EIGHT
AXEL
“I would love it if you texted me!”
I grinned, thinking back to Stella’s comment and how she had been so delighted at my invitation.
I had been a bit nervous as to what her response would be since she said she never really got out much, but I was happy to see how excited she was.
She had mentioned multiple times when talking about Doucet that she didn’t have time for dating and wasn’t interested, so I was careful not to make this sound like a date. I wanted it to be, but I needed to see how she felt first before I proceeded. I didn’t want to scare her off.
Several times when she had visited me at the bar, she had given me vibes that she was interested, but then I always thought back to her comments about Doucet, so I held back on asking her out. This curling event seemed like the perfect testing ground.
Anna had texted me that morning to see if I wanted to join her and Archer for a laid-back beginner’s class on Sunday. That’s when the idea had popped into my mind to ask Stella if she would want to join.
I had been meeting with a client about some cybersecurity measures and had decided to swing by Scandinavian Sweets on my way back to the office.
It wasn’t too far out of my way, but it wasn’t that close either. Still, I felt this pull to Stella and had decided to stop by and ask if she’d like to go curling with me.
Yes, I could have just texted her and asked, but I’d really wanted to do it in person. Plus, my meeting had been so close—sort of—that it made perfect sense.
As soon as I walked Stella safely back to her bakery, I got in my car and texted Anna.
Me: I invited Stella to come to curling Sunday. Is that okay?
Anna: Yes! OMG! Why didn’t I think of that!
Me: Okay. Let me know what time it is so I can let her know.
Anna: You got it. We should all grab a bite to eat afterward at the place across the street.
Me: I like that idea.
I made my way back to the office with a grin on my face, thinking ahead to this weekend. I’d been thinking about Stella a lot lately—and not just about her stalker.
I’d thought about how gorgeous her smile was, how soft her hair looked, how kissable her lips appeared. I thought about that last one a lot.
I spent most of my drive thinking of those things plus how much fun it would be to teach Stella curling. I was also looking forward to going out afterward.
I had spent time with her when she came to visit me at the Watering Hole, but I was technically working, so I wasn’t able to really focus on her the entire time like I had wanted to.
I parked my car and walked back into the front lobby of our office, where I was promptly greeted by Ruthie.
“Where did you run off to?”
“I went to the bakery to talk with Stella,” I told her.
“Axel, what the hell is wrong with you?” Ruthie threw up her hands, clearly upset, which confused me.
I stared blankly at her. “Nothing is wrong with me. I feel just fine.”
“Ugh.” Ruthie sighed dramatically. “I meant, how could you go to Stella’s bakery and not bring anything back for the rest of us?”
“Be careful, Axel,” Jack said as he entered the room from the back stairwell. “One of the deadliest mammals on the planet is a pregnant woman who doesn’t get the food she wants.”
I was pretty sure he meant that as a joke, because he often did that to goad her, but again, I wasn’t entirely sure, and Ruthie’s groan in response didn’t help.
I raised my eyebrow at Ruthie because she was very good about clarifying things like this for me.
