“I don’t know what he’s thinking.” It came out as a plaintive whine and she fell over onto an overstuffed pillow. “I mean, he’s really sweet. And thoughtful.” She lifted her face to turn and face them. “Did I tell you that he took me and Jack to the Central Park Zoo yesterday?”
“You told us,” Tabitha said. She and Katerina exchanged another exasperatingly smug look.
“Okay, just spill,” she said. “What are you two thinking?”
“You like him.” Katerina, as usual, was blunt.
Elise blinked at her before turning to Tabitha. “Yeah? You think so?”
Tabitha nodded. “Definitely. I think you’re just gun-shy from the whole Ben incident and you’re afraid to trust your gut.”
Elise tried to listen to her gut but her brain was working on hyper-drive. “Say I do like him,” she said slowly. “How do we know if he likes me back?” Her voice wavered a bit and uncertainty had her looking to her friends for help. She’d been so certain with Ben and look where that had gotten her. What if she let herself get her hopes up with Derek and it turned out he was just being nice? What if he really was lacking for friends and thought good old friendly-to-everyone Elise would fit the bill?
“If he likes you, he’ll do something about it.” Katerina had turned back to study the tree and her tone was matter-of-fact.
“You think?” Elise asked.
Tabitha grinned. “For someone who’s never been on a date, Kat knows what she’s talking about.”
Elise laughed and Katerina spun around with arched brows. “It’s not complicated. Humans as a species are pretty predicable. When we want something, we go after it.” She turned to Elise, “Like you eventually did with Ben.”
The reminder of that kiss had her scrunching up her nose in disgust and residual humiliation. “Hey, I thought we weren’t going to say his name anymore.”
Katerina ignored her. “And if Ben had strong feelings for you, he would have acted on them.”
Tabitha cleared her throat in an obvious effort to remind Katerina to have some tact but Elise wasn’t offended. Sometimes Katerina’s no-nonsense view of the world was refreshing.
Like right now. Her black and white view of it all cut through the muddled back-and-forth debate raging in her mind. Did he or didn’t he? If so, what did that mean?
If Katerina was right, nature would take its course. If attraction was there, one of them would act on it.
Elise watched Katerina place an angel on top of the tree and said a quick, urgent prayer to the powers that be. For the love of all that was holy, let Derek be the one to act on it.
Kyle was sprawled across Derek’s couch, eating fries and watching Derek attempt to teach Jack some basic ground rules. “So, are you ever planning on asking this girl out or are the two of you going to be that weird old couple who meets up to walk a dog every day?”
Derek frowned at Jack, who didn’t seem to notice that his owner was displeased by his valiant attempts to eat a shoe. “Of course I’m going to ask her out.”
Maybe. Probably.
Kyle seemed to sense the hesitation in his answer. Close friends were annoyingly perceptive like that. Even terribly unperceptive ones like Kyle.
“So, like, sometime this year?” his friend drawled from the couch.
Still staring at the oblivious dog, he struggled with how much to tell his best friend. It was ridiculous that a man at his age should have to ask his friend for relationship advice. He’d never had a problem before.
But then, he’d never been interested in someone like Elise before. Compared to every woman he ever dated, she was…more. Just more. When she walked into a room, the world went from black and white to Technicolor. It went from standard vision to 3-D. It went from… oh hell, he’d never been good with analogies. All he knew was that she was unlike anyone he’d ever met. And what he felt around her was just as new.
All in all, he was in foreign territory…and he needed help.
“I don’t know if she’ll say yes.”
There. He’d said it. After a moment of silence, he turned to face his friend, who had paused in eating, one fry frozen in front of his face. For a second he’d thought maybe his friend was contemplating that statement but then Kyle burst out laughing, his shaggy brown hair falling into his face in his mirth. “Dude, what are you talking about? She hangs out with you every day.”
“I pay her,” he felt compelled to add.
“Not enough to hang with you if she thought you were a creep.” Kyle resumed eating as if this solved everything.
“She’s nice. Maybe she’s just being nice.”
Kyle’s expression grew comically stern and he lowered his voice. “I want you to be nice until it’s time to not be nice.”
Derek rolled his eyes. “Dude. This is so not the time to quote Road House.”
Kyle switched back to his regular voice as if his Patrick Swayze impersonation never happened. “So she’s nice…nobody is that nice,” Kyle said, the sound of authority ringing in his voice. “She could have found a way to bail on you by now. Besides, you two have been having fun, right? Didn’t you say you guys were having a good time?”
