My contented sigh was a thing of beauty. “I’ll send you screenshots of all the adorable things Kamrnn says.”
He ignored that and herded the girls out the door.
The second they were gone, every head turned to gawk at me.
“What?” I didn’t like all this scrutiny, nor did I appreciate the fact that my grandma and Frannie now wore their CIA interrogation faces.
“There seems to be a lot of tension between Hattie and Miller,” Rosie declared. “Anyone else pick up on that?”
“More tension than the elastic in my yoga pants,” Frannie said. “The ones I bought a size too small because they accent my booty.” She snapped the waistband for emphasis.
Sylvie tapped her chin thoughtfully and walked a circle around me. “I’m activating my keen powers of observation—the ones that made me a staff favorite in the bureau.”
“She also had an endless supply of chewing gum,” Frannie added. “She was a real crowd pleaser.”
My grandmother continued her perusal, like I was a lab specimen. “Face flushed, pupils dilated.” She sniffed near my shoulder. “And she smells like anxiety and an extra squirt of perfume.”
“Ohhhh, an extra squirt.” Frannie cataloged this in her analytical brain. “Very telling.”
“It actually says nothing. And if I’m flushed and having eye issues it’s because I’ve inhaled paint fumes for three hours.”
“Or…” Olivia drawled, “because Miller has been buzzing around your beehive all night?”
I did not sign up for this conversation. “Can we get back to work?”
Rosie put the lid on a case of cupcakes. “It’s late. We’re done for the night.”
“Good.” I didn’t think even my porch swing could settle me down now. “I need to get home.”
Olivia put her paint roller in a pan. “I believe Miller’s jealous.”
“Nope.” Where was my purse? My car keys? My Xanax? “He’s not.”
“You don’t think so?” Olivia’s eyes rounded with faux innocence. “Suddenly none of the guys on the dating apps are good enough. Does anyone else find that strange?”
“Very strange.” Sylvie gestured between her and Frannie. “And let me tell you, we know strange.”
“It means nothing.” I grabbed a clean towel and wiped at my hands with gusto. “He has impossible standards, that’s all. You guys encouraged Miller to help, and that’s what you got. You knew he’d be ruthless.”
Rosie hooked her arm through mine and rested her head on my shoulder. “But he seems to have taken a very personal interest in the outcome.”
“Because Miller can’t stand to fail,” I said. “His finding my date for the wedding is a game he wants to win. He sees this as another business venture.”
Sylvie gave a throaty laugh. “Pretty sure he’d like to venture somewhere with you.”
“Stop. All of you. Miller feels nothing more than friendship for me.”
“And you?” My grandmother asked. “What exactly do you feel for him?”
My phone pinged again, and a notification flashed on my display. “Kamrnn has sent me another message. I think I’ll go home so I can respond.”
I gathered my purse and keys in record time, sailing out of the shop to a chorus of protests that could still be heard when I slammed the door behind me.
How did I feel about Miller?
Three words: way too much.
Chapter Twenty-Five
