Page 63 of Second Time Around

“Beck…”

“Please. I made all this food and dessert. I want you to stay.”

She looked him in the eyes and swallowed hard. It was a good thing she’d put some distance between them; otherwise, she might have been tempted to lean in and kiss his frown away. Alone in this house and away from the curious stares of family, friends, and coworkers, she was acutely aware of how intimate this was. The solid warmth of his hand over hers was both comforting and intoxicating, and she began to relax.

“You’re right. I’d hate to see all this food go to waste,” she said.

He smiled and pulled his hand away. “Great. Let’s eat!”

Crisis averted, she dished some food onto her plate and inhaled the enticing aromas. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she took the first bite of barbequed chicken.

“Mmmm,” she said in a long moan.

“Good?”

“Excellent.”

He zoned in on her lips, which were probably covered in barbeque sauce.

“Will you pass a napkin, please?”

He pulled one out of the holder, but instead of handing it to her, he dabbed the sauce off her mouth for her. The move caught her off guard, and she simply stared at him like she’d never seen him before. She’d forgotten how gentle and caring he could be, although he was obviously doing his best to remind her.

“I ruined your lipstick,” he said softly.

“I shouldn’t have worn it.”

“I liked that you did.”

She shook her head to break the spell that threatened to pull her under. Then she picked up her spoon and scooped up some mashed potatoes.

“So, how was work today?” he asked, breaking the spell.

She shrugged. “The usual. I cut, colored, styled, and listened to my clients’ stories. I’m kind of like a bartender but with scissors.”

He laughed. “I bet you hear all kinds of interesting things.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Can you share one? Without naming names, of course.”

If he was trying to make her feel more relaxed, it was working. “Okay. One of my clients, we’ll call her Myrtle—”

“Myrtle! How’d you come up with that name?”

“What do you want her name to be?” she huffed.

“It depends. Is this a sexy story?”

Her eyes went wide. “How’d you know?”

“Just a lucky guess.”

She rolled her eyes. “What do you consider a sexy name?”

“Hmm. How about…Lacy?”

“Fine. So, Lacy was flying from Michigan to California for a job interview.”