8
Faith rolleda scoop of carrot cake flavored ice cream—one of her personal favorites—into a cone and handed it to a pretty blonde with an English accent. “Here you go. I hope you enjoy it. Have a lovely day.”
“I’m sure I will,” she replied. “Thank you so much.” Then she and her friend—who’d ordered chili chocolate and coconut—wandered out into the sun, and the next customer stepped forward.
“Hi, beautiful,” Faith said to the little girl who had to stand on tiptoes to see into the freezer. “What can I get for you?”
“Ummm....” The girl scanned the options like it was the hardest decision she’d made in her life. A fact Faith adored. She loved to think her ice creams were so tempting that people struggled to choose between them. “Strawberry crumble, please.”
Faith winked. “Good choice.” She rolled the ice cream into a kid-size cone and offered it to her. “Come back later and you can try another.”
She smiled shyly. “I will.”
Behind the queue, the door opened, and Faith’s heart jumped for joy when Shane sauntered in with one hand stuffed in a pocket and the other rifling through his messy brown hair. He wore a vest over a pale-blue shirt, which meant he must have walked here during his lunch break. He met her gaze and she grinned, barely resisting the urge to lick her lips. He was easily as delicious as anything in the cabinet.
“Do you see what I see?” Megan murmured in her ear. Her business partner was manning the till while Faith dispersed ice cream like a champ. “Think he’s here for you?”
“I’m not sure, but I’d like to find out.”
Megan nodded. “Once we’ve finished with this lot, I can handle things while you talk to him.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Faith held up two fingers to Shane, indicating she’d be with him soon, then returned to her customers and tried to pretend she wasn’t wholly focused on his sexy presence lingering at the back of the shop. Once she’d worked through the backlog, she washed her hands and left Megan in charge.
“Hey, hot stuff.” Taking Shane by the elbow, she led him outside, where she was less likely to be called on to help at the counter.
His cheeks pinkened, the way they always did when she used endearments. Her insides twisted in response. Did he have to be so dang adorable?
“Hi, Faith.” He smiled, and she let herself enjoy a Shane Walker appreciation moment. “I wanted to check on you after yesterday and make sure you’re okay.”
Despite the reminder of Mason and memories she’d rather forget, his concern made her silly heart gallop. He’d been worried enough to come and see her? That meant something.
“It’s sweet of you to drop by,” she said. “I’m okay. Cross my heart. I just wasn’t feeling like myself yesterday.”
“I could tell.” His brows drew together. “I was concerned about you.”
Aww.
“Thanks, but you don’t need to be.” She pointed to her smile. “See? Everything is good over here.”
“I’m glad.” His expression softened, and his eyes held hers. They were like pools of melted chocolate, and she could have stared into them forever. But then he brushed a loose hair from her forehead, his fingers caressing her skin, and a jolt passed through her. She yearned to rub her face into his palm like a cat. He curved his hand around her cheek and stepped closer. Her breath hitched. Was he actually going to do this? After years of crushing on him from a distance, was Shane Walker finally going to kiss her?
“Shane?”
“Shh,” he murmured, smoothing his thumb beneath her bottom lip. He leaned forward, and her world imploded. His lips were soft on hers, and they moved slowly at first. When she didn’t pull away, he bundled her closer, and his body felt wonderful. She grabbed his collar—something she’d always wanted to do—and touched her tongue to his lips. He shuddered. His lips parted and the kiss deepened. Oh Lord, the man could kiss. He might be out of practice, but she’d never know it from the way her legs liquefied, and she had to rely on him to hold her up. She opened her eyes, wanting to see him. His were closed, his dark lashes fanning out over his cheeks. So gorgeous.
Oh, man. She was in trouble.
Behind them, a throat cleared. She ignored it, clinging to him like the heroine of her favorite TV soap opera. Alas, Shane did not seem willing to play into her fantasy. He drew back, wiped a smudge of lipstick from the side of his mouth, then looked over her shoulder.
“Uh, hi. Nice to see you.”
“Well, I never.”
Faith cringed. She recognized that voice too well. It was her mother’s. Just when she was finally getting close to Shane. She turned and found herself the recipient of wide-eyed stares from her parents and Leon.
“Have you come for ice cream?” she asked, trying to cover the awkwardness. Meanwhile, her mind was racing. Was their presence a coincidence, or had Shane only kissed her to maintain their cover? Even though it would complicate things, she hoped for the former. The alternative was too mortifying, considering how she’d reacted.
Katherine cleared her throat again. “Actually, we came to see if you’re free for lunch.”