Bound by Their Kisses(9)

The bell over the door alerted her to another customer. She looked at the clock and figured it would be her last one before she took a quick lunch break. That’s when the rest of her day went to hell. When she turned around to greet the new customer, it was to find Zander standing at the counter smiling at her.

“Hi there, kitten. Is it time for your lunch break?” he asked.

“No,” she said at the same time Steve’s voice spoke up behind her.

“Yes,” he said.

She turned and frowned at her boss, making sure he could tell she didn’t want to go yet. It didn’t seem to do any good. He just smiled down at her and greeted Zander.

“I’m up here now, Tessa. You can go ahead and take your break while I’m here. Did you and Zander have plans?” Butter wouldn’t have melted in his mouth from the overly innocent expression he wore.

“No. We didn’t and still don’t,” she mumbled as she walked to the back to get her lunch and hopefully sneak out the back door.

To her surprise, Zander reached over her head and grabbed her sacked lunch off the shelf for her and handed it to her with a smile.

“You’re not supposed to be back here. Only employees can come back here,” she fussed.

“The boss let me through, so I guess it’s okay this once. Come on, kitten. I have a picnic spot all fixed up for us.” He didn’t wait for her to argue. Instead he ushered her out the back door.

Tessa figured it wouldn’t do her any good to complain or put up a fight. She’d just have to endure the impromptu lunch plans he’d made. Anyway, nothing could happen that she couldn’t fend off should they get out of hand. At least that’s what she told herself, anyway.

He led her around the buildings to Crossover Street and down a block to the local city park. She’d never really ventured out to the park before, always choosing to eat her lunch in the back of the store, so Tessa wasn’t sure what to expect. To her surprise, it had a walking track that curled in and around the various trees, bushes, and flowerbeds along with a section with a playground for children. It was even covered for the most part by some type of canvas to help keep the sun off the kids.

Zander led her around part of the walking track then veered onto the grass to walk around a fragrant hedge where a small alcove hid a private area complete with a picnic table. Tag stood waiting to one side, hands stuffed in the front pockets of his jeans as if he didn’t know what to do with them while he waited. A tablecloth covered the wooden table, and several boxes emitting mouthwatering aromas sat waiting for them.

“Have a seat, baby girl. What would you like to drink? We’ve got sweet tea, Diet Coke, and bottled water,” Tag said, indicating the cooler on the ground by the table.

Tessa moved on autopilot to the table to take a seat, completely unprepared for what they’d set up for her. Because she knew it was for her. They wouldn’t have done all of this for themselves. They’d even brought Diet Coke. How had they known that she loved the stuff when she rarely splurged on it?

“Um, Diet Coke please. What’s going on? Why did you go to all of this trouble?” she asked.

“For you, kitten.” Zander sat next to her, and Tag sat across the table after handing her the ice cold can of Diet Coke. “We wanted to spend a little time with you and figured this was a good start."

“I–I already told Tag I can’t do this. I’m not dating. Period.” Tessa could tell that it was going in one ear and out the other as the man next to her started opening boxes and pulling out food.

“We knew you’d already have your lunch packed, but we figured a little more wouldn’t hurt. You can have your pick of anything,” Tag said, indicating the boxes of food.

Tessa opened her bag and pulled out her peanut butter sandwich and the banana she’d brought. Looking in the various boxes, she found fried chicken and several ham and cheese sandwiches. There were also containers of potato salad and baked beans. Zander pulled out paper plates and handed one to each of them.

“Dig in, kitten. That sandwich isn’t enough to keep a busy woman satisfied,” he said.

Tag watched her with his serious dark eyes as if he didn’t want to miss a single thing she did. Neither of the men moved to load up their plates. She realized they were waiting on her to go first. Tessa gave in as her stomach begged her to take advantage of the feast set before her. She took a spoonful of the potato salad and another of the baked beans. Then she chose a chicken leg and started eating. Zander and Tag each grabbed sandwiches and dipped into the beans and potatoes. She couldn’t help but smile at how much they piled on their plates.