“This is a terrible idea,” I muttered.
Still walked inside anyway.
The bell above the door chimed softly.
Tessa stood behind the counter arranging pale pink roses into a tall glass vase. Her curls were piled loosely on top of her head today, a few stubborn strands falling around her face.
She glanced up.
And there it was again.
That tiny flicker in her eyes before she smoothed it away.
“You’re becoming a regular problem,” she said.
I grinned slowly. “That almost sounded affectionate.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Worth a shot.”
I crossed the shop and set the paper bag carefully onto the counter between us.
Her gaze dropped to it immediately.
Suspicion narrowed her eyes. “What’s that?”
“Bribery.”
“Told you before, I’m not interested.”
“Good thing the muffin is.”
That earned me the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth.
Barely there.
Still a win.
Tessa sighed softly like I was exhausting her already, then reached for the bag with cautious fingers.
Like touching it might mean something.
Maybe it did.
She folded the top open and went still.
Blueberry muffin.
Her favorite.
The shop suddenly felt quieter.
“You’ve been asking around, or did you all notice I always picked the blueberry muffins,” she said without looking up.
“Small town,” I said lightly. “People talk.”
Her eyes lifted sharply to mine. “That’s not charming, Ace.”
