Page 23 of Resisting the Grump

I stared at him, overwhelmed by the pull of his undeniable power. Did he really think I was beautiful? And had I really done such a poor job of hiding my attraction to him?

“Say yes, and I promise I won’t try to sleep with you even if you beg.”

I scoffed, but the weight of his attention only increased.

“Not tonight anyway,” he said, answering my unspoken question. “I’m only a man, after all, as you so deftly observed.”

“Did you come all the way here just to ask me out?”

His eyes narrowed. “What do you think?” He took a sip of his soda, which he didn’t know existed until three minutes ago. And he was probably so used to getting free food everywhere he went, it seemed unlikely that he found the prospect of the loyalty card that enticing. As for the cake…

Every cell of my body was stretching towards him the way sunflowers ache towards the sun, but I could feel myself being manipulated by his charisma and movie star good looks. What about all those mean things he writes about innocent people trying to earn an honest living? Was there any chance a decent person would earn a living that way?

“What if I say no?” I asked, curious how his quick tongue would tackle the question.

He shrugged. “Then you’ll have to spend the rest of your life wondering if you were right about me or if blowing me off was the biggest mistake of your life.”

It was such an arrogant thing to say, but it wasn’t completely untrue. Plus, I liked his confidence. It was like kryptonite to me. “I can’t tonight.”

His eyes probed mine, making it hard for me to breathe. “Saturday then. I’ll take you to one of my favorite places.”

My chest tightened. He wasn’t asking.

“That way, even if you find my company foul, the meal will more than make up for it.”

The staring contest that followed made me believe tantric sex might actually be a thing.

“Say yes.”

“Yes.”

He smiled.

“Where do you want to meet?” I asked, assuming he had as much resistance to sharing his personal address with strangers as I did.

“There’s a record store on 5th and Palmetto—”

I nodded. “I know it.”

“The main entrance at seven?”

“Sure.”

“Great.” He picked up the cake box by the string with one hand and took a step back. “I’ll be the perfect gentleman,” he said, his eyes full of mischief. “So you shouldn’t have any trouble finding me.”

“Thanks for stopping by,” I said, staying rooted to my spot as he left, the air thinning as soon as the door closed behind him. And as the fog around me lifted and my heart rate slowed, I felt my whole body bloom.

Because I had a date. With a real man. A real man with a real job who wanted to take me out even though, as far as he knew, baking brownies was the only thing I was any good at. But he was in for the surprise of his life. Because if he liked me in my Barbie Bakes wardrobe, he was going to love me when I dressed to impress.

And as I cleaned the ridiculous mess at the front of the café, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

Oliver Harrington knows my name.

F O U R T E E N

- Oliver -

I dropped the pie-making kit off at the thrift store around the corner since it seemed like the perfect impulse buy for someone popping in for a pre-loved cardigan. And lo and behold, I found a fitting response for my rude neighbor on the bargain rack right beside the register.

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