Glory was shadowing, could complete the retrieval of Lego Luke Skywalker and, Glory was pretty sure, his trusty pal R2-D2 out of Cole Andrew’s left nostril. The result of a schoolyard dare gone bad.
Not to mention she had to find Charlotte Holden. And soon. Glory needed to explain to the doctor why she missed her midterm before word spread about the arrest. Finding out how the Great Tractor Heist of Sugar County would impact her future at the hospital should have been at the forefront of her thoughts. Only Cal took that moment to glance behind him—and directly up at her window.
He paused.
She panicked.
Even though his ball cap was pulled low on his head, shadowing most of his face, she could still feel those intense blue eyes when they zeroed in on her. Buns of steel still to her, he nodded in greeting and, oh boy , smiled. Actually it was more of a grin, which implied smugness. And the only reason he’d be smug was if he knew she’d been caught ogling the goods.
Which she totally had, but would rather die than let him know.
You got this , she told herself, proud that she managed a serene smile. At least she hoped it came off as serene. Hard to tell when her lungs had stopped functioning properly.
All she needed to do was give a causal, Oh, hey there wave, and he’d turn his head back around, bury it in his toolbox, and it would be business as usual. Then she could slink off. It was what they did. What they’d spent the past fifteen years mastering. She’d ogle, he’d catch her, she’d play it cool, and he’d go back to ignoring her.
Rinse and repeat.
Her hand rose and fell. She gave it a solid 9.2 on the cool and unaffected scale. It was short, to the point, and not a single finger broke away from the pack to flit in his direction. Good start.
He returned the gesture with a set of double-barreled dimples and perfectly white teeth, but there was no business as usual. Instead he didn’t break eye contact, didn’t ignore her, just stood there, flashing her his sugar-shaker, amusement clear on his face. Then he craned his neck even more and looked at his butt and then back to her.
Oh God.
Straightening, he turned to face her and lifted a single finger then twirled it around in the universal gesture for, I showed you mine, now show me yours .
She shook her head and his hands went to his hips. She mimicked his stance. So he reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and—
Her phone vibrated. It was Cal. She considered ignoring it, but what would that accomplish since he was watching her, waiting for her to answer?
“I’m working,” she said by way of greeting.
“I can see that.” She wondered what else he could see, such as the way his voice rumbled over her skin and had her nipples waving their big welcome flag. She crossed her arms.
He smiled.
“If you’re calling to make sure I didn’t skip town, your bail is safe.”
He walked to the end of his tailgate and studied her through the glass for a moment. “I was calling to see if you were okay after yesterday.”
“Yeah,” she said but suddenly she wasn’t sure what okay even meant. Ever since that kiss she’d felt…off somehow. And she wondered if he was feeling the same. “I mean, it was just a kiss.”
He shifted slightly and cupped the bill of his hat. “I was talking about being arrested, but we can talk about the kiss,” he said almost in horror, the pitch of his voice making her cringe. “If you want.”
Did she want? Hell, yes she did. Was she going to admit that to him? Not when he sounded like he’d rather talk about the birthing process. “Nothing to talk about.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.”
“Good.” He sounded a little too relieved for her liking. “Because Payton is my number one focus. And my life, my family, my career…” He sounded weary just talking about it. “I’m not in a position to start up anything right now.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant that he wasn’t in the market or if it was
Not to mention she had to find Charlotte Holden. And soon. Glory needed to explain to the doctor why she missed her midterm before word spread about the arrest. Finding out how the Great Tractor Heist of Sugar County would impact her future at the hospital should have been at the forefront of her thoughts. Only Cal took that moment to glance behind him—and directly up at her window.
He paused.
She panicked.
Even though his ball cap was pulled low on his head, shadowing most of his face, she could still feel those intense blue eyes when they zeroed in on her. Buns of steel still to her, he nodded in greeting and, oh boy , smiled. Actually it was more of a grin, which implied smugness. And the only reason he’d be smug was if he knew she’d been caught ogling the goods.
Which she totally had, but would rather die than let him know.
You got this , she told herself, proud that she managed a serene smile. At least she hoped it came off as serene. Hard to tell when her lungs had stopped functioning properly.
All she needed to do was give a causal, Oh, hey there wave, and he’d turn his head back around, bury it in his toolbox, and it would be business as usual. Then she could slink off. It was what they did. What they’d spent the past fifteen years mastering. She’d ogle, he’d catch her, she’d play it cool, and he’d go back to ignoring her.
Rinse and repeat.
Her hand rose and fell. She gave it a solid 9.2 on the cool and unaffected scale. It was short, to the point, and not a single finger broke away from the pack to flit in his direction. Good start.
He returned the gesture with a set of double-barreled dimples and perfectly white teeth, but there was no business as usual. Instead he didn’t break eye contact, didn’t ignore her, just stood there, flashing her his sugar-shaker, amusement clear on his face. Then he craned his neck even more and looked at his butt and then back to her.
Oh God.
Straightening, he turned to face her and lifted a single finger then twirled it around in the universal gesture for, I showed you mine, now show me yours .
She shook her head and his hands went to his hips. She mimicked his stance. So he reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and—
Her phone vibrated. It was Cal. She considered ignoring it, but what would that accomplish since he was watching her, waiting for her to answer?
“I’m working,” she said by way of greeting.
“I can see that.” She wondered what else he could see, such as the way his voice rumbled over her skin and had her nipples waving their big welcome flag. She crossed her arms.
He smiled.
“If you’re calling to make sure I didn’t skip town, your bail is safe.”
He walked to the end of his tailgate and studied her through the glass for a moment. “I was calling to see if you were okay after yesterday.”
“Yeah,” she said but suddenly she wasn’t sure what okay even meant. Ever since that kiss she’d felt…off somehow. And she wondered if he was feeling the same. “I mean, it was just a kiss.”
He shifted slightly and cupped the bill of his hat. “I was talking about being arrested, but we can talk about the kiss,” he said almost in horror, the pitch of his voice making her cringe. “If you want.”
Did she want? Hell, yes she did. Was she going to admit that to him? Not when he sounded like he’d rather talk about the birthing process. “Nothing to talk about.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.”
“Good.” He sounded a little too relieved for her liking. “Because Payton is my number one focus. And my life, my family, my career…” He sounded weary just talking about it. “I’m not in a position to start up anything right now.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant that he wasn’t in the market or if it was
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