“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You had sex and you aren’t telling me about it.”
A few seconds pass as I run through the pros and cons of retrieving my muffin. Pros: I wouldn’t lose the $2.70 it cost me, I’d get to eat it, and I could avoid looking at Daisy for another few seconds. Cons: the table is occupied, the muffin is definitely covered in dust and dirt by now, and I would only get to avoid Daisy for a few seconds—not nearly long enough.
“Can we talk about something else?” I ask, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms.
Daisy breaks off half her muffin and slides it over to me on a napkin. It’s a peace offering, and I take it.
“All right, fine. Your brother and I have been having a lot of sex.”
I want to let my forehead fall and hit the table, preferably hard enough to cause some short-term memory loss. “How about we skip over the topic of sex altogether?”
“What? It’s all I think about. Fertility this, fertility that.”
I feel bad for snapping at her. “How’s it going?”
She shrugs. “I’m supposed to take a pregnancy test in a few days. Last night I had some cramping on my right side which could be implantation cramping—an early sign of pregnancy.”
I frown. “C’mon Daisy, you know better. You can’t read into things like that. You’ll just drive yourself insane. Remember a few months ago when you swore you were slightly more bloated than usual?”
She picks at her muffin. “Yeah, well, this feels different.”
I don’t have the heart to burst her bubble, not when she’s struggled for so long.
“Well in a few days, we’ll know for sure.”
“Yeah.” She nods, not meeting my eyes. “If only I had something to distract myself until then. It feels like torture having to wait that long…”
I groan. “Fine! Fine. We had sex last night,” I whisper. “In his car.”
She claps her hands together. “YES! I knew it. Your poker face is shit. I mean, you were smiling down at your muffin, and no one likes lemon poppy seed that much.”
I try hard to keep the smile off my face, but it’s impossible.
“Did he stay the night after?”
“No. We went back to my place and cooked dinner, drank wine, played with Mouse. It was remarkably normal considering what we’d just done a few minutes before, but I didn’t invite him to stay over. I thought it was better if we had some space.”
“Huh. Makes sense I guess. Was he good?”
My cheeks now resemble the red brick wall beside us.
“Damn! I knew he had it in him. No one looks that good and doesn’t know what he’s doing in bed. It would be such a waste of—oh! Speak of the devil!”
I turn over my shoulder and spot Adam strolling into the coffee shop in workout shorts and a t-shirt. I mentioned to him last night that I had a standing coffee date with Daisy on Saturday mornings at Hamilton Brew. I’m sure he’s here on purpose, and when he scans the room and finds me, his smile confirms it.
“Did you invite him?” Daisy asks, curious.
“No.”
Yes.
“Huh. Then you must have been pretty good too. He can’t stay away.”
But he does stay away. After he orders at the counter, he picks up a newspaper and takes his coffee to a table across the room, near the window. I find it incredibly annoying. Surely he came for me…right?
Daisy thinks he’s doing it on purpose. “It’d be weird if he came and interrupted our coffee date. Maybe he wants to see you, but doesn’t mind waiting until I leave.”
“Then leave!”
She stands and steals back the last of the muffin. “For that, I’m eating this. Have fun with Mr. Audi.”
Everyone at the surrounding tables hears her—hell, Adam probably hears her—and it takes all my willpower not to trip her on her way past my chair. The only reason I resist the urge is because she could be pregnant.
“I’ll call you later,” I promise.
She waves at Adam as she walks out and then he glances over to my table. I tilt my head and nudge Daisy’s empty chair. He stands, collecting his coffee and newspaper.
“Just passing by?” I quip as he takes her seat.
He smiles. “I was in the neighborhood.”
“Mhm.”
“I hope I didn’t cut your coffee date short.”
“Nah, we’ve been here for a while.”
It’s true. That was our second round of muffins for the morning.
“Then I don’t feel so bad.”
I don’t think he feels bad at all.
“Daisy thinks you can’t stay away because last night was so fun.”
“Which part exactly? You straddling me in my car?”
I swear the woman sitting behind us gasps under her breath.
I roll my eyes. “Yes, that part.”
“Maybe I just wanted coffee.”
“Or maybe you couldn’t stay away.”
He tilts his head, studying me. “Maybe.”
I smile. “Figures.”
“What are you doing after this?”
“Taking Mouse to the park. It’s pretty out and I’ve been promising to throw the ball with him for the last few days. Want to come?”
“Can I finish my coffee first?”
I nod and stand. “Yeah, I need another muffin anyway.”
…
Three days later, I have to take Mouse back to the clinic for a round of shots. I have exactly thirty minutes to get in and out, drop Mouse back home, and make it to work on time. Adam doesn’t care about my time crunch. We’re in the exam room where he’s supposed to be inoculating my dog, and instead, he’s pinning me against the door, sliding his hand up my dress…like any proper vet should.
“Do you do this with all your patients?” I tease, only halfheartedly batting his hand away.
There’s not enough time for this, not to mention I have no brush, no makeup, nothing to touch myself up with if he decides to ravish me before work.
He strings kisses down my neck and my eyes flutter closed.
“Adam.”
Someone knocks on the door of the exam room and we fly apart. It’s just his assistant, coming in with the shots for Mouse.
I brush my hand across my neck, which is definitely pink from his lips, and take a seat in one of the chairs.
“How are you today, Ms. Thatcher?”
I smile at the assistant. “I’m good.” I tug down my skirt that’s riding a few inches higher than it should be. “Good, yeah. How are you?”
She tries in vain to quell her smile. “Great. Dr. Foxe has been in a really good mood lately.”
Adam is busy administering the shots and then showering Mouse with treats. Still, I can see the smile he’s trying to hide.
When the assistant makes a move to exit the room, I stand. “Is that all? I’ll follow you out to handle the bill.”
The assistant glances between Adam and me. “Oh, he didn’t tell you? You get the family and friends discount.”
I arch a brow at Adam. “Lucky me.”
When I leave a few minutes later, every pair of eyes in the reception area is trained on me. The gossip is going to get around town quickly enough, and though I should mind, I don’t—not one bit.
Tonight, Adam is going to make roasted chicken with rosemary potatoes, and then after, I’m going to seduce him on my couch. I’m not sure which part I’m more excited about.
No, the chicken.
Definitely the chicken.