“Yes.” And they were. Or at least, he was. He’d never enjoyed a woman’s company more. And it seemed like she was having a good time too. At least he’d thought so….
He cleared his throat. “There are some rumors going around at work,” he started. When Kyle paused in eating to look up, he added, “About Elise.”
Kyle swallowed his last bite. “That she’s into girls?”
“What? No.”
Kyle resumed eating. “So what’s the rumor?”
“Apparently she and this other guy from the office were…” He shrugged, his stomach turning at the mental image.
“Screwing?” Kyle said.
“No!” Crap, had they been sleeping together? He shook his head; it wasn’t any of his business. “They were kissing. At the holiday party.”
“Ahhh,” Kyle said. “That sucks.”
Derek stared at his friend. “That’s it? That’s your big advice?”
Kyle fell back against the couch cushions. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were looking for advice here.”
Derek crossed his arms and glared at his friend, who was looking far more amused than the situation warranted. “So, what do I do?”
Kyle leaned forward and placed his chin on his steepled fingers, his brows drawn together in thought. “What should you do,” he repeated slowly. “Let’s see…How about ask her out?”
Derek rolled his eyes. “You are very helpful.”
His friend shrugged and went back to eating. “You asked what I would do—”
“That’s not at all what I asked.”
Kyle ignored him. “Look, you like her and it sounds like she doesn’t find you repulsive.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s the worst that could happen if you bite the bullet and ask her on a date?”
When Derek didn’t immediately answer, Kyle answered for him. “You’d have to find a new dog walker. Not exactly the end of the world.”
But he also wouldn’t see her again. They’d no longer have those lunchtime visits. That thought was so bleak he couldn’t bring himself to think about it any longer. Kyle was right—not a phrase he often thought to himself, but today it was true. He didn’t want to be her friend, he wanted more. And if that was ever going to happen, he would have to man up.
“You’re right,” he said to Kyle. “Now get out of here, she’ll be here any minute.”
Chapter Eight
As he couldn’t imagine anything more awkward than being stuck walking side by side after being rejected, he waited until after the walk to ask the question.
They were back at his apartment, a cup of coffee in his hand and a steaming mug of tea in hers. He watched Elise try and fail to get Jack to sit on command—and then give him a dog treat anyway.
“I’m not sure that’s the best way to get your point across,”
he said before taking a sip of his coffee.
She looked back at him over her shoulder, one eyebrow arched. “You hired me to walk him, not train him.”
He fought back a grin as he leaned forward beside her so they were both watching him munch away on his treat. “So what exactly is your plan here? Spoil him into submission?”
Her soft laugh had him grinning like an idiot.
“My plan,” she said, “is to make him love me.”
“With treats,” he added. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder now and though they were both staring straight ahead at Jack, he was painfully aware of the feel of her thigh pressed against his.
“Of course with treats. How else can I get him to love me?” Her hands were wrapped around her mug, probably still trying to warm up after their frigid walk. He was so focused on those long, delicate fingers, he said the first thing that popped into his head. “You don’t need treats for that—you’re infinitely loveable.”
It was a silly thing to say. They were talking about dog treats, for the love of God. But somehow that innocuous remark made the atmosphere in the room change. A tension grew between them that he was sure she could feel as well.
He waited for a retort that never came.
When he turned his head he saw that she was watching him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes filled with question.
Well, at least she hadn’t run from the room screaming.
He slowly set his coffee cup down on the end table. This was it. It was now or never. “So I was wondering if, uh… if you have any plans for New Year’s Eve?”
He heard her inhale. Felt her pause. Surely it didn’t last as long as he thought because it felt like an eternity before she spoke.
“No,” she said. “Nothing special. Probably just watching the ball drop on TV with some friends.”
He tried to swallow but his throat had gone dry. “Would you have any interest in spending it with me?”
She opened her mouth to speak but a flash of fear had him hurrying on. “I’m having some friends over. A small party, we do it every year. There’s a great view of the fireworks from my rooftop.”
Was it his imagination or did her face fall? He could have sworn he saw disappointment flicker in her eyes.
Ah crap, what had he done? He’d ruined everything.
She turned to look at Jack as if the dog might have the response she was looking for.
He bit back a miserable groan. She was probably trying to come up with a nice way to let him down.
When she finally turned back, she looked up at him through her long lashes and the vulnerability he saw in those vivid blue eyes made his heart ache.
“So is this…” She tucked a stray curl behind her ear. “Is this, like… a friend thing or….”
