Page 60 of Here and Now
He smiles warmly, and I feel it through my veins. “I think you deserve to have someone make you coffee for a change.”
Yeah, that warms me in other places.
Miles goes back to cooking, and I pull my lip between my teeth while heading to the coffeepot. I thought by now I’d be sick of coffee, but that’s not the case. I still have my very strong addiction to it.
With my cup of caffeine and breakfast plate, I sit at the table beside Kai. After I slather my pancakes with syrup, I take a bite and moan. Oh my God, these are incredible. They’re lemon blueberry with something else that gives it this creamy center. I swear, I might just fall off my chair.
“Good?” Miles asks with a chuckle.
“Very,” I say between bites. “What is this?”
“Lemon blueberry with ricotta. It’s Gran’s famous recipe that she demanded Eloise and I learn when we were kids.”
“Well, it’s heavenly.”
“I’m glad you like it. Once everyone is done eating, we can head back up to your house while it’s daylight and assess any damage and what we need to tackle, if that works for you?”
“That would be great, but you really don’t have to do that,” I tell him quickly.
“It’s what friends do.”
That word again. “Yes, I guess that is something friends do.”
He smiles boyishly, and I’m pretty sure we’re both thinking about what friends wanted to do last night.
I drop my head to avoid his eyes and keep my cheeks from view. If the color matches the heat, I’m definitely giving away my inner thoughts.
“Can we go back in the fort?” Ethan asks.
“Go ahead, and then you’re going to need to break it down before you head home, Ethan.”
“Awww!” they both complain.
“Kai, you need to clean up your mess. Coach Miles was very kind coming to help us in the storm, and it would be rude to leave his room a mess,” I say so that Miles doesn’t have to be the bad guy. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am. Come on, Ethan!”
They take their paper plates, putting them in the trash, and the silverware in the sink, before they disappear.
Miles shuts everything off and makes himself a plate, sitting beside me. “Did you sleep okay?”
“I did,” I lie.
“I didn’t,” he admits.
“Why? Was it the storm?”
It howled almost all night. The thunder seemed to come in waves one after another, and it definitely is the excuse I’m using to tell myself it was not the almost kiss.
“It was not.” He pops a piece of bacon in his mouth. “Since we’re friends and all, can I tell you about my issue? You know the one that kept me up at night?”
Oh boy.
“As your friend, I guess so,” I say hesitantly.
“It’s this girl,” Miles says, leaning back. “I like her. I’m pretty sure she likes me, too, but ... she isn’t ready for dating.”
I can play along with this. “I see, that’s gotta be hard for you.”
