Dances with Monsters(98)

"Take the mug with you," she said. She smiled at him playfully. "I know where you work. Not where you live—but where you work. I'll find you."

It occurred to Heath that Drew had never been to his place before. "I guess I can't hide from you, then," he said lightly. "I'll drive you to work."

"Heath, it's like three blocks away," Drew protested. He shook his head.

"It's also like, five in the morning," he mimicked. "It's dark outside. Come on."

He carried his mug carefully down the stairs as she fed Rocky and locked up behind her. Her boots thumped hollowly down the stairs as they walked out to his car. As he usually did, he reached for the handle of her door absently and pulled it open for her. She rolled her eyes playfully at him, but smiled appreciatively too.

"So what are you gonna do in there so early?" he asked once they were settled in his car. "You don't open for a couple hours."

"Oh, I'll get the front end going, the machines assembled, then get the bakery case loaded, stuff like that," Drew said, stretching in her seat. "And what about you?"

Heath sipped at his coffee. "Run to the gym. Open the gym. Do some paperwork, study film. Train. Spar. The usual."

"One more week," she said lightly.

"One more week," he echoed.

When they arrived at the café, he insisted on walking her to the front door and waited while she unlocked the gate, pulled it aside, and unlocked the door. She wedged her foot between the heavy glass door and the frame and looked up at him. He got the feeling she was suddenly shy again. He met her gaze and reached out to push a stray lock of hair that had fallen free of her bun behind her ear.

"Take care of my mug," she said finally.

"I'll protect it with my life," he joked. "Have a good day today."

"Oh, I will," she murmured, the words come out far more suggestively than she'd probably intended as her cheeks suddenly turned crimson. Memories of the previous night flooded his mind and he knew it was on hers too. He smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss in that slow, lingering way she seemed to like. When he pulled away her eyes were bright and she was smiling widely. He remained on the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets, as he waited for her to step inside, pull the gate back across the entrance and then shut and lock the door again. He smiled at her once she was secure and she waved. They both turned away, Heath heading for the car, when he heard a rapid tattoo of knuckles on glass and turned around. He grinned when she blew him a kiss, dimpling, before spinning on the ball of her foot and disappearing into the back of the café.

He turned toward his car, feeling a little ache in his gut; it reminded him of the feeling he got whenever he thought of his mother or Joaquin. This feeling was slightly different, though; it was bittersweet instead of just bitter because Drew was here, she was alive, she was fine. Yet, as he got into his car and drove off, he missed her already, just the same.

***

"So," Bunz chirped a couple hours later. "How was your night? Dinner and a movie, right?"

Drew tried to give her a withering stare but she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "Oh, you know how the night was, you sly minx," she said as she opened a fresh bag of espresso beans.

Bunz laughed. "I'm going to ignore the fact that you just called me a 'sly minx'," she said. "What makes you think I know how it was?"

"C'mon," Drew said. "Heath told me you put a bug in his ear."

Bunz opened her mouth as though she wanted to protest, then thought better of it and shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, give credit where credit is due. I did do that. But," she lifted a finger in the air dramatically, "he didn't have to listen to me and he did it anyway. So you had a good time?"

"It was amazing," Drew said, with a dreamy smile. "The ballet was great, too."

Bunz laughed. "Wow, the day when your favorite ballet takes a backseat to the rest of the date is a day worth remembering. So what was so great about it?"

"He's just…amazing," Drew repeated, filling the top of the espresso grinder with fresh, whole beans. "Such a gentleman. Cleans up very well. Thoughtful."

"Delicious," Bunz added, then shrugged when Drew looked at her sharply. "What? He is. Did you get some?"

"B!" Drew squealed. "I'm not that kind of girl." She thought again of their night on the couch and reddened. It did not go unnoticed by Bunz. She gasped and pointed.

"Oh, my God!" she said in a hushed tone. "You did! Your chest is all—splotchy now."

Drew's neck and chest did tend to redden along with her face when she was embarrassed, and it intensified now that Bunz had pointed it out.