Sabrina handed over the sugar and watched as Adley spooned some into her coffee. Watched her hands. Those hands that had done so many incredibly sexy things to her and— “Okay, that is a lot more thanjust a little sugar,” she said with a laugh, making air quotes. “Infact, I’d call that a lot of sugar. Next time somebody asks how you take your coffee, tell them the truth.I’d like a wheelbarrow of sugar in it, please.Like that.”
“I’m feeling a little judged right now,” Adley said, hiding her smile behind the rim of her cup.
“That’s because I’m judging you, weirdo. How do you have all your teeth still?” She grasped Adley’s chin and made a show of squinting as she looked at her mouth. “Or are those fake?” Before Adley could protest, though, she kissed that mouth softly and whispered, “I’m just teasing you.”
“I know,” Adley whispered back and deepened the kiss just a little. Then she pulled back a touch and said, “I hate to sip coffee and go, but I’m meeting Scottie for breakfast in an hour.”
“Totally okay. I have a meeting.”
They stood there quietly for several moments, sipping their coffee, leaning against each other, smiling. “I had a great time last night,” Adley said.
“Me, too.”
Adley took one more sip and set the mug down. “Walk me out?”
Sabrina nodded and followed Adley through the house where she grabbed her purse and opened the front door. The morning was chilly, and Adley rubbed her hands up and down her arms in her short-sleeved shirt. The car chirped as Adley opened it, tossed her purse in, then reached for a pale pink zip-up hoodie that sat on her passenger side seat.
“Can we do this again?” Adley asked as she pushed her arms into the sleeves and adjusted the hood. “I really hope we can.”
“I’d like that.” Sabrina leaned forward and kissed Adley softly one more time. “Okay. Go, before I drag you back inside and we both miss our meetings.” She took a step back so Adley could get into her car, and that’s when she saw it. The logo on Adley’s hoodie.
It was a purple line drawing of an ice cream cone, the wordsGet the Scoopin a circle around it.
Oh, shit.
* * *
Scottie was already at a table near the window, sipping her coffee, when Adley arrived at the little diner called Sunny Side Up. It seemed busy for a Monday morning, but Adley didn’t care. She hadn’t driven there—she’d floated in on a cloud.
“Hi,” she said as she pulled out the chair across from Scottie and sat. A robust waitress whose name tag said she was Kitty smiled at her and poured her a cup of coffee, promising to be back in a few minutes to take their orders.
“You look different,” Scottie said, narrowing her eyes. “What is it?”
“What do you mean? How do I look different?” Adley added sugar, then smiled at the memory of Sabrina and the wheelbarrow. She picked up her mug and sipped, the coffee hot and strong, and waited for Scottie to answer.
“I’m not sure…You’re, like, happy. Like, really happy. And I think you were humming when you came in. It’s not like you—” She gasped suddenly, then covered her mouth and pointed at Adley.
“What?” Adley looked around. “What?”
Scottie leaned over the table and said in a stage whisper, “You had sex!”
“Oh my God, how could you possibly know that?” Adley whispered back, looking around the diner to make sure nobody heard them.
Scottie sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee, her grin huge, looking far too pleased with herself. Their eye contact held, as if they were in some kind of a standoff. Finally, Adley sighed, but with a big smile on her face. She couldn’t help it.
“And?” Scottie asked. “How was it?”
Adley did an all-over full-body shudder, big smile still in place. “Amazing. Wonderful. Hot. Sexy. Thrilling. So many things.”
Kitty returned then and took their orders. Omelets for both. When she’d turned and moved to another table, Scottie was looking at Adley. Studying her.
“What?” Adley asked. “What’s that look for?”
Scottie sighed quietly and set her coffee down. Forearms on the table, she leaned forward slightly. “I’m just worried about you. That’s all.”
“I thought you’d be happy for me. You’re the one who’s always saying how I work too much, I spend too much time at the shop, I don’t get out enough. Now…” Adley lifted one shoulder. “Now, I might’ve met somebody special.”
“Who doesn’t even live here,” Scottie pointed out. “Who isn’t staying. Who’s supposed to be just a physical release. Remember?” She sat back again. “I just don’t want you to get hurt is all.”
