Page 21 of The Grumpy Doc's Surprise Delivery

“If I say yes, will you leave me alone to eat this enormous breakfast you’ve brought me?”

I hum as if I’m contemplating, but the truth is that she could have just asked. I’m not so annoying that I don’t understand people’s boundaries. “Okay. But you’d better enjoy it.”

“If the rest of it is as good as this bacon,” she says, crunching a slice between her teeth to prove a point, “then I’m certain I will.”

“Great. Meet me at the bar at noon?”

“I’ll be there.” She smiles, then turns to her breakfast, giving it her full attention.

I almost want to linger, to keep being in her space just so I can be near her but, boundaries.

So I say goodbye and slip out of the room. I walk the three paces to my own room, and the whole time I feel like I’m floating on air. Emma wants to hang out with me!

If she had said no, I probably would have gone home out of shame.

Now I have to call work. This is going to be fun.

CHAPTER 12

EMMA

After Liam goes, I jump in the shower and try to calm my racing thoughts. I know we got slightly closer over the last couple of days, but I still can’t quite believe that he would want to spend any real time with me. He looked so surprised when I said that I was staying, almost like he hadn’t been planning on it himself.

Why would he lie, though? What possible reason would he have for making up something like that?

Liam doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who likes to take vacation days. Maybe it’s been strongly suggested to him that he take some time off by his boss. Maybe he was forced to.

He seems too serious for anything else to be true.

I spend a while debating with myself about what to wear. All the clothes I brought are nice, suitable for summer vacation. Great for being a tourist or relaxing on the beach with a book and a cocktail.

But none of them really screamdate.

Not that that’s what this is. This is just hanging out with a handsome stranger after we’ve only known each other for a few days. Nothing could sound less date-y than that, could it?

I’m starting to think I might be lying to myself.

Eventually, I settle on my green sundress. I love this dress; it’s got a faint leafy pattern to it, and a skirt that flows around my knees in a way that’s fun to move around in and keeps me cool. It also has a very flattering waistline, which is important when you want to look your best.

Which, despite this being decidedlynota date, I do. After all, if you’re meeting a handsome stranger, you don’t exactly want to look like you crawled out of a ditch, do you?

I meet Liam at the bar and stifle a laugh when I notice what he’s wearing. “What isthat?” I ask, pointing.

“It’s a shirt.”

“Yes, but why does it look like that?”

He frowns at me for a second. “And what is wrong with it?”

He’s wearing an incredibly loud print Hawaiian shirt, blue with pink and green flowers. Not only that, but the top two buttons are undone, flashing his bare skin to the world. “It’s cool,” he says.

“It’s cool?” I echo as a question.

His frown intensifies as if to say,I’m not going to dignify that with a response.“Shall we do lunch? If you’re done with criticizing my fashion choices.”

“I’m not criticizing,” I say. “They’re just… interesting.”

He raises both eyebrows at me but smiles, and I feel a giddy rush run down my spine. Smiles are something I’ve come to realize aren’t too frequent with Liam, so seeing him smile at me… I can’t help but feel like that’s special.

---