“This is Joanne and Ricky,” Caroline said, introducing me to her friends, who were bright-eyed with interest. “Guys, meet Sadie. She’s married to Gideon, but she’s okay.”
I laughed as I sat down in the stool Gideon pulled out for me, then watched him grab an unused one from beside the bar. Instead of sitting to my left, he circled around and slid the stool on my right. Then he angled his body so his scars faced the wall and his right side faced the table, legs bracketing my stool. Always trying to hide himself. He moved stiffly, andI wondered if it was discomfort at being in public or just his back being sore from weeks of sleeping on a busted old couch.
My eyes narrowed and flicked between him and Caroline. “I want to know what that matcha comment meant.”
“He hasn’t told you, huh?” Caroline asked. “Typical.”
“What hasn’t he told me?” I was starting to get worried. I loved those matcha lattes. Was something wrong with them?
“It’s nothing,” Gideon said.
“It’s the only reason I’m allowing you to sit at this table,” Caroline proclaimed, “so you might as well tell her.”
“Nothing to tell,” Gideon replied.
Caroline looked down her nose at him, then turned to me. “He buys the matcha and the almond milk and the sugar syrup for your lattes. Bought the bowl and whisk and everything.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Loath as I am to admit it,” Caroline continued archly, putting her hand to her chest, “it’s nice. More than I would expect from a Mars.”
I looked at Gideon, who was busy staring at a spot on the wall behind me. “Gideon?”
His gaze slid down to meet mine. “What?”
“Is that true? You bought everything she needed to make my favorite drink?”
His jaw hardened. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” I answered, laughing unsteadily, which was a lie. It was ahugeproblem. It was the most romantic, incredible, thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me. It waswonderful. It made me want to jump into Gideon’s lap and kiss him until we both passed out from lack of air. It made me wantto bat my eyelashes and smile like a simpering fool, because I was dive-bombing into love with him.
He frowned at me. “It’s just a hot drink.”
I narrowed my eyes right back at him, then lifted my index finger and poked his chest. “You,” I said slowly, “like me.”
I could feel Caroline’s and her friends’ gazes prickling on the side of my face, and I didn’t care. All my attention was caught by the flash in Gideon’s blue eyes, the challenge in his arched brow. “I like you?”
“You like me!”
“Did you think he didn’t like you?” Caroline asked, sounding like I’d just admitted that I didn’t know grass was green.
“Yes, I thought he didn’t like me!” I cried, turning to stare at her.
“You thought I didn’tlikeyou?” Gideon repeated, incredulous.
I felt like I was going cuckoo. “You deny it?”
“Of course I fucking deny it!”
“This is better than my favorite trash TV show,” Joanne muttered, and Caroline said, “Right?”
“I’m getting a drink. What do you want?” Gideon said, pushing himself to his feet and glaring at me. But I wasn’t offended. I was staring at him like I’d never seen him before. He arched his brows at me, waiting.
I beamed. “I’ll have an old fashioned with an extra orange twist.”
“This is Marswood Harbor,” Gideon reminded me.
“Right. I’ll have a beer.”
