Page 17 of Born to Make You Smile

Another forkful of cake was suddenly smeared on my left cheek.

Oh my God.What was he doing? Was he a child? In all the years I’d known Gavin, he’d never acted this way—so silly and playful. Sure, we joked around, but not like this. It was almost, dare I say,flirtatious.

“Gavin...” I said, annoyed, followed by a small giggle.

He chuckled, then wiped the icing off my cheek with a towel. “All clean. But please, I'll take care of the rest of the kitchen.”

“I’m almost done...”

“Wait, one more bite.”

I was hesitant that he’d put it all over my face again, but then he put the bite of cake in front of me. I opened my mouth, but he moved the fork away.

“Aha! Too slow,” he said, slipping the cake into his own mouth instead.

I flashed him a stern glance while he put another piece on the fork and held it out to me again.

“Okay, here, this one is yours.” He moved it close enough to touch my lips, leaving some icing on them, then moved it back again.

Seriously now?

I grabbed his wrist with my wet hand and moved the fork toward my mouth.

“Gotcha,” I said before slipping my lips over the cake, my eyes fixed on his, trying not to focus on the minor fact that he’d just had the same fork in his mouth.

With a stiff clearing of his throat, he hastily placed the fork down, then wiped his wet wrist with the tea towel.

“Okay, finish those, then please go home and rest,” he said.

“You should go rest too,” I pointed out. “You have three root canals tomorrow.”

We typically referred patients out for endodontic procedures, but if the case wasn’t too complicated, Gavin took care of it despite not being his favorite. To be honest, they were so tedious I really didn’t enjoy them either.

“Three?” Gavin groaned but then broke into a smile. “At least you’ll be there by my side. You make even the most dreadful situations more delightful, love.”

He moved behind me and put a hand over my right shoulder, the warmth of his fingers like a shock of lightning on my bare skin, striking me where I dreaded it most. The touch of another man had never induced a sensation that powerful in me before. These feelings were foreign and alarming. Scary.

Must. Wash. Dishes.

I scrubbed a tray furiously as if it were my mission.

SEVEN

“What a beautiful day,”remarked Tina, squinting as I helped her place a white cloth on one of the tables she had set up in her backyard.

It was the last Sunday in August, a hot and sunny afternoon. The perfect day for our annual workplace barbecue. Every year at the end of summer, Tina and I organized a small gathering with everyone from work and their families. While hesitant at first, I decided to bring Ethan along. When I invited him, he was very enthusiastic about joining me. Refreshingly so.

The two of us arrived early to help Tina set up. Ethan immediately made himself useful, playing around with the chemicals and temperature of the pool. He grew up with a pool, so he knew exactly what to do.

Within the hour, plenty of laughter and chatter spread through the warm air as people trickled in.

The distinct roar of an engine sent my pulse into a tizzy. The sound of Gavin’s car was unmistakable.

Over the weeks, as I spent more time with Ethan, those strange feelings for Gavin had thankfully leveled off. They’d merely been a temporary misaligned blip. Such a relief. The last thing I wanted was for anything to affect my close relationship with Gavin or his daughters. My job.

I waved excitedly as Gavin strolled in with the girls. Michelle and Hunter followed, the boy clinging closely to his mother, who had a set of floaties and a large Spider-Man beach towel in her grasp. Michelle looked prim and elegant, dressed in a floral print dress, an oversized sun hat, and designer sunglasses on her face. Her drop earrings sparkled in the sun. Most definitely real diamonds.

I scurried up to them to say hello. The searing sun beat on my sunscreen-laden back and the blue maxi dress I was wearing. Charlotte and Mackenzie ran off toward the pool, removing, then draping their clothing and towels on a lounge chair. They already had their swimsuits on and joined Ethan and Tina’s children, who were in the water. A flash of concern hit me as I wondered if they had on sunscreen.

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