Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80892 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 404(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“At least you’re good at it,” he interrupted, laughing. “Did you see the arrangement I was trying to make this afternoon?”
I smirked. I had seen it. Or I’d seen something that might have generously been called an arrangement sitting on the workbench.
Everyone had to start somewhere, though, and it was encouraging enough to me that Brady was making a legitimate effort. That counted for a lot, in my opinion.
“You’re learning,” I said. “That’s the important part. But I’m glad you like it. I knew you would, if you just gave it a chance.”
And just like that, the mood had lifted.
I didn’t want to gloat too much about Brady’s change of heart. I didn’t want to jinx the situation, after all. But it was definitely a good sign that he was taking more of an interest in the shop.
Maybe Naomi’s plan to make Brady fall in love with the place would work, after all.
Luckily, I was saved by the waitress coming to take our order before I could say anything about work that would make Brady question my motives.
Not that my motives were bad, and I would definitely stand by the little plan Naomi and I had come up with if it ever came up, but… again, probably not the best conversation to have on a first date.
But at least we were talking, and it seemed like we were both less nervous than we’d been when we sat down, so that was something.
When it was time for me to order, Brady looked up from his menu and smiled. His eyes sparkled in a way that made me forget about everything else, as if we were the only two people in the room, and as if I was the only thing that mattered.
And that was something, too.
Chapter Thirty - Joanne
Somehow, even though Friday night had taken forever to get there, and even though Brady and I had spent the entire evening together, it had all gone by way too quickly.
We’d talked and laughed all through dinner, then had stayed for some of the most amazing tiramisu I had ever tasted.
Then there was the movie—a rom-com that I had to give Brady credit for sitting through. I seriously hadn’t expected the big, burly former football player to even agree to watching it, but when it had turned out to be even a little too cheesy and sappy for me? Yeah, I was going to have to make that up to him sometime.
To his credit, though, Brady hadn’t complained at all. In fact, I wondered if he had even stopped smiling through the whole movie—and not because he was enjoying the acting.
There had just been this feeling, this warmth between us, a chemistry that had been so intense that I might have thought I was imagining it if he hadn’t kept shooting me that big, goofy grin.
So even after spending all day at work together, then all evening on a date, when Brady had offered to make me a cup of coffee back at his apartment, the words yes, please were out of my mouth before I could even think.
“I don’t normally have coffee this late,” Brady said, getting out and walking around to open the passenger door of his pickup. “But it’s cold out, and I just… wasn’t ready to say good night.”
I grinned. “Those are good enough reasons for me.”
More than good enough, those were perfect reasons.
I was pretty sure that my crush on Brady hadn’t been totally one-sided, but to have it pretty much confirmed?
Yeah, that felt good.
And when Brady’s hand found the small of my back and sort of rested there, guiding me to the door?
That felt even better.
The short walk from the truck through the shop and up the stairs to Brady’s apartment had felt like heaven, like walking on a cloud. With his guiding hand and his big, solid body so close, it was almost intoxicating. I didn’t want that closeness to end. So, I had to suppress a needy sigh when we were finally standing in front of his door and he had to move his hands away to unlock the deadbolt.
It was ridiculous, really, that I was letting myself go there, letting myself want someone so much after so little time together. But I couldn’t deny it, and it felt so good—so nice—that I didn’t even want to try and pretend that I wasn’t falling head-over-heels for the quiet, brooding, drop-dead-sexy man in front of me.
Brady led me inside, then turned to face me, wrapping those big, muscled arms around my smaller frame and pulling me close.
My breath hitched in my throat as my body molded against his, as if it had been made for no other purpose.
“I’m really glad you came out with me tonight,” he said, his voice low and thick with desire. “I really needed the break from… everything.”