manager, I will.”
“Nah. He knows. He said if the jerk ever really touches me he’ll get rid of him, but until then he doesn’t want to make waves. That guy has a lot of clout with the country club crowd. I usually stay in the back if I know he’s in the restaurant.”
Tally cringed. Fucking small towns. “Sorry, hon.”
She gave him a shy smile. “It’s okay. I’ll see you Monday?”
“Actually, no. I’m not working early mornings anymore.”
“I’ll stop by after school to say hi.”
Tally was a bit worried. “Uh, listen, Lacey—”
She giggled softly. “Give me a break, Tally. I just never had a sibling. You’re cool, protective, kind of like having an older brother to laugh with—nothing like octopus fingers out there.” She gestured at the parking lot where Brock’s car had been.
He smiled, relieved. “Well, then, I’ll see you Monday after school.”
Lacey handed him his newly boxed pizza. “It’s a date!”
Chapter Six
A
WKWARD . God. Shit. Why did I kiss him? Because you wanted to. Now you get to deal with the fallout. Maybe there wouldn’t be any. Maybe he and Tally were both mature enough that one little amazing, sexy, totally full-on delicious kiss wouldn’t mean days of feeling weird working together. Or maybe he was full of shit.
Tally was due to be at the shop in minutes. Lex had opened on his own for a few hours, and as soon as Tally got there, they’d finish the morning rush together. Then Lex would thankfully get to retreat to his office and get his battle plan for the permit office ready, or at least valiantly try to work and not spend all of his time thinking about the flavor of Tally’s lips. He’d been able to push thoughts of the kiss out of his mind that weekend—for a few minutes at a time, at least. Then, without warning, it would come back, flashes of Tally’s tongue slipping into his mouth, those warm fingers curling around the back of his neck. Lex shivered, then squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. He wanted to pound his fist against the wall until it bled but was grown up enough to know that would mean hours of work fixing the dent in the drywall and touching up the paint.
I can do this. It won’t be weird.
The overhead bell rang, and Lex’s stomach flip-flopped before taking a nosedive to his toes. Tally. Shit.
“Morning, boss, how were things over the weekend?”
Long. I missed you. He stared at a chip in the old wood flooring. “It was okay. Saturday was quiet, but there was a big line before church yesterday since it was so cold and rainy.”
“You could’ve called me if you needed me to come in. I wasn’t doing anything, really.”
Lex finally looked up. His cheeks turned pink at the sight of Tally’s long-lashed brown eyes, eyes that were currently looking at him appraisingly, like he was wondering what was wrong. Not too surprising, since Lex was acting like a sixth grader with an awkward crush.
“Lex, is this about Friday night?” He seemed concerned and sweet, and Lex wanted so bad to close the foot and a half between them and sink his tongue back into Tally’s mouth so it could be happy again.
“No. I’m fine. What do you mean?”
“Fine?” Tally chuckled. “Okay. Just remember that I really liked kissing you, that I’d kiss you again in a heartbeat if you would let me. There’s no bad anything on my side, okay?”
Lex nodded, his heart skipping at just the thought of that kiss. “I need to use the bathroom. Can you watch the shop for a few minutes?”
Tally chuckled, and Lex knew why. They both knew Tally was perfectly capable of watching the shop for more than a few minutes, and he also probably knew Lex was asking because he was nervous. About the kiss. Moron.
The rest of the morning was painful, in a comfortable sort of way. They slid into their respective jobs with ease. Tally had conquered the high school kids days before, smiling and flirting with the giggling girls as they dropped their dollars in the tip jar while
“Nah. He knows. He said if the jerk ever really touches me he’ll get rid of him, but until then he doesn’t want to make waves. That guy has a lot of clout with the country club crowd. I usually stay in the back if I know he’s in the restaurant.”
Tally cringed. Fucking small towns. “Sorry, hon.”
She gave him a shy smile. “It’s okay. I’ll see you Monday?”
“Actually, no. I’m not working early mornings anymore.”
“I’ll stop by after school to say hi.”
Tally was a bit worried. “Uh, listen, Lacey—”
She giggled softly. “Give me a break, Tally. I just never had a sibling. You’re cool, protective, kind of like having an older brother to laugh with—nothing like octopus fingers out there.” She gestured at the parking lot where Brock’s car had been.
He smiled, relieved. “Well, then, I’ll see you Monday after school.”
Lacey handed him his newly boxed pizza. “It’s a date!”
Chapter Six
A
WKWARD . God. Shit. Why did I kiss him? Because you wanted to. Now you get to deal with the fallout. Maybe there wouldn’t be any. Maybe he and Tally were both mature enough that one little amazing, sexy, totally full-on delicious kiss wouldn’t mean days of feeling weird working together. Or maybe he was full of shit.
Tally was due to be at the shop in minutes. Lex had opened on his own for a few hours, and as soon as Tally got there, they’d finish the morning rush together. Then Lex would thankfully get to retreat to his office and get his battle plan for the permit office ready, or at least valiantly try to work and not spend all of his time thinking about the flavor of Tally’s lips. He’d been able to push thoughts of the kiss out of his mind that weekend—for a few minutes at a time, at least. Then, without warning, it would come back, flashes of Tally’s tongue slipping into his mouth, those warm fingers curling around the back of his neck. Lex shivered, then squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. He wanted to pound his fist against the wall until it bled but was grown up enough to know that would mean hours of work fixing the dent in the drywall and touching up the paint.
I can do this. It won’t be weird.
The overhead bell rang, and Lex’s stomach flip-flopped before taking a nosedive to his toes. Tally. Shit.
“Morning, boss, how were things over the weekend?”
Long. I missed you. He stared at a chip in the old wood flooring. “It was okay. Saturday was quiet, but there was a big line before church yesterday since it was so cold and rainy.”
“You could’ve called me if you needed me to come in. I wasn’t doing anything, really.”
Lex finally looked up. His cheeks turned pink at the sight of Tally’s long-lashed brown eyes, eyes that were currently looking at him appraisingly, like he was wondering what was wrong. Not too surprising, since Lex was acting like a sixth grader with an awkward crush.
“Lex, is this about Friday night?” He seemed concerned and sweet, and Lex wanted so bad to close the foot and a half between them and sink his tongue back into Tally’s mouth so it could be happy again.
“No. I’m fine. What do you mean?”
“Fine?” Tally chuckled. “Okay. Just remember that I really liked kissing you, that I’d kiss you again in a heartbeat if you would let me. There’s no bad anything on my side, okay?”
Lex nodded, his heart skipping at just the thought of that kiss. “I need to use the bathroom. Can you watch the shop for a few minutes?”
Tally chuckled, and Lex knew why. They both knew Tally was perfectly capable of watching the shop for more than a few minutes, and he also probably knew Lex was asking because he was nervous. About the kiss. Moron.
The rest of the morning was painful, in a comfortable sort of way. They slid into their respective jobs with ease. Tally had conquered the high school kids days before, smiling and flirting with the giggling girls as they dropped their dollars in the tip jar while
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