Page 27 of A Perfect Match
Her eyes snap back to mine, and for a second I think she might throw something else at me.But then the corner of her mouth quirks up.There’s something she wants to say.She jerks her gaze away, and it feels like a cold breeze blows between us.
I step further into her space, taking in the organized chaos of her work area."So tell me about your day.Stressful?"
She sighs and turns back to her ruined piping work."Just busy.I've been taking on a lot of extra orders to save up for a security deposit."
"For a new apartment?"
"Yeah."She grabs a spatula and starts scraping the pink cream off the wall."Living with Griffin is…fine.But it's just temporary.I need my own place."
"Found anything yet?"
"No.And rents in Bayshore are insane right now.It’s the tail end of tourist season still."
I watch her clean for a moment."What about buying?"
She snorts."Yeah, because I just have a down payment sitting around."She tosses the soiled spatula into the sink."Between running this place and trying to figure out how to expand my business, I barely have time to sleep, let alone house hunt."
That catches my attention."Expand your business?"
She freezes, like she's said more than she meant to."Just…something I've been thinking about.I don’t want to talk about the details too much yet, but…I want to build out an event-facing side of the business."
"Smart move.Expand your revenue streams."
She eyes me suspiciously."Why do you sound impressed?Aren't you supposed to be hoping I fail so you can take over my side of the building too?"
I narrow my eyes."Contrary to what you might think, I don't actually want you to fail.You renting this side of the building is part of my business plan.Besides, our businesses complement each other."
"Will you still be saying that when I win Best of Bayshore?"she challenges, but there's less bite in her tone than before.
“Of course.But those aren’t the words I’ll be practicing in the mirror.I’m ready to take first place, Madam Marshmallow.”
She groans, but there’s laughter behind it.“Seriously?Madam Marshmallow?”
"Would you prefer Cookie?Cupcake?Sugar Plum?"
"I'd prefer my actual name."
"Piper is so legal, though."
"Says the man named after the ground crew of the Cleveland airport."She smirks.
“Are you opposed to using nicknames?”
“Not when they make sense,” she shoots back.
"Madam Marshmallow makes perfect sense for you.And if you’re talking about my name, it’s short for Krueger.In case you were wondering but were too stubborn to ask."
She raises an eyebrow."Like Freddy?"
"Yeah.My parents were such fans of horror movies they legally changed their last name when they got married in honor of Freddy Krueger."
Her eyes grow wide, but the grin overtaking my face tells her just how full of shit that was.
“Stop it.”She laughs—a genuine laugh—and the sound does something weird to my chest.Makes it tight and warm at the same time.
"All right, the origin story is a total lie, but thatismy last name," I say.A lull emerges, the natural space that would give either of us a chance to exit and continue on with our respective days.But the warmth pulsing between us is too seductive.I’m not ready to let it go.
"You should come see the progress on my side.”I swallow hard, wondering if she realizes this is my attempt to steal more time with her."It's basically done."
