around between Remi and I.
We always go around the table, taking turns telling everyone how their week was. After that, we each pick one bad thing that happened during our week, followed by a good thing.
“I'll go,” Remi offers and sets down her glass of wine. “My week was pretty good. Everything at the bar has been great and I was able to go paddleboarding a few mornings on the lake.”
“That’s so good to hear, honey,” Iris smiles, her eyes softening as she stares at her daughter and then glances at Chloe. “What about you, Clo? How was your week?”
