Page 22 of Keeping You
Finally, I can’t stand it anymore, and I slowly raise my head, my gaze slowly travelling higher an inch at a time.
Apparently, I'm a glutton for punishment today.
He's in uniform today, wearing dark pants, a light tan shirt with the Sheriff's badge gleaming over the pocket on his upper torso, his gun holstered at his hip. The sight of him in that outfit does things to my insides that have nothing to do with my hangover.
Huh. When did I develop a thing for men in uniform?
He nods politely to Ruby as she snickers and stands so he can gracefully take her place.
Oh, God, he smells good.Fresh. Clean. Straight from the shower. The ends of his hair are still damp, curly up slightly.
Another gulp of my coffee snaps me back to the moment.
“Morning.”
Is he keeping his voice deliberately low for my benefit or for our audience?
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I've been hit by a truck,” I mutter, immediately regretting my word choice when I see a flash of memory in his eyes. “I mean?—”
“I know what you meant.” He signals to a hovering Ruby for coffee. Thankfully, he waits until she walks away to continue. “About last night.”
“Can we not?” I interrupt, glancing around at the not-so-subtly eavesdropping patrons. “Everyone's watching.”
A slow grin spreads across his face. “Isn't that the point? For everyone to see us together?”
I blink at him, confused. After last night’s disaster, I figured he'd want to call the whole thing off. “You still want to do this?”
He leans forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “I've been thinking. Maybe we went about it the wrong way.”
“How so?”
“Small towns like stories that unfold naturally. Gossip that has to be pieced together is more valuable than what's handed to them on a platter. If we approach this as a slow-burn romance rather than a headline announcement, people will invest more. They'll want to see the bakery succeed because it's part of our story. They’ll see you in a relationship and begin to forget about Harper and Kirk.”
His words make more sense than I want to admit. But is he talking about more than just our fake relationship strategy? Or is he trying to make amends for disappearing from my life the way he did?
“We tried too hard. Made it too obvious.” He accepts the coffee Ruby brings over with a grateful nod and again waits until she walks away. “Real couples don't announce themselves. They exist together.”
I consider his words, remembering how awkward and forced everything felt last night. “So, what are you suggesting?”
“That we take a more subtle approach.” His hand slides across the table until his fingers are just barely touching mine. “Small gestures. Real moments. Build it up gradually so it looks authentic.”
The vinyl booth creaks beneath me as I shift, hyperaware of where his fingers touch mine. I’m not altogether shocked when I turn my hand over and we link our fingers together as though we’ve done so forever. I swallow past a sudden lump in my throat. “Like this?”
“Exactly like this.” His thumb traces a small circle on my hand. “And maybe I stop by the library sometimes. Bring you lunch. You visit me at the station. That kind of thing.”
It makes sense. A gradual approach would seem more natural than our forced performance at Pete’s. But there'ssomething else in his eyes, something that makes me wonder if he has ulterior motives.
“And this would help the bakery how?” I ask, trying not to be distracted by those seductive circles.
“Already is.” He gestures subtly toward the window, and I turn to see a small crowd gathering outside Sweet as Sin. “News rides a bullet train in this town, remember? They might be gossiping about our disastrous date, but they're also wondering if there's something real brewing between us. And they’re probably hoping to get the deets from Harper.”
Sure enough, when I look closer, I see that Martha and Gloria have left the café and are now hovering near the bakery's entrance with others. A few of them are even going inside.
“Huh,” I say, genuinely surprised. “It actually worked?”
“It’s a start. Harper wasn’t totally wrong. People do love a comeback story. The bad boy returns home, falls for the town sweetheart.” He shrugs. “It's irresistible.”
