“What do you sweeten it with? I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s subtle, and I like how it doesn’t overpower the taste of the coffee that I love.
She smiles over the rim of her cup, and her eyes sparkle with amusement. “Honey.”
“Of course it is,” I laugh. “No wonder I love it. It’s my new favorite taste.”
A beautiful flush appears on her cheeks as I hold her gaze. It’s obvious that both our thoughts go straight to all the times I’ve tasted her.
Clearing her throat, she finally looks away and breaks the spell we were under.
“Since I’m Momma’s little bee, honey is her favorite. We get a special kind at the marketplace.” Bee has already opened the muffin box, and her mouth is full as she tries to speak.
“Bee, don’t eat with your mouth open. It’s rude to do that in front of guests.”
“But Miles isn’t a guest. He’s Charlie’s uncle,” she says, with another mouthful. “Since me and Charlie want to be sisters, that makes him family too. Gramps is always chewing with his mouth open. Some things you can get away with in front of family, right, Miles?”
She looks up at me with her big hazel eyes as she chews her muffin. I should probably do the right thing and agree with Olivia, but how can I go against that cute face? She also makes a valid point.
I reach for a muffin and take a big bite. “You can definitely get away with more in front of family,” I say, with a mouthful, causing her to giggle.
I glance at Olivia, expecting her to scold me with the mom look, but she’s trying very hard not to smile. “What am I going to do with you two?” She looks at Bee, and all I see is love shining in her eyes. My heart seems to skip a beat as one thought enters my mind.
I want to be on the receiving end of that look one day.
CHAPTER TWENTY
OLIVIA
Iwatch him get on his bike and kick the stand as he roars the engine to life. He turns my way, and a slow, sexy grin appears before he puts his helmet on. Flipping the dark visor down, he heads down the driveway as my eyes follow him.
Lord, have mercy, that’s hot. I hug my arms to my chest as I watch him disappear down the road. It’s laughable now that I ever thought one night would be enough to get him out of my system. He’s somehow managed to stir things in me that I’ve been too afraid to let myself feel, and now that I feel them, I’m not sure I can go back to the way I was before.
I’ve felt more alive these past weeks than I have in my entire life, and it’s all because of him. I’m not ready to let that feeling go, and I know deep down that if I don’t give this a chance, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. He says I can trust him, so maybe it’s time I finally start to believe in someone again.
I watch Bee run around the front porch with Gizmo and smile. She was beyond excited when I offered to drop him off at the bar later, so she could spend the rest of the morning with him. The shipment of wine came in anyway, and I wanted to gothrough it and help with the display before opening night this weekend.
“How about I put on a movie for you two?” I walk up the porch steps to where Bee and Gizmo are. “I’ve got a couple of work calls to do, and I bet Gizmo’s tired after that long walk we just did.”
“Can we watch The Little Mermaid? Gizmo hasn’t seen it yet.”
“Sure,” I laugh, loving her imagination with this dog. “I’ll get it set up for you.”
We walk back inside, and once they are settled, I make a second cup of coffee and head to my home office.
I make a few calls to clients, making sure they don’t need anything, and finalize some orders that need to be processed on Monday before shutting my laptop and checking in on Bee. They are both curled up on the couch, and Gizmo is on her lap, snoring away. Smiling, I dial Miss Beth’s number to make sure she is still good for Bee to come over this afternoon. They have plans to make zucchini bread from the zucchini that Bee helped plant. I’m all for disguising vegetables so she’ll eat them.
“Hi, Miss Beth,” I say when she picks up on the second ring.
“Hi, dear. How’s your morning going?”
“Good, and you?”
“I’ve had my coffee and did my yoga stretches. I’m as good as new.”
“I love to hear that,” I smile. “I was just calling to make sure you still wanted Bee this afternoon to help with baking.”
“Yes, of course. I’ve got all the ingredients ready to go. I thought she could help me pick the zucchini, though. It’s always fun to see your hard work pay off.”
“She will love that. If you don’t mind, I may run into town for a bit and check in with a client. He got a wine shipment in, and I thought I would help.”
