She looked up at me suspiciously. “Your apartment doesn’t have a sex dungeon, does it?”
“No, smartypants. I wasn’t even thinking about sex.” And I wasn’t—that was crazy, wasn’t it? That I’d have her to myself for three days, and I wasn’t planning on holing up in my loft and banging her endlessly? I mean, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for banging too, but it wasn’t the only reason I wanted to get her to myself. I actually wanted to be with her.
Wait a second.
Just wait.
I slowed my steps as the harsh realization sunk in.
Was I…growing? Like…maturing? Emotionally?
No. That wasn’t possible. Guys like me took decades to grow up and have Emotions, didn’t they? One night of mind-blowing sex with the girl next door hadn’t turned me into an actual adult with Feelings, had it?
Maybe I should slow down.
“Just kidding,” I added quickly, taking my arm from her shoulders. “I’m always thinking about sex.”
“I know this about you. And yet I’m still considering your offer. What does that say about me?”
“That after years of suffering and deprivation, you are finally ready and willing to enjoy yourself.”
She sighed. “OK fine. You win. I’ll ask about taking three days off. But I need to go home. Do you want to drive me? Or should I take your car?”
“I’ll drive you. Pack up while you’re there, too. Then we can leave whenever we want.”
“Slow down, cowboy. I haven’t talked to Michael yet.”
“Sorry. I’m just excited to get you all to myself.” Oh, shit. “You know, for all the sex.”
Rolling her eyes, she thumped me on the chest. “You’re an animal,” she said. But she actually looked happy about it.
? ? ?
On the way to her house, she called Michael, her pastry chef, who was back from his long weekend and more than happy to manage the shop for her the next three days. She double-checked with both waitresses scheduled to work this week, and each said she would be glad to pitch in with extra hours if needed.
“See? Everything is under control,” I said.
“Seems like it.” She chewed the tip of her index finger. “And they can always call me if they need to.”
“Exactly. But they won’t. And you know what? This tells me you’re an awesome boss. You’ve trained them well.”
“Thank you.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m actually taking a little vacation. I haven’t—oh shit.”
“What?” I glanced at her and followed her gaze down the street. Daylight was just starting to fade into dusk, and I easily made out the red Mustang in her driveway and the burly douchebag in a suit getting out of it. “Oh, shit. What do you want to do? I can keep driving and we can pretend we never saw him, I can wait for you in the car, or I can walk you in. Your call.”
She eyed me. “If I say come in with me, can you manage not to get in a fight with him?”
“Possibly.” I pulled alongside the curb, noting unfriendly stance of said douchebag, who looked like he was ready to throw a punch. “But unlikely.”
“Oh, God. Please don’t, OK?”
But Dan was already stomping across the lawn toward us, chest first. In general, I’m a lover not a fighter, but I have a big enough mouth that I’ve gotten myself into trouble a few times. I took off my glasses just in case, popping them into the glove box under Natalie’s worried gaze.
Dan yanked open the passenger door. “Can we talk?”
“Not right now,” she said breezily. “Dan, you remember Miles. Miles, Dan.”
I leaned over her and smiled. “What’s up?”
He ignored me. “I really want to talk to you.”
“Well, give me a call at the end of the week.” She got out of the Jeep. “I’m going out of town tomorrow.”
Score! I thought, hopping out and following her up the front walk. Now please, please ask where she’s going and with whom.
Dan walked on the grass to get ahead of her. “Out of town where?”
“None of your business,” she said, pulling her keys from her purse.
We reached the front porch, and Dan stepped in front of the door. “Where were you last night? I came back to talk to you, and you weren’t here.”
She shrugged. “That’s none of your business either.”
Goddamn, I was proud of her. If he tried to touch her, I was going to move in, but as long as she could hold her own, I thought it was best to let him see her stand tall without any help.
Dan flicked his beady douchebag eyes at me. “What’s he doing here, anyway?”
“He’s my friend. Now get out of the way so I can go into my house.”
“Not until you agree to talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to say right now, Dan.” Natalie threw a hand up. “Go be free! Enjoy your space! You were right. We need a little time apart, a little distance to reevaluate what we want out of life.”
Dan looked nervous. “You’re reevaluating your life?”