Page 93 of One Touch

“Well, no, but—”

“Be still my beating heart. You know, I do actually remember a novel where the male character took the female character to buy a footstool for their first date.”

“Really?”

“No!”

“All right, fine.” I raised my palms. “Damn, I’ve been out of the dating game for too long.”

“You’ve got me questioning whether you were even ever in it.”

“Just watch out. If you fall in love with me while I choose the material for the couch’s upholstery, I’ll be very angry.”

Lily laughed. “Don’t worry. I don’t believe in love.” A twinkle appeared in her eye. “Anyway, if it did happen, it’d be a good story to tell the grandkids, right?”

I laughed back. A little too loudly.

***

The atmosphere after we dropped off Ava was interesting. It occurred to me, as I parked up my truck outside the furniture store, that Lily and I had spent almost no alone time together since she’d started as Ava’s nanny.

Sure, we’d had sex.

Very, very good sex.

But we’d avoided each other the rest of the time. It was like we were both too scared to admit that we might enjoy each other’s company when we weren’t in the process of swapping bodily fluids.

“Well, here we are. At the upholstery store,” I said, opening the door for her.

We’d brought my trusty Ford F-150 today, in the hopes of loading it up with a purchase. The truck was one of four vehicles I owned. Being a mechanic, I was able to buy vehicles that were near write-offs and restore them back to health. The charcoal gray Ford was a particular passion project of mine. Sure, it wasn’t showroom perfect, but it ran like a dream and had plenty of character.

“At the extremely unromantic upholstery store.” Her long legs left the truck first, and I definitely didn’t check them out. I was simply admiring the jungle-themed playsuit she was wearing today. It was quirky and bohemian and not at all driving me wild with animal attraction.

“It’s got a silly name. It can’t be romantic with a name like that.”

“Hung, Drawn, and Altered,” she read on the sign. Then, she read the tagline underneath: “It’s curtains for undressed windows.”

“You know, as a dad, I actually find that kind of wordplay to be the height of comedy.”

“I can tell.”

“One day, if I work hard, I’ll come up with something as funny as ‘It’s curtains for undressed windows.’”

“Keep dreaming,” she said, and flashed me a sexy smile. “Personally, I’m not such a fan of gallows humor.”

She turned and walked toward the entrance to the store and I raced to catch up with her. “Hey!” I called. “Gallows humor! Very funny.”

Damn, I felt like an old man sometimes. An old man who was smelling that strawberry scent again. Jesus. Did she know the effect she had on me? Was she aware that being this close to her was making me feel drunk? Intoxicated, not just on lust, but something else—the need for closeness?

Inside, the furniture store was a labyrinth of high-end furnishings, endless rows of elegantly crafted beds and dressers extending into the distance.

“Can I help you?” asked a teenager wearing a navy Hung, Drawn, and Altered polo shirt.

“Not yet,” Lily replied confidently. “We’re very much browsing.” She wandered ahead of me, her fingers trailing over plush comforters and sleek headboards. “It’s quite the ‘bed-venture,’ don’t you think?”

“Definitely,” I responded, chuckling. “Let’s not ‘sleep’ on any of the deals.”

As I trailed behind her, I kept my hands shoved in my pockets. I was desperate to reach out and take her hand. To let myguard down and talk to her about what was going on between us. We’d agreed to no deep and meaningful conversations late at night, but it was daytime right now. We were buying furniture together. What better time, right?

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