He’s parked his car right at the end of the sidewalk and is leaning against the passenger side of his car, smiling wide when our eyes meet. As if that’s not enough to make every single bone in my body turn into pudding, he’s wearing a suit and tie. He pushes himself off his car, and I pick up the pace until we meet halfway. His arms encircle my waist, mine his neck, and he pushes his face into the crook of my neck, his breath tickling me.
“Hey,” I whisper, teasing his soft hair with my fingertips. “I want to introduce you to someone.” I turn around to see Daphne smiling wide. One of Greyston’s hands remains on my waist, always keeping a physical connection between us. “Greyston, this is my friend, Daphne. Daphne, this is Greyston.”
Greyston outstretches his free arm. “It’s a pleasure, Daphne. Juliette’s told me so much about you."
Smiling even wider, Daphne takes Greyston’s hand and begins to shake it enthusiastically. “I’ve heard so many things.”
This makes Greyston laugh, and I blush when he looks down at me with a cocky grin and an arched brow. “I’ll bet you have. Though, I’m not sure how much of it was based on fact. Am I right?”
“There may be a possibility that I confided in Daphne about a thing or two,” I tell him, reaching for his wrist and glancing at his watch. “Shoot, we should get going. I’ll talk to you later, Daphne?”
“Sounds good! Nice meeting you, Greyston.”
Greyston takes my bag and opens my door. I’m just about to step into the car when he grabs my upper arm and stops me, smiling as he leans down and gently presses his lips to mine.
“I never realized just how much I could miss that,” I whisper, bringing my hand up to grip his tie. “By the way, this suit? It’s like you’re trying to kill me.”
Chuckling, Greyston nods toward the car. “Come on, let’s get you to work, shall we?”
I sigh. “If we have to.”
“What time do you get off tonight?” Greyston asks as he pulls out of the lot. He realizes what he’s said before I can say or do anything, and he starts laughing. “Get off work.” He shakes his head at himself. “I’m sorry.”
Honestly, I find it comforting to know that I’m not the only one who says ridiculously inappropriate things at the worst possible times. Smiling, I place my hand on his arm and give it a reassuring squeeze. “Nine-thirty.” I glance over at him. “I’m closing tonight, so I’ll grab a cab home.”
“Not a chance.” I’m about to protest again, but before I can, Greyston continues. “I told you I’d help you out until your car was fixed, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“No,” I protest, turning my upper body to him as much as possible in my seatbelt. “Greyston, it’s too much. I’ll figure something else out.”
“It’s really not a problem, Juliette. I don’t understand why you won’t let me help you.” He seems almost disappointed that I’m so quick to refuse his help.
Dropping my eyes to my hands, I shrug. “I just don’t want you to have to rearrange your entire life because my car is a piece of crap.”
His warm hand moves from the gearshift to my thigh, making me inhale shakily. “It’s really not a problem. I don’t mind rearranging a few things to make this work.”
“Fine,” I concede, placing my hand over his. “But don’t do anything that might jeopardize your work. If you can’t drive me or pick me up for whatever reason, please let me know so I can figure something else out. Promise me?”
“Okay. I promise.”
When we arrive at the café, I unbuckle my seatbelt and lean across the console to give Greyston a kiss. “Okay, I’ll see you later, then. Thanks again for the ride.”
The minute I open the door, I see Katie is alone behind the counter and there’s a lineup that almost reaches the door. I decide not to wait the additional twenty minutes before my shift is supposed to start. Instead, I rush behind the counter without changing into my uniform so I can make Katie’s orders as she rings them in.
Within fifteen minutes, we’re caught up.
“Thanks for starting early,” Katie says, wiping the counter down.
“Yeah, no problem. Where’s Paul?” I ask, pulling my uniform out so I can go change.
Huffing, Katie tosses her rag onto the counter and crosses her arms. “He called in sick, and no one could cover.”
“Sorry. If I wasn’t in class all afternoon, I’d have come in sooner. You know, if it’s not busy later, you should go home early and I’ll close up,” I offer.