Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55667 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 278(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“Sure, you can give me your number,” I concede.
Larissa’s eyes light up and she pushes a Sharpie and a piece of paper toward me. Sidney recites his number and I repeat it to him.
“I gotta go. The police finally arrived. I hope I hear from you. Have a good day, Skye.” The sirens in the background prove he’s telling the truth about the accident.
He ends the call and I pass the phone back to Larissa. “Thanks. Sorry about that. I was supposed to meet someone here, but I didn’t have his number,” I explain.
Larissa’s eyes light up. “Was that the hottie business guy who was in here last week?”
“Yeah, do you know anything about him?”
“He comes in once or twice a week. Always dressed in a suit and super polite.”
“That’s good. Thanks again, Larissa. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I leave the café and return to work, not quite so dejected now that I have his number.
Once I’m back in my office, I check my messages. I have two from Violet asking for an update.
Mom: It didn’t work out. I’ll fill you in at dinner.
Violet: 🙁
Mom: It’s fine. Have a meeting, chat later. xo
“So what the heck happened? Does he dress up as a clown on the weekends or something?” Violet asks as she slices carrots into coins.
I snort. “No. He witnessed a car accident and stuck around so he could give a statement to the police. He called the café, so I’d know he didn’t stand me up.”
Violet puts her hand to her chest. “Oh, I like him already.”
“It was definitely the polite thing to do. And I have his number now.” I dredge the chicken through the breading and place the strip on the pan. We’re having chicken fingers and fries for dinner, which is a step up from the Pop Tarts Violet suggested. She would eat gummy bears for breakfast if I let her. In her defense, I can’t burn those.
Her eyes light up. “Did you get a last name?”
“I didn’t. It was a rushed conversation.”
“But now you have his number.” She pops a carrot coin in her mouth.
“That’s right.”
She transfers the rest of the carrots into a Corningware pan and drizzles it with olive oil, brown sugar and fresh thyme. “Have you messaged him?”
“Not yet, no.”
“Okay, good. I say you wait until tomorrow night to message, just to keep him on his toes. You can open with a question about the accident and if everything worked out. Then let him broach the subject of another date.” She sprinkles some salt on the carrots and slides the dish into the oven. “How long should these cook for?”
“You can set the timer for twenty minutes.” I finish the chicken and put it beside the carrots. “It’s a little hilarious that I’m getting dating advice from my teenage daughter.”
“High school is the mecca of dating nonsense. And you can get his last name by telling him you want to add it to his contact, then we can go on a recon mission and find out more stuff about him. Unless his name is something like Smith, then it’ll be tougher, but I do love a challenge.”
CHAPTER THREE
TAKE A CHANCE ON ME
Skye
I do not need another coffee, but here I am, entering the café at eleven-thirty-seven the following day. And there he is, sitting at a table by the window with a perfect view of the door and me.
He pushes back his chair, a wry smile gracing his full, luscious lips. I head for him instead of the counter. He tucks a casual hand into his pants pocket. Today he’s dressed in a dark gray suit, white button down and a bright blue tie that matches his eyes.
“Let me guess, you were in the area.” Obviously, I’m being tongue in cheek.
His gaze moves over me on a slow sweep, and he shakes his head. “I made a detour, hoping I’d run into you. I’m sorry about yesterday. The last thing I wanted was to stand you up, but I couldn’t leave the scene without reporting what I witnessed.”
“Was everyone okay?”
“Yeah, but a teen rear-ended an elderly lady. I guess he was paying more attention to his cell phone than he was the road. She was pretty shaken up.”
“Poor thing. That was good of you to hang around.” The flutter in my chest drops to my stomach and then lower, to my excitable parts. Hot men who help little old ladies are apparently a real turn on.
“Just trying to do the right thing, but gotta be honest, it was a tough choice knowing it could mean blowing my shot with you.” He runs a hand through his thick hair, his expression chagrined. “And now I’m hoping you might have a little time for that coffee?”
“I can stay for a bit.”
Larissa calls my name and holds up a cup, eyebrows rising as her lips tip upward.