And he had to remind himself that he couldn’t keep asking questions all the time because that would make her do it to him when he didn’t know how much of his life he wanted to expose.
He did what he always did and cracked a joke. “So what spice is that? Something you’re going to add to an experiment?”
“I think I might. Maybe I’ll call it sexy buns.”
He rolled his eyes. “Hot buns with dinner, or sweet buns, like a dessert?”
“Which is it you want?” she asked, her voice gone husky. This happened a lot too. Sexy flirting or texts that were just testing his control and making him wonder why he was holding out when he’d already had a taste of her.
He knew why. He didn’t want to say or do anything to see that hurt look in her eyes again. He was trying not to be the douche that she would want to ditch.
He was trying to be a man who maybe she wanted to learn more about.
Yet didn’t he keep telling himself he didn’t want to let anyone know about his past?
He was more confused about Molly than anything else he’d ever been in his life.
“I’d take both from you,” he said.
“Then maybe I’ll just have to have some as a surprise the next time we are together.”
“Monday,” he said. “It seems to be our standing date.”
Which slipped out easier than he thought it would when he just said he had to figure out his schedule.
“Maybe I’ll take Monday off of work and we can spend the day together. What do you think?”
“I think I’d like that.”
Because then he wouldn’t have to say much at all. She was working with him.
He’d drop off Jonah to Pre-K and have six hours with Molly without Carly being the wiser.
“Then that is what I’ll do. Now I’ll really let you go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye,” he said and hung up, looking forward to the next time he could see her and hoping he could wait five more days.
He was right, the anticipation was half the fun.
21
PRESSURE AND RESPONSIBILITY
Saturday morning, Dean showed up at Molly’s doorstep. He hadn’t even told her he was coming and wanted to surprise her.
Why? Because the anticipation was so great and he didn’t even think he could wait another two days.
Carly was taking Jonah to Lake George for the day and as much as he would have loved to have done it, he just couldn’t. It was too busy and his son understood.
So with them out the door early, there was no reason to sit around when he could see if she was home before he left for work himself.
He knocked once, heard the noise behind the door, then it was whipped open fast. “Dean! What are you doing here?”
“I thought I’d surprise you. I brought you something too.”
“What?” she asked.
He pulled the small box out from behind his back of Krause chocolates. She’d said she chocolate binged when she was frustrated.
