“Stop acting all helpful. I can see you laughing at the fool I made of myself.”
“I’m happy that Bradley didn’t get the chance to be the total wolf he is.”
Lacy rolls her eyes at my comment, but I’m pretty sure that Bradley’s pride will keep him from asking her out again after she fell asleep on him like she did. Thank goodness. I wouldn’t be able to sit by for another date. Last night about killed me. It took everything I had not to show up at the movie theater.
“The bulletin board isn’t a bad idea though,” Lacy muses.
I go into her office with her, where she has a standing desk, and I help her design the flyer. I stand close behind her, breathing in her scent and wanting so much to slide her hair away from her shoulder so that I can plant a few kisses and nibbles at the curve of her neck.
We laugh and joke as we finish designing the flyer and both reach for the mouse at the same time. My hand covers hers, and by the way she freezes up, I can tell that she feels that same magical heat we always felt when we kissed or touched.
“Lacy.” I breathe out her name.
She clicks the printer and gets the flyers printing up. “I’d better go hang these while there’s still daylight in which to do it.”12LacyThat was close. I was so close to forgetting how dangerous Trent is to me. I can’t get over him again. I just can’t.
“Thanks for helping me make these,” I say with the stack of flyers in my hands.
“The job is only half done. I’ll help you get them put up around town.”
“No!” I say, alarmed. In a softer voice, I tell him, “I can get it done while I’m in town. No big deal.” I need some space. I need to distance myself from him.
But the smirk on Trent’s face tells me that he knows he’s affecting me. He knows, and he’s happy about it.
“No. I want to help,” he says. And no matter how hard I try to talk him out of it, he won’t hear of it. “There are plenty of bulletin boards outside stores and in offices that won’t let you hang them without someone there to vouch for you that it’s a legit job offer. You’ve been gone awhile, Lacy. Having a local with you will help speed the process.”
Reluctantly, I agree. I know he’s right. The town has grown a lot in the last few years. And there are a lot of new businesses. I recall the Picture in the Park, and there were a lot of familiar faces, but so many faces that I didn’t recognize. Have I really been gone that long?
I decide not to fight him on it. Surely, since we’ll be out in public together, I’m confident I can avoid another sensually stimulating encounter with Trent.
Once we’re downtown, I stop in at Patty Cake’s and spend quite a bit of time catching up with Patty. She reminds me that Carrie is moving back and is taking a job at the bakery. “I’m hoping she’ll take it over eventually.”
“I’m sure she would love that. She always loved this place, Patty. We all did. I can’t wait to see her.”
Patty just smiles at me and hands me a box of donuts before making me promise not to be a stranger.
I meet Trent outside, and he moans as soon as he sees the box. “Patty hooked you up, huh?” He’s already reaching for the sugary confections.
“Uh-uh, mister. Work then sustenance,” I tell him, holding the box away.
But he gives me one sad puppy dog look with his blue eyes, and I hand him the whole box, proving to myself that I have no chill when it comes to Trent Keller.
We have a great time hanging the flyers around town, and I even run into some old friends. It’s a blast being with Trent, and at the end of the outing when he walks me back up to my front door, I find myself hoping that he’ll kiss me.TrentShe’s so beautiful.
More than anything I want to pull her into my arms and kiss her, hold her and say all the things I’ve been wanting to say and haven’t found the chance.
It has been a perfect afternoon. After waking up this morning and dreading to hear about how her date went, the day has actually turned out pretty phenomenal. Any day I get to spend with Lacy is a good one, though.
If she only knew how painful it was for me pushing her away the way I did. I’ve never fully recovered. The only reason I’d been able to muster the will to do it was because I believed it was the only way that Lacy could truly be happy. If not, then she wouldn’t have been talking about the city all the time.