Page 31 of The Texan's Secrets

“I wanted to run something past you.”

“Okay.”

“Could we meet?”

“Are you afraid to ask me over the phone?”

“I’m not afraid.” Not in the least. How he felt right now was lonely. Which was unusual and embarrassing. He was a very independent man.

“Nick?” she prompted.

“It’ll take me a few minutes to explain my idea.”

“The Cortez-Williams app?”

“No. This is something different. I think you’ll like it.”

“Okay. Sure. When?”

“What works for you?”

“I’m on a break right now.”

“Good. Perfect. My office?”

There was a pause. “Is this a booty call?”

“No,” he quickly assured her. “That’s not it.” He heard her soft chuckle and regrouped. “I mean, unless you want it to—” He left a pregnant beat. “I’m joking. There are other people in the office right now.”

“I know you’re joking.”

He liked their give-and-take. “I was thinking coffee, maybe a muffin.”

“What kind of muffin?”

“That matters?”

“A woman wants to know what she’s in for.”

“What kind of muffin do you want?”

She paused, then answered with a tease in her voice. “Surprise me.”

He liked that the phrase was becoming their inside joke. “Will do. See you soon.”

“I’ll leave here in just a few minutes.”

Nico pocketed his phone and rushed out of his apartment. He had a stop to make and intended to arrive at Workspace Plus before Emilia.

There was a popular gourmet bakery on the way, and he wanted to meet her expectations for a surprise muffin. It couldn’t be a simple blueberry or banana nut.

He got stopped by traffic lights, and the bakery lineup was longer than he’d expected. Luckily, his office came with an underground parking space, so he made up some time there. When the elevator doors opened at the Workspace Plus lobby level, Emilia was standing there in front of him.

“Nice timing,” he said, as she and a few other people got into the elevator.

As they rode, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Greek yogurt blackberry muffins with streusel topping.”

“Tasty,” she whispered back.

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