Sutton agreed, folding her arms. “He’s hot, but he’s also trouble. You ever need backup, you let me know.”
I smiled, finally relaxing. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Sutton stacked the clean mugs, then gave me a look. “You really like him.”
I pretended not to hear, but the smile on my face wouldn’t fade.
“I can’t help it,” I admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “He makes me feel—” I stopped, not sure what word came next. Alive? Real? Like maybe I mattered?
Sutton filled in the blank. “Like you’re safe,” she said. “Even when you’re not.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
“I know the feeling,” she said, softer this time. “And I know it’s scary. But you can trust it, Lily. Some people are worth the risk.”
I wanted to believe her. I really did.
Ford came out of the restroom, but instead of leaving, he returned to the counter. “I think I’ll do a refill, please Lil.”
My heart did a flip in my ribcage at the nickname, but I schooled my face into one of nonchalance. Hopefully. It probably looked like I was trying not to pass gas.
I gave him a new mug of steaming Sumatra and he nodded his thanks.
It didn’t take long for the bakery to clear out after the morning rush, leaving me and my nerves alone behind the counter. Sutton had retreated to the back to refill flour bins and gossip on the phone, and Eryn was stretching her hamstrings at a table near the window, pretending not to eavesdrop while she made pointed, encouraging faces in my direction every time I caught her eye. I did everything I could not to stare at him. Instead, I wiped down the espresso station three times in a row and reorganized the sugar packets by color, because apparently I’d regressed to middle school coping strategies.
Ford waited until the place was almost empty before he stood up, bringing his mug and plate to me. He set them down, then rested both palms on the edge of the counter like he was about to deliver bad news. His hands were big—bigger than I remembered from last night, even—and there was a faint scaracross the knuckle of his right index finger, like a white hyphen in a sentence nobody else could read.
I swallowed, steeled myself, and met his eyes.
“Hey,” I said, and immediately wanted to take it back for being the most boring word in the English language.
“Hey,” he echoed, but made it sound like a confession.
The silence between us was neither awkward nor comfortable—more like a held breath. My whole body buzzed with the memory of his hands fixing my sink and his mouth pressed to mine, which was unhelpful, because all I could think about was the way it made me feel: seen, and wanted, and scared out of my mind.
“Did you like the bear claw?” I asked, just to say something.
He nodded. “Best I’ve had since I got back to Montana.”
I wanted to believe him, but mostly I wanted to crawl under the counter and hide until my face stopped burning.
Ford watched me, then looked down at his hands, as if he’d lost track of the reason he came up here in the first place. “I, uh, just wanted to say thanks for the other night. For the wine, and the company. It was—” He paused, searching for the word. “Nice.”
“Yeah,” I said, voice too soft. “It was.”
Another silence, this one thick with the weight of something about to happen.
Ford shifted his weight, leaning in a little. The scent of cedar and black coffee followed him. “I was wondering if you wanted to maybe do it again,” he said. “Hang out again, and get dinner, I mean.”
“Oh,” I blurted, caught off guard by the abruptness of it. “Like, tonight?”
He shrugged, a bashful smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Or whenever. I’m not picky.”
I almost said yes right there, but my brain staged a protest. Wasn’t it too soon? Wasn’t there a rule about waiting, or playing it cool, or not letting a man see you panic over the prospect of dinner and adult conversation? And I had Noah to think about. I’d have to arrange a sitter, and it’s not like I had tons of extra cash laying around, something that would be embarrassing to admit to a real life billionaire.
I hesitated, just long enough for Ford to notice. His confidence didn’t waver, but his eyes softened, like he was bracing for the worst.
Before either of us could say anything else, Eryn swooped in like a hawk that had been circling for hours. I could tell she knew where my thoughts were headed by the way she stared me down. “Did I hear something about dinner?”
