Page 47 of Elevator Pitch

A man has never looked at me like that in the morning.

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” I say shyly.

“I was out grabbing coffee and when I came across this shop that makes tiny donuts, I thought of you and figured we could try them together?”

“Since we haven’t had our coffee dates during the holiday break, I figured I’d bring the date to you.”

Because we eat donuts together on Tuesdays.

This man is precious. Wow.

He’s so sweet and I’m so awkward.

He wants to come into my house and eat?

Deep breaths.

This is what romance novels are made of.

I’m going to let this man into my house and hope he doesn’t kill me.

I open the door wider and invite him in.

He steps through the door, and I head over to the kitchen island when he slips out of his shoes and sets them on the doormat.

That was hot.

That’s a number one house rule for me and I forgotto mention it.

I lean over the counter, grab my phone from my pocket, and shoot off a text to Daya, letting her know the hot neighbor is here, and silence my phone before placing it face down on the counter.

He rounds the island, and I’m screaming internally from his proximity. His cologne surrounds me, and I want to bathe in it. He pushes up his sleeves, exposing his tattoos that are usually concealed, and I feel my face warming. I stare at them and swallow.

He interrupts my gaze by asking, “do you mind if I…?”

He aims his head toward the sink and makes a hand-washing motion. I nod. He washes his hands while I stare at him.

He removed his shoes AND washed his hands upon settling in.

Pro: He may be the perfect houseguest.

Con: I think he’s trying to steal my heart.

Alert the proper authorities.

After drying off his hands and rolling his sleeves back down. He takes a seat on a barstool and takes a sip of coffee.

“I’ve never seen you drink coffee, but I took a wild guess at what tea you’d like. Please tell me if you hate it. Wait. You’re not allergic to anything, are you?”

He looks panicked, and it’s the cutest thing.

“Thank you. Not that I know of. It’s hard to ruin tea. If it’s sweet, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“I figured I couldn’t go wrong with peach tea.”

I take a sip, and I moan.

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