“You should buy ice cream as well.”
“Oh no, I can’t. That stuff goes straight to my hips, which are big enough already, thank you.”
His gaze slid down her body. “You’re very small. I don’t see a problem.”
She wanted to melt into a puddle and ooze through the cracks in the faded linoleum. “Small in height, sure, but not in width.”
He blinked, gaze returning to her face. “I don’t see a problem.”
She stared at his puzzled look. Did he genuinely not understand why she cared about her size? Her ancient grandmother with two-inch-thick glasses could see she was overweight. Without the two-inch-thick glasses on.
Her gaze flicked to a faded advertisement on the wall beside them of a thin, blond model licking an ice cream cone suggestively. There were images everywhere of what the ideal female body ought to look like, even here in this crummy old dep. How could he have failed to notice any of that?
He turned from her then, opening the freezer and grabbing another carton of ice cream. She expected him to try to give it to her, but he didn’t.Guess he wants to be certain he got the right one for his girlfriend.
Whoever this girl was, Lily hoped she appreciated what she had, becausedamn. A man who looked like that, buying a girl ice cream on her period? It sounded like something out of a romance novel. She’d bet her right boob that girlfriend was stick-thin runway material.
There was an awkward moment of shuffling as they determined who would walk down the aisle first to reach the cash register. Or maybe it was just awkward for her. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome just watched her with those hypnotic eyes as he stood back and waited for her to go first.
Cheeks still flaming, she did, wishing she’d put on a longer shirt before she left the house. The tank top she wore didn’t cover her butt, and she was wearing yoga tights. Yoga tights made for chicks who shouldn’t wear yoga tights. God help her if he looked at her ass.
She paid for her Single Girl’s Night Alone supplies—all that was missing was batteries for her vibrator—cast a farewell smile to the hot stranger, and stepped back outside. The air was humid, the temperature barely any lower than during the day. Another summer heatwave.
She made it only a few steps before she heard, “Wait!” from behind her. Glancing back, she saw the mystery man standing outside, a reusable cloth bag in one hand.
He had gone to the dep prepared with his own shopping bag. Who was this guy?
Maybe it was foolish, but she stood and waited while his long strides ate up the distance between them. “Is it safe for you to walk alone?”
She stared at him. “Um, yeah, I do it all the time. Montreal’s a pretty safe city.”
He frowned, tilting his head in a way that she had never seen a person do before. A reptile, maybe. But not a person. “I would like to escort you for protection.”
She hesitated. Hot or not, there was no way she was letting some rando walk her home and find out where she lived.
His eyes widened suddenly. “But you should refuse because it’s not wise to allow a stranger to discover your lair.”
Herlair? She almost burst out laughing. Wow, he spoke strangely, especially because he had no trace of an accent.
“Um…” She didn’t want to offend him, but he was bang on the money.
“You’re very wise,” he said, and this time she did laugh.
“I hope your girlfriend likes the ice cream.”
“She is a friend that is a girl, a girl friend, but not a girlfriend.” His face scrunched up. “I find this term confusing.”
Another startled laugh escaped her. He really did say the weirdest stuff.
“That’s really nice of you to take care of your friend,” she said with a smile, utterly charmed by this strange, strange man. “Have a nice night.”
“This is for you.” He dug into the shopping bag and held out a carton of Ben & Jerry’s.
Her heart melted faster than the ice cream in this heat. Hehadpicked the extra one up for her.
“It’s good to have things you enjoy. Human lives are short. It’s better to leave your mark on the world by being full of contentment than full of longing.”
Lily stared at him, tilting her head back to look into those beautiful, guileless eyes. Slowly, she stretched out a hand and accepted the ice cream. The flavor was ‘Chocolate Therapy.’
