“I need to ask you a favor.” He enjoyed their physical proximity, which was a nice way to say she made him randier than a bull surrounded by a herd of cows in heat.
“Oh?”
“Maybe you should down that first and tell me what happened.” He indicated the vodka.
“This is a bad time for me, Harrison.”
“Go ahead.”
She lifted the glass to her mouth and drained it, then gasped for air. “Thanks,” she said. “That was really good. But I need to get busy. You sound busy, too. You’re building Gage a house?”
“Uh-huh. Exciting times.”
She actually seemed to break out of her haze a little. “That’s really nice.” She looked him straight in the eye. Hers seemed so sad. But flippin’ gorgeous, too. He could get lost in those eyes for a long, long time.
“Hey.” He heard the huskiness in his voice. She always got to him, even in her prim southern-lady outfit that she needed to dump in favor of something less uptight. “You all right? Anything I can help you with?”
She shook her head. “No, this is something I have to handle myself.” She took another sip of vodka. “You said you had a favor to ask me. Ask away. I’ll have to say no, though, whatever it is. I’m too busy to help anyone right now.”
She didn’t look very busy. But he wouldn’t tell her that.
“All right.” He slung an arm behind her.
She scooted away. “You can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You know.” She angled her head at his arm, which was still on the back of the seat. “ That .”
“Okay,” he said. “Maybe we should talk while we’re walking, then. You wanna come with me and find Gage? He’s straightening shelves at Southern Loot.”
“All the shopkeepers look forward to his visits.”
“He’s OCD, I guess. He even told me he’s figured out he has this so-called Asperger’s syndrome. You ever heard of it?”
“Sure. But he’s really just Gage.”
“Exactly.” Harrison leaned close. “He can stack boxes and think out of the box, all at the same time.”
“Yes, he can.” True’s smile was serene. “And Weezie is just Weezie. Our doctor said she’s an Aspie, too. But they’re both bigger than any label.”
Yes. It was as if a Zen bell rang in Harrison’s head. This woman. This one. Right here.
Their faces were so close. He wanted to lean in, lay his forehead on hers, close his eyes, and be. Just be. And maybe wind up kissing. And running a hand over her sweet little breasts and wrapping a leg around hers, which looked mighty fine in that skirt. Yes, they were in a restaurant and everybody was probably staring at him, but they should be looking at her. She was the fascinating one—
“Harrison?” She pushed on his chest. She was acting alert now, and the zoning out had somehow been transferred to him. “I’ll walk with you a little and say hi to Gage. But then I really do have to go.”
He mentally cleared his head. “Right.”
He stood up, watched her slide out of the seat, enjoying every moment of looking down the pucker in her blouse, and extended a hand. She took it—ah, sweet Jesus, those fingers felt good—and he pulled her up. Right into his face. Or beneath his face. But close enough.
“Who are you marrying again?” he asked her, low in his throat.
She looked blankly at him, then said, “Dubose,” in the next instant.
“Too late,” he replied, much satisfied.
“It’s that vodka,” she said. “And if you expect a favor when you tease me like that, you’d better think again.”
“You already said you’re too busy to help.”
“I did say that, but since you’re an old friend, I’ll do it. As long as it won’t take very long.”
“It won’t. All you need to do is say yes. I can handle the rest. You can just sit back and watch.”
“Really?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Okay, then.”
“Fantastic.”
They were walking side by side through the restaurant, Harrison nodding at everyone he made eye contact with. Which was everybody. He
“Oh?”
“Maybe you should down that first and tell me what happened.” He indicated the vodka.
“This is a bad time for me, Harrison.”
“Go ahead.”
She lifted the glass to her mouth and drained it, then gasped for air. “Thanks,” she said. “That was really good. But I need to get busy. You sound busy, too. You’re building Gage a house?”
“Uh-huh. Exciting times.”
She actually seemed to break out of her haze a little. “That’s really nice.” She looked him straight in the eye. Hers seemed so sad. But flippin’ gorgeous, too. He could get lost in those eyes for a long, long time.
“Hey.” He heard the huskiness in his voice. She always got to him, even in her prim southern-lady outfit that she needed to dump in favor of something less uptight. “You all right? Anything I can help you with?”
She shook her head. “No, this is something I have to handle myself.” She took another sip of vodka. “You said you had a favor to ask me. Ask away. I’ll have to say no, though, whatever it is. I’m too busy to help anyone right now.”
She didn’t look very busy. But he wouldn’t tell her that.
“All right.” He slung an arm behind her.
She scooted away. “You can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“You know.” She angled her head at his arm, which was still on the back of the seat. “ That .”
“Okay,” he said. “Maybe we should talk while we’re walking, then. You wanna come with me and find Gage? He’s straightening shelves at Southern Loot.”
“All the shopkeepers look forward to his visits.”
“He’s OCD, I guess. He even told me he’s figured out he has this so-called Asperger’s syndrome. You ever heard of it?”
“Sure. But he’s really just Gage.”
“Exactly.” Harrison leaned close. “He can stack boxes and think out of the box, all at the same time.”
“Yes, he can.” True’s smile was serene. “And Weezie is just Weezie. Our doctor said she’s an Aspie, too. But they’re both bigger than any label.”
Yes. It was as if a Zen bell rang in Harrison’s head. This woman. This one. Right here.
Their faces were so close. He wanted to lean in, lay his forehead on hers, close his eyes, and be. Just be. And maybe wind up kissing. And running a hand over her sweet little breasts and wrapping a leg around hers, which looked mighty fine in that skirt. Yes, they were in a restaurant and everybody was probably staring at him, but they should be looking at her. She was the fascinating one—
“Harrison?” She pushed on his chest. She was acting alert now, and the zoning out had somehow been transferred to him. “I’ll walk with you a little and say hi to Gage. But then I really do have to go.”
He mentally cleared his head. “Right.”
He stood up, watched her slide out of the seat, enjoying every moment of looking down the pucker in her blouse, and extended a hand. She took it—ah, sweet Jesus, those fingers felt good—and he pulled her up. Right into his face. Or beneath his face. But close enough.
“Who are you marrying again?” he asked her, low in his throat.
She looked blankly at him, then said, “Dubose,” in the next instant.
“Too late,” he replied, much satisfied.
“It’s that vodka,” she said. “And if you expect a favor when you tease me like that, you’d better think again.”
“You already said you’re too busy to help.”
“I did say that, but since you’re an old friend, I’ll do it. As long as it won’t take very long.”
“It won’t. All you need to do is say yes. I can handle the rest. You can just sit back and watch.”
“Really?”
“Scout’s honor.”
“Okay, then.”
“Fantastic.”
They were walking side by side through the restaurant, Harrison nodding at everyone he made eye contact with. Which was everybody. He
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