The Tea Shop on Lavender Lane (Life in Icicle Falls) by Sheila Roberts Page B
Authors: Sheila Roberts
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would be happy to get straightened out. But one thing she wouldn’t get, and that was back in a commercial kitchen. “I’ll do anything you ask me to, but, please, don’t ask me to do that. Or to handle anything breakable,” she added, remembering her experience at Tina’s shop. Thank God, Olivia hadn’t asked her what she’d been doing since she hit town.
Olivia smiled again. “You’ll do fine here.”
Bailey needed to do fine somewhere. “I hope so,” she said and prayed she’d last at this new job for longer than a day.
Chapter Eight
C ecily’s desk phone rang a little after eleven the next morning. It was Luke. “How about lunch?”
They’d had a nice time on their date. So, why not?
Because she didn’t know what she was doing or what she wanted—that was why not. It wasn’t fair to encourage Luke if she wasn’t 100 percent serious.
But she did enjoy his company. And if she was going to be smart about love, he was the logical choice.
“Hello. You still there?”
“I’m thinking,” she said.
“You have to think about whether or not you want to eat?” he teased.
“I have to think about whether or not I want to eat with you,” she said, trying for the kindest tone of voice possible. “Whether or not I want to string you along.”
“Who says you’re doing that?”
“Me.”
“That was a pretty nice kiss for stringing someone along,” he said.
“That was a pretty nice kiss. Period,” she admitted.
“Well, there’s more where that came from.”
She couldn’t help smiling. She really did like Luke.
“Come on,” he said. “You’ve got to eat, right?”
“Right.”
“And how does a burger at Herman’s sound?”
Actually, a fat, juicy cheeseburger and curly fries drenched in chili and melted cheese sounded fabulous. So did a blackberry shake. She hesitated.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
“Take it as a yes on one condition.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“That I pay for my own lunch.” That way it would feel more like friends enjoying a lunch break together than her taking advantage of Luke.
“I can afford to buy you a burger.”
“You can, but I don’t want you to.”
“I tell you what—we’ll arm wrestle to see who pays the bill,” he said and hung up.
That made her smile again. Luke had been state wrestling champion in high school. There would be no arm wrestling.
She’d barely finished talking to Luke when Todd called. “You hungry?”
“It’s not lunchtime yet,” she said, prevaricating.
“When it is, I’d like to go someplace with a great view—of a hot blonde sitting across the table from me.”
Todd Black made for some very nice scenery himself. But then she remembered that she was being practical. “I can’t,” she said.
There was a silence on the other end of the line. “Don’t tell me—you’ve got a date.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
“Then go with my blessing, my child. Let me know when you get tired of dating the second string,” he added in a low, sexy voice. “I’ll take you someplace nice and greasy and lick your fingers clean.” His voice alone was enough to make every hormone in her body start shimmying.
She ignored them and said a polite goodbye. Lunch with Luke would be just fine. Lunch with Todd would have been... Her fingers began to tingle. She put them to work typing, but her brain was still stuck on the image of Todd sucking on her index finger. Was it warm in the office today?
* * *
A few minutes after noon Cecily and Luke settled in at a corner table with cheeseburgers, Herman’s deadly fries and milk shakes. “There’s nothing like a Herman’s burger,” Luke said, taking his first bite. “Well, except for my manly man grilled onion-blue cheeseburger.”
“A man who cooks?” She pretended to be impressed.
“No, a man who grills. There’s a difference. But I do bake a mean chocolate chip cookie,” he added.
“You’re full of surprises.”
“Good
Olivia smiled again. “You’ll do fine here.”
Bailey needed to do fine somewhere. “I hope so,” she said and prayed she’d last at this new job for longer than a day.
Chapter Eight
C ecily’s desk phone rang a little after eleven the next morning. It was Luke. “How about lunch?”
They’d had a nice time on their date. So, why not?
Because she didn’t know what she was doing or what she wanted—that was why not. It wasn’t fair to encourage Luke if she wasn’t 100 percent serious.
But she did enjoy his company. And if she was going to be smart about love, he was the logical choice.
“Hello. You still there?”
“I’m thinking,” she said.
“You have to think about whether or not you want to eat?” he teased.
“I have to think about whether or not I want to eat with you,” she said, trying for the kindest tone of voice possible. “Whether or not I want to string you along.”
“Who says you’re doing that?”
“Me.”
“That was a pretty nice kiss for stringing someone along,” he said.
“That was a pretty nice kiss. Period,” she admitted.
“Well, there’s more where that came from.”
She couldn’t help smiling. She really did like Luke.
“Come on,” he said. “You’ve got to eat, right?”
“Right.”
“And how does a burger at Herman’s sound?”
Actually, a fat, juicy cheeseburger and curly fries drenched in chili and melted cheese sounded fabulous. So did a blackberry shake. She hesitated.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
“Take it as a yes on one condition.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“That I pay for my own lunch.” That way it would feel more like friends enjoying a lunch break together than her taking advantage of Luke.
“I can afford to buy you a burger.”
“You can, but I don’t want you to.”
“I tell you what—we’ll arm wrestle to see who pays the bill,” he said and hung up.
That made her smile again. Luke had been state wrestling champion in high school. There would be no arm wrestling.
She’d barely finished talking to Luke when Todd called. “You hungry?”
“It’s not lunchtime yet,” she said, prevaricating.
“When it is, I’d like to go someplace with a great view—of a hot blonde sitting across the table from me.”
Todd Black made for some very nice scenery himself. But then she remembered that she was being practical. “I can’t,” she said.
There was a silence on the other end of the line. “Don’t tell me—you’ve got a date.”
“Okay, I won’t tell you.”
“Then go with my blessing, my child. Let me know when you get tired of dating the second string,” he added in a low, sexy voice. “I’ll take you someplace nice and greasy and lick your fingers clean.” His voice alone was enough to make every hormone in her body start shimmying.
She ignored them and said a polite goodbye. Lunch with Luke would be just fine. Lunch with Todd would have been... Her fingers began to tingle. She put them to work typing, but her brain was still stuck on the image of Todd sucking on her index finger. Was it warm in the office today?
* * *
A few minutes after noon Cecily and Luke settled in at a corner table with cheeseburgers, Herman’s deadly fries and milk shakes. “There’s nothing like a Herman’s burger,” Luke said, taking his first bite. “Well, except for my manly man grilled onion-blue cheeseburger.”
“A man who cooks?” She pretended to be impressed.
“No, a man who grills. There’s a difference. But I do bake a mean chocolate chip cookie,” he added.
“You’re full of surprises.”
“Good
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