Coming Apart at the Seams by Jenna Sutton Page A

finished?” Nick growled, pacing around the kitchen in his condo.
    â€œYes, master—I mean, Nick,” Letty replied.
    He glared at her, and she shot him a saucy grin before picking up a stack of aluminum food containers. She took her time arranging them in the large wicker picnic basket sitting on the granite island, and he fought the urge to demand that she hurry up.
    He double-checked the time on his phone. He didn’t want to be late picking up Teagan. He had a bye week, which meant no game, and they were going sailing.
    Although he never made plans with Teagan in advance, he hadn’t wanted to miss the opportunity to spend his one free Saturday with her, so he’d texted her earlier in the week to make sure she was available. The last couple of times he’d stopped by her condo, she hadn’t been there, and he hadn’t seen her in almost a month.
    Crossing his arms over his chest, he tapped his foot impatiently as Letty grabbed a couple of cold packs from the freezer. She placed them carefully around the food before adding some cloth napkins, melamine plates, and utensils.
    â€œTeagan must be really special,” Letty said.
    Yes, she’s special. She’s unlike any other woman I know. She’s smart and funny and interesting. And I love her laugh.
    â€œSailing is the perfect date,” Letty continued. “It’s fun and romantic. And I made a feast for you two, lots of finger foods so you can feed each other tidbits. Hubba hubba.”
    He stared at her. This wasn’t a date. Where the
hell
had she gotten that idea?
    Letty opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles. After wrapping them both in dishtowels, she placed them in the basket before closing the lid and fastening the latch.
    â€œI thought chardonnay would be best for the meal, but I also packed a bottle of champagne if you really want to get in the mood,” she added with a big smile. “I included a corkscrew, too.”
    He slapped his palms on the island in front of Letty, glowering at her. Her eyebrows shot up at his aggressive stance.
    â€œI’m going sailing w-w-w-with Teagan.”
    â€œI know,” she replied, her brow wrinkling in confusion.
    â€œYou know she’s just a friend,” he said, his voice hard. “This isn’t a d-d-d-date.”
    Letty cocked her head and pursed her lips. “I think it’s time for you to admit that you feel more than friendship for Teagan.”
    He immediately wanted to refute her claim, but he had to wait for his mouth to catch up. “N-n-n-no, I don’t.”
    Teagan was his friend—nothing more. He was a guy, and it was perfectly natural for him to notice she was attractive. As long as he didn’t act on it, it was not a problem.
    Not. A. Problem.
    â€œNick, you’re forgetting that I was here, working late, the night you found out her boss had attacked her. When you got home, you were a
mess
. You wouldn’t have been that upset if you didn’t care about her.”
    Nick made a sound of frustration. He hated to think about that night . . . hated to think about anyone hurting Teagan.
    â€œOf course I w-w-w-was upset. She’s like f-f-f-family.”
    Letty leaned against the island. She stared at him for several moments before patting the top of his hand.
    â€œYou’re going to be late for your nondate. Get going.”
    He nodded, relieved to put an end to the pointless and stupid conversation. Hefting the picnic basket, he rushed out of his condo and made the haul to Cambridge in record time.
    He was busy looking for a parking space when he saw Teagan exit the building. She hurried toward his SUV, and he put it in park so he could get out and open the door for her. Before he could unbuckle his seatbelt, she opened the passenger door and jumped in.
    He turned toward her, intending to say hello, and she leaned over at the same time. Her lips grazed his—soft, smooth, and