Page 87 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice
“You know how Pumpkin gets whiny when I’m gone? Yesterday, she turned to the window when I sat on the couch, and I swear to God, after fifteen seconds, she started meowing. I’m telling you, she had a full-on heartbreak.” Lauren’s lips press together as if she’s swallowing anawww, her eyes wide as I continue.
“And when I called her name, she turned around, and bam”—I snap my fingers—“everything was okay again. I am 100 percent convinced that in those fifteen seconds, her itty-bitty little brain completely forgot I was there. And then she got sad.”
“That just means she loves you!”
“I know she does,” I say with a giggle. “And I love those two as well. Ten out of ten. If I had to, I would die for them, but it doesn’t change the fact that they both have the IQ of a pebble.”
“Hopefully you won’t have to die for them anytime soon,” Lauren interjects, and I roll my eyes.
“Not planning on it, but thank you, I guess.” We never talked about it, but instinctively, our legs bring us to Caleb’s café to end our stroll with a nice, warm coffee.
“Who else would I talk to in this town?” She grins, and I nudge her with my elbow.
“What about Caleb?” I lift my eyebrow at her, noting her cheeks turning even darker.
“He’s not exactly a talkative guy, in case you haven’t noticed.” She tries to play it cool, but I’ve known her long enough to know she’s faking it.
“Oh, he is though,” I point out, narrowing my eyes at her. “Maybe not quite with words, but I think he’s pretty expressive.”
“Maybe I haven’t really paid attention to that,” Lauren says, lying through her teeth as her blush deepens even more.
I giggle and nudge her with my elbow again. “You should go for it, girl.”
“One day, maybe.” She breathes out a deep sigh. “But today is not that day. I’m living vicariously through you. That’s enough for now.”
Sheopens the door to Caleb’s café, and I watch her walk in, confused. It would be so much fun. We could have double dates. But I guess if it’s not meant to be right now, it’s not meant to be.
Taking a deep breath, I follow her, greeting Caleb behind the counter with a happy little wave that he only answers with a grunt, and make my way to our usual table.
Chapter 35
Nic
“Kieran!” I whisper-shout over the other murmuring patrons at Caleb’s, waving him over to our table.
His face lights up when he sees us, and he quickly waves at Caleb before making his way over to us.
“He’s basically a golden retriever with tattoos, isn’t he?” I whisper as I watch him weave through the tables.
“Oh, absolutely,” Henry says with a chuckle and takes a sip of his coffee.
“You’re so right,” Lauren adds, turning around to watch him too. “I can totally imagine him having a fluffy golden tail wagging behind him.”
He slides into the booth next to Lauren, and the two immediately fall into a heated discussion about our Friendsgiving dinner. Both have extremely strong opinions about what food we should have.
“No, no, no, I think we shouldfrythe turkey,” Kieran demands immediately. Lauren rolls her eyes, taking a deep breath before launching into a tirade about why baking it would be better. Her strongest argument is that none of us have ever fried a turkey, and it’s much more likely to burn to a crisp than come out edible.
“How was your day?” I ask Henry softly, leaning my head against his shoulder.
He’s such a touchy man. The moment I’m close, his arm sneaks around my shoulders or my waist, like he can’t help himself. He always pulls me in, and always presses a kiss to the side of my head or my forehead as a part of our greeting ritual now.
And as much as I love holding hands, this? This wins. It’s warm, snuggly, and has the tiniest hint of possessiveness, his way of silently telling the world,She’s taken, move along.
The forehead kisses have quickly become my favorite gesture of his. God, I’m spoiled. Here he is, showing the whole world I’m his, while I don’t even have a proper nickname for him yet.
Babe.Honey.Muffin.
They’re all just … not hitting right. But I’m determined to find one.
