Page 38 of Between Commitment and Betrayal
“It is pretty good. You want one?” She dug another out of the bag.
“Nope. I had breakfast.”
“So what? This whole bag is for me?” She shook it and the brown paper crinkled in her grip. “I can’t eat all this.”
“You didn’t tell me what you wanted. How was I supposed to know? Next time tell me so I won’t have to order the whole restaurant.”
“That’s when you guess and buy one thing.”
“Everly, my wife gets what she wants, and if I don’t know what that is, I just get everything.”
Her sapphire eyes widened at my comment. She wasn’t sure how to respond. I saw her cheeks flush and how she wiggled in my leather seat.
Flustering Everly would be something I was going to enjoy doing for the year to come. I already knew it.
“You need to stop with the wife stuff. Even as a joke.” She wrinkled her nose. “Just call meEvielike everybody else.” She enunciated it like I didn’t know already she wanted that.
“I don’t call you that,” I pointed out and glanced in my rearview mirror to see an SUV following me.
“Everyone does though.”
“Well, your husband doesn’t,” I shot back because I didn’t want to be like “everyone” to her. I maneuvered into another lane and they did the same.
Her long lashes fell over her cheeks as she breathed out. “Declan, you’re trying to frustrate me. We both know this is going to be difficult as it is. I don’t need you throwing aroundwifeandhusbandin private.” Then she saw me glance behind us. “Is someone following us?”
“Might be a pap or two.”
She immediately tensed, her whole body going ramrod straight. “Honestly, I’m not even sure why I’m going to work with you when I can Uber. This isn’t good for either of us.”
“It is,” I countered. “Gives us time to talk.”
“Could give the public something to talkabout.”
I shook my head, not wanting anyone to destroy the small relationship we were building. “People expect this. The magazines are already printing that we’ve become close. Haven’t you read—”
“No.” She said it fast, hard, full of determination. Then she glanced at me, her sapphire eyes vulnerable. “I’m not good with media. I hate it. I told you that. So, if they’re going to write about us, I’d rather not know.”
“The media is going to write about us at some point, Everly.”
“Okay.” She obviously didn’t want it to be true.
I hated to offer, but I had to. “You can talk with Piper if you’d like.”
“I’d rather not.” She picked at the corner of the paper bag.
I took a deep breath, knowing that I needed more time with her, knowing we’d need a reason to be closer. “Look, I’ll have you work on my wrist.”
“You will?” Her eyes lit up, and she zeroed in on it. “Really?”
I grumbled, “My wrist doesn’t need it, but it’ll show everyone we’ve become friends and will lead to less questioning when I drive you home from work. Last appointment of your day, keep free for me.”
“Oh.” She frowned before taking a large drink of her coffee and then taking a bite of her crescent roll. “Sounds good.”
14
DECLAN
She stretchedmy wrist every night for a month after when I was in town.
