“Is there an unacceptable number?”
“Fourteen, doll. Fourteen is the cut-off.”
I laughed and was about to reassure Zach that Teddy was definitely the type of guy who put hot sauce on his eggs when I heard the creak of the door. I looked up, expecting to greet a customer. To my shock, Renn walked in.
He was wearing close-fitting dark jeans, cinched with a thick brown leather belt at his hips. His long-sleeved gray Henley was turned up to the elbows, and his exposed forearms—one with the colorful full-sleeve—had bracelets at the wrists. His hair hung loose around his chin, tamed by an olive-green beanie. If the sexiest parts of ’90s grunge had a baby with a sunny day, and that baby paid particular attention to arms day at the gym, it would be Renn. He looked up at me and smiled, looking amazing. I wasn’t the only one that noticed.
“Hi Reeeeennnn,” Zach sing-songed. He turned his back to Renn as he mouthed to me, “He’s so hot. What’s he doing here?” I shrugged and glared at Zach as he returned his attention to Renn. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Oh, hey, Zach. I forgot you worked here too. Cool. Sadie has talked so much about Hal’s, I figured I’d come by and see it for myself.”
“Well, luckily you came just in time to settle the debate. Sades and I were discussing what an acceptable number of sex toys is. Thoughts?”
I hissed at Zach, “Shut up, you monster. Stop causing trouble.” Zach made kiss-lips at me as I turned to Renn. “You do not need to answer that.”
Renn held his hands up like we were robbing his register. “I plead the fifth.”
Chuckling, Zach drifted away, leaving us alone. I hadn’t seen Renn since my last appointment. Since our almost-kiss. Since I’d overheard him talking to Archie. Since Zach told me to get the hell over myself and just see where things went.
Renn had texted me quite a few times since that day, signaling that something had elevated between us. Some were all business—confirming our upcoming session or sending me a receipt. Thank God for online payment portals, so we never had to address that awkward elephant out loud. Some were for fun—aParks and RecreationGIF wishing me Happy Holidays or links to songs and videos he thought I would like. And there were the undefinable others—thanking me for talking, telling me how much he enjoyed spending time together.
Standing in front of him now, I couldn’t help but remember the feel of his hand gripping my hip. If he tried to lean into me again, what would I do? Would I panic and have another flashback to Henri? Just wondering made my heart beat faster and I knew I wasn’t ready to test the waters.Your body always comes alive under my hands, darling. It’s like it was meant for my touch and no one else’s.
Ugh. I didn’t want to believe Henri had ruined me forever. I wasn’t ready now, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t be someday. And in the meantime, I was going to enjoy the way Renn was smiling at me across the bar as if I was the best thing he’d ever seen.
“Sadie, I wanted to see Hal’s, but I also had another reason for coming,” Renn said.
“What’s that?”
“You told me you run as a hobby. I help on the PTSA at Robbie’s middle school. I’m the events chair, and we organize a 5K race to raise money for the school. I was wondering if you’d like to participate? It’s next Saturday morning, the tenth.”
I powered through the ovary-bursting information that Renn volunteered for his brother’s PTSA and mustered a reply. “For sure. I usually take long runs on Saturdays, so it works out.”
I appreciated Renn had come up with a plausible reason for visiting me outside of work. After all, I’d invited him to see Hal’s, and the garish decorations were still up so he could get his red and green—and plaid!—fix. I asked him what he liked best, and he said the enormous stuffed Rudolph Zach had rigged through the ceiling to hang above the bar. He expressed faux outrage when I informed him that the red-nosed reindeer was my least favorite of all the tacky items on display.
“Why’s that?” Renn asked.
“Because it looks like a piñata up there. I want to cheer Rudolph on his magical journey, not beat him with a stick.”
Renn grinned. “Which one do you like then?”
“She likes the mistletoe,” Zach piped in from where he was eavesdropping across the room. “It’s over the hallway leading to the office. You should go check it out. Both of you. At the same time.”
“Subtle,” I mumbled. Renn just laughed and smiled at me again, making no move toward the mistletoe.
He stayed for another half hour, ordered a Diet Coke, and we talked about how we spent our holidays. He’d been able to score a sweet new bike for Robbie, and Gage was stoked about his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sewer Lair. I didn’t elaborate on my Boston anniversary. I just told him I’d worked through the holidays and left it at that. Renn made a point to include Zach in our conversation. They were both small business owners and had quite a few boring-ass things to talk about related to local taxes and regulations.
As Renn got up to leave, he whispered something in Zach’s ear. Zach pulled back and nodded, smiling mischievously. At that, Renn walked over to where the mistletoe was hanging. He reached up to pluck it from the doorframe and brought it over to me.He’s walking over to me with the mistletoe. Am I going to freak out? Am I about to ruin this whole good night we just had?
But I should have known Renn would never let me down. He stood in front of me and held the mistletoe above my head. He leaned in toward my cheek, coming in close to my ear.
“May I?”
I nodded, and Renn placed a chaste, closed-mouth kiss on my cheek. I felt the brief peck to my core, mesmerized. Then he pulled back, smiled at me, placed the mistletoe on the bar top, winked at Zach, and walked out the door. I put my hand to my face, mouth open in a small O.
Zach grinned and started fanning himself with a menu. “Doll, you are in so much trouble.”
CHAPTER