Indigo just shrugs. “Listen, Sarah’s a beautiful, smart woman, and your relationship ended a long time ago, but you’re my friend. So, I’m asking if there’s anything there between you two before I ask her out on a date.”
“I respect you asking.” I purse my lips, staring at my half-eaten scone. “Yeah, there’s something there. She’s spent more time in my house than hers lately.”
I glance up to find Indigo grinning at me. “Good for you, man. Good for you.” His eyes dart to the door, and he nods. “Looks like my appointment just arrived.”
“I’ll leave you to it. Have a good day.”
I rap my knuckles on the table and then walk away with my coffee and nibble the scone as I pass by a tall brunette that’s all smiles for Indigo.
It shouldn’t surprise me that someone would find Sarah attractive and want to ask her out. Sheisamazing.
Hell, she’severything.
I glance across the street, and it’s as though I’ve conjured her out of my thoughts.
Sarah is backing out of the doorway of Books on the Bay, a stack of books in all shapes and sizes in her arms. She has a tote bag slung over her shoulder, and a bouquet of flowers peeks out of the top of it.
She looks like she’s in a hurry. Her sunglasses slide down her nose, and she blows at them, as if the force will slide them back up again.
“Are you the heroine in a rom-com?”
She jumps, startled, and yells, “Shit!”
All the books fall to the ground in a jumbled heap, and Sarah stares down at them pitifully.
“Oops.” I cringe and bend to pick them up, just as she does, and we knock heads. “I think we reallyarein a movie.”
“Ouch.” She rubs her head as I squat and pick up the books.
“This is quite the eclectic collection,” I say as I pick up each book, one by one. “Art, romance, horror. There’s even a book on how to knit.”
“I like all kinds of books,” she informs me, and when I stand, she’s smiling at me. “I’m going to have a bump on my head.”
“Nah, we didn’t hit that hard.” But I lean in and kiss where she’s rubbing with her fingertips. “What are you up to, pretty girl?”
“Errands,” she replies and falls into step beside me. “I have an hour before I have to be at work. I won’t be able to come over this evening, by the way. I’m working late. Angela had to switch with me again so she could take her son to the doctor this afternoon. Poor thing is really sick.”
“It’s fine,” I assure her. “Although, I’ll miss you tonight. What can I do to help?”
She smiles up at me and bats her eyelashes. “Will you take these books home for me? That way, I don’t have to haul them all over town today.”
“You bet.”
“Will you also check on Petunia? I feel like I’ve been ignoring her a lot, since I’m not there much between work and being at your place.”
“Just bring her to my house,” I say before I can hold back the words. “She’s happier there anyway, with her view of the ocean. She’s the queen, and we’re merely her subjects.”
“Oh, I don’t think—”
“How about this? I’ll get a litter box and some food bowls, and she can just come back and forth with you. Is that okay?”
“Yeah.” A slow smile spreads over her mouth. “Yeah, that would be awesome. We’d like that.”
To my surprise, she pushes up onto her toes and presses her lips to mine in a kiss that isn’t chaste, but also isn’t indecent.
It’s a sweet, familiar kiss that makes it clear to anyone watching that we’retogether.
And I’m just fine with that.