Gavin:Look at Grandma blowing up all my surprises.
Me:She told Maya who told me. Blame Maya, I guess.
Gavin:Are you hungry? I was going to bring a late lunch.
Me:I’m at a sushi restaurant right now with Maya. So, yes, I am, but in about thirty minutes I’ll be stuffed and ready for a nap.
Gavin:She likes sushi ... noted.
Me:I also like dessert.
Me:Don’t let your brain go there, I’m talking about the food kind.
Gavin:When it comes to you, my brain always goes there.
Chapter Sixteen
Gavin
Me:Tell Maya you’re going to grab some coffee and come inside the shop across from your building.
Emily:How do you know I’m still with Maya?
Me:Because I’m sitting by the window of the coffee shop, and I can see the two of you walking toward the rehab center.
Emily:What if she wants to come with me?
Me:Convince her not to.
Emily:I only have about ten minutes before I have to get back to work.
Me:I won’t keep you any longer.
Light orange wasn’t a color I’d ever pick for Emily, but the woman looked fucking breathtaking. The top of her scrubs was tucked into her waistband, giving me a view of that perfect body. And because of the way I was sitting, I could also see the conversation she was having with Maya, working an angle to get herself alone. I couldn’t hear the words, I could barely see her lips moving, but I knew the result once she hurried across the street, the bell above the glass door chiming, signaling she’d come inside.
She skimmed the small room, her eyes quickly landing on mine. I could tell she was trying to fight her smile. She was flattered I was here and didn’t want to admit it. But as she walked over to my table, she gave in, and one hell of a grin covered her face as she took the seat across from me.
“Hello, gorgeous.”
“What are you doing here?” She glanced at the small high top, holding the end of her braid. “And what is all this?”
I lifted my coffee and held it near my chest. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to get you alone while you were at work, especially with Maya there. So I had to create my own alone time. And this”—I nodded toward the table—“is every dessert the coffee shop makes. Aside from strawberry cupcakes, I had no idea what your favorite is.”
“So you ordered everything?” She laughed.
It was my turn to hide a smile. “It isn’t that much.”
“There’s enough dessert here for my entire wing.”
This was the only available table, and I’d had to overlap most of the desserts just so they’d fit. There were probably twenty total, ranging from cinnamon buns to doughnuts. There was even some kind of tart thing that I would fucking hate, but maybe she’d dig it.
“You can box up whatever you don’t eat and take it to the nurses. I’m sure they’ll love something sweet.”
She sucked her lips in as she inventoried the buffet. “And I’m just supposed to tell Maya that an urge came over me and I bought the entire dessert-display case?”
I took a drink of my coffee and set it back down. “You said you like to give gifts, didn’t you?”
Her eyes narrowed. “You remember ...”
