Page 46 of The Sweet Spot

“I’m impressed you like to read.”

“I prefer it to relax. While the guys like to play card games on the plane, I’d rather read and sleep. And as a kid, it was a great escape.”

Why did that not surprise me? And why did I think there was more of a story there?

We’d spent so much time in Frannie’s that we only hit one more place before going for lunch. This place was called Angie’s Attic. Once again, Brandon beelined for the books. I hit up the men’s section this time and found him a vintage Kodiaks T-shirt. I quickly googled it to find that it came from the late 1980s. I checked it over, and it was in great condition, and Iwas pretty sure it would fit him. I also found an MTV T-shirt as well as a Wheaties shirt. Angie’s was turning out to be great for vintage stuff.

I marched over to him and showed him the shirts. He looked them over and nodded.

“Would you wear them?”

“I was never into MTV. But I’d wear the other two.”

Proud of myself, I then hit the women’s section and found some cool vintage shirts of my own. The white Blondie T-shirt was a must, and I couldn’t leave without the Hubba Bubba shirt. How much of that gum had I chewed as a kid? I treated him to the shirts and books he’d found, and put it all in my jute reusable bag. Now it was time to hit lunch.

He suggested I pick the place, so I chose Radicchio, an Italian restaurant near his condo that I’d wanted to try. I’d been surviving on adrenaline the whole day, and now my lack of sleep was catching up to me. I hated that I kept yawning through lunch, and that was when I explained it all to him. How I hadn’t slept, that I’d been thinking about things the entire night. He didn’t chastise me or tell me I was silly for doing that. Instead, he listened, and when lunch was over, he came up with a plan.

“Why don’t I drop you off at home? You get some rest, and we can do something later tonight, if you want.”

Of course, I wanted to, but I had to play it cool. “Yes, that’s a good idea. We can hang out tonight. I’ll be by before dinner and whip up something.”

“I could probably fend for myself,” he said.

“I know, but that’s part of my job.”

He dropped me off at the condo and like usual, walked me to the door. He clasped my hand before I went inside and swept me into a kiss. I sighed when it came to an end.

“See you later,” he said.

I watched him get into the car and waved as he drove away. Dammit, I was going to fall in love with him.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Wolseley

Before taking my much-needed nap, I threw the new-old clothes in the washing machine, including the ones I’d bought for Brandon. Sometimes thrift stores washed the clothes they received, and sometimes they didn’t, and since I didn’t know and didn’t want to take any chances, they went into the washer. I then hit my bed and passed out within minutes.

My ninety-minute nap was more than enough to reinvigorate me, and while I showered and got ready to head over to Brandon’s, I threw the clothes in the dryer. How much did I love that Tangi and Ethan’s place had an en-suite laundry? Brandon’s did, too, and based on what I thought their condos were worth, it only made sense. Although, for some reason, Brandon didn’t own his. I wondered why he hadn’t put roots down yet.

With our laundered new clothes, I headed over to Brandon’s via an Uber. I had to figure out better transportation, but that would come eventually. I’d been on the job a few months without a ton of time off. And then it hit me. Thanksgivingwas right around the corner. While it wasn’t Thanksgiving for Brandon, it was for me, Jill, Tangi, and Ethan. It was less than three weeks away, and the Kodiaks would be in town for it. Hell, I’d invite Ryan and Delia too. We could have a nice little dinner party. I loved the idea.

“Hello,” I said to Brandon as I entered his place. There was so much lightness to my voice, as if a huge weight had been lifted. A nap and hanging out with a guy I’d just had a fun date with could do that for a girl. Brandon was sitting on his sofa, reading one of his new books, and he put it down and got up when I walked in. “I brought our new clothes. Fully washed. I think you should do a fashion show. I want to see what they look like on.”

“Only if you try yours,” he said with a sweet grin.

“Fine. But you first. I’m getting started on dinner for you and Ryan.”

I didn’t expect him to yank off the sweater he was wearing right there, but it got me to stop everything I was doing to watch. The man was a Greek god, all lean muscle and a six-pack. If I gawked anymore, I was going to start drooling. He threw on the Wheaties shirt, and all I wanted to do was take it off.

“It’s perfect,” I said with a clap.

He headed off to the bathroom to check himself out in the mirror, and I thought to quickly put on one of my T-shirts, but that would be me chickening out. I was the first to fight for women’s empowerment, but I was also supremely self-conscious about myself, especially because of the way he looked.

“Yup, I like it.”

He tried the vintage Kodiaks shirt next. It was a bit big on him, but he could pull it off.

“Your turn,” he said, looking pleased withhimself.

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