Page 59 of Swiped
“Same.”
“Really?”
His face grew serious. It was like he had the ability to open secret doors in his deep blue eyes. They drew her right in. “What’s not to like?”
Nat broke his warm gaze to look around. Her tipsy mind fuzzed out the dark reaction to his question — wasn’t there literallyso muchnot to like about her? — and instead she blinked into the Napa splendor. The sun was fading into a cotton candy sky. She ran her eyes over the way Thom’s flannel shirt jacket fell across his broad shoulders, how his chambray button-down was open enough to show the curls of caramel blond hair on his chest, how his dark jeans wrapped around the muscles ofhis thighs, and how his sapphire eyes tracked hers. She stepped closer.
“Oh!” he said with a start. “We’ve got another appointment to keep!”
“There’s more?”
“Oh, darling,” his voice purred like an engine. “We’re not done, yet.” He held out his hand.
She looked at his open palm and sucked in her breath in spite of herself. Butterflies fluttered into her chest as her desires rolled over her fears like mounting waves. She slipped her fingers into his smooth grip.
He smiled and pulled her back toward the winery.
She let him guide her as she used her other hand to pull out her phone and text Rami.
Nat:Just thought you should know, I’ve found a date to the BuzzFill party.
She watched for a bit, but no response bubble appeared.
Nat:Just didn’t want you to be too embarrassed.
She slipped her phone back into her purse and followed Thom through the dappled California sunlight.
* * *
Both Rami’s and Allison’s books were pushed to the side of the table, completely abandoned.
Allison let her laughter from his latest joke fade into a shy smile. “I have to say, you’ve really cheered me up.” She raised a syrupy bite of waffle. “I thought this was going to be the saddest brunch ever.”
“Is your book that bad?”
Allison laughed again and shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” She hesitated. “It’s embarrassing.”
“More embarrassing than the fact that I took three buses by myself just so I could eat something called ‘miracle pancakes?’” Rami gestured to the half-eaten lemony cakes on his plate.
Allison gave a serious nod. “True, that might be worse.”
“See? And I don’t even have any special healing powers now!”
She gestured to Rami’s pancakes with her fork. “May I?”
“Oh, please.”
She grabbed a bite and chewed in thoughtful silence. She turned her bright green eyes to him. “So, it’s my birthday.”
“What? Happy birthday!” Rami felt his heart swell. “Why is that embarrassing?”
“Because I’m here by myself!” Allison’s smile drooped, and she poked her fork around her breakfast. “Because I don’t have any other plans besides sitting in my apartment and sticking a candle in this leftover waffle.”
“Oh.”
She sat up and looked at him with a pleading expression. “I’m not crazy or anything!” She shrugged and looked down into her empty coffee cup. “I just moved here. I don’t know many people yet.” She tucked a coppery curl behind her small ears. “Actually, I don’t know anyone here besides my boss.” She looked up at him with a desperate smile. “But she seems totally nice!”
Rami’s heart twinged in the way that it might for a wayward puppy.