She didn’t finish but he knew what she meant. If he wanted to wuss out, this was his chance. He could say yes, as friends, and nothing would change.
And he would miss his chance.
He looked down into those big blue eyes, always filled with such sweetness. That was what he wanted in his life—and not just as his friend.
Ah hell. Go big or go home, right?
Refusing to overthink it, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders and drew her close. He saw her eyes widen in surprise before he closed the distance between them and kissed her.
Her lips softened beneath his and relief rushed through him, along with a joy that was complete and unexpected. She sighed softly as his lips moved over hers, trying to memorize the feel of her lips beneath his, the scent of her skin, the feel of her warmth beneath his hands.
Oh holy hell, he felt like he’d been waiting an eternity for this moment. It took everything in him not to crush her to him and never let go.
But as much as he wanted to do just that, he couldn’t risk scaring her away. Reluctantly he pulled back but he couldn’t hold back a grin at the dazed look in her eyes as she blinked up at him.
“Wow,” she whispered. Her lips curved up in the sweetest and sexiest little smile he’d ever seen. “So…not friends then.”
He laughed. “Friends,” he clarified. “But not just friends.”
Elise was still reliving that kiss days later while relaxing at her parents’ house with her sister, Tabitha, and Katerina in upstate New York after Christmas.
“We get it,” her sister said. “The kiss was epic.” She rolled her eyes and went back to flipping through a magazine.
Luckily her friends were more enthusiastic. “I’m happy for you, El.” Katerina leaned over on the coach to nudge her with her shoulder. “He sounds like a great guy.”
Elise tried not to gloat at having finally found a great guy…and, more importantly, one who liked her back. Poor Kat had zero luck in the romance department, not that she seemed to care. Still, she had to imagine that her friend got lonely sometimes.
Katerina looked down at the notebook Elise had been writing in before the kiss conversation came up yet again. “What are you working on?”
“A pros and cons list,” she said. “I’m trying to figure out what kind of job I want to apply for next. Figure out the best career move for me.”
At Katerina’s silence she looked up to find her friend staring at her with her mouth slightly open.
“What?”
“You are voluntarily creating a pros and cons list?”
Elise shrugged. “It was Derek’s idea. He’s been helping me figure out what I want out of a career.” She’d never actually told him what went down between her and Ben or why she’d left the company so quickly, and he hadn’t asked. But his input had been invaluable. When she talked about her goals, he actually listened. More than that, he took them seriously.
“I think I love this man,” Katerina muttered under her breath, still staring at the notebook in disbelief.
Elise laughed. “Slow down there, Kat. The L-word is not in the picture yet. We’re just starting to get to know one another.”
Lucy spoke without looking up from the article she was reading. “Sounds like it’s moving pretty quick to me.”
Elise rolled her eyes, which had become something of an automatic response to her sister’s comments.
“It’s true,” Tabitha added. “Asking you out for New Year’s Eve? That’s a big deal.”
Elise shot her a look. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, a date on New Year’s Eve? That’s big. Most people work up to sharing the holidays. That’s making a statement.”
She fidgeted in her seat. She hadn’t thought of it that way. “You and Jacob got together on Halloween,” she argued.
“That’s different,” Tabitha said.
“How?”
Katerina chimed in. “Halloween is a hookup holiday.”
Elise and Tabitha gaped at her. That statement coming out of Katerina’s mouth just seemed…wrong.
Katerina shrugged. “What? I read magazines.”
“Okay, oh wise ones. So what does spending New Year’s Eve together mean?” She tried to sound like she was joking, but she honestly wanted to know. What had she gotten herself into here? She liked Derek and that kiss—oh man, that kiss—but it had been a matter of weeks since she’d thrown herself at Ben and she couldn’t just turn her feelings off and on like that. She was keenly aware of the fact that she hadn’t talked to Ben since that disastrous day and she needed to get some sort of closure to that non-relationship before she could even think about getting serious.
Besides, she’d just started to get to know Derek. Was she really ready to make a ‘statement’? Whatever that meant.
Just then her phone dinged and she lifted it off the coffee table to see who’d texted.
Tabitha’s voice mocked her from across the room. “If that’s Derek, you have got it bad, girl. Check out that goofy grin.”
She hid her phone from view. “It’s from Derek. He sent a picture.”
Her sister looked up from her magazine with newfound interest. “If the color of your cheeks is anything to go by,
it must have been a dick-pic.”
“Lucy!” Elise threw a couch pillow at her sister who ducked and laughed.
“Am I right?”
“No!”
Before she could fight back, Katerina snatched the phone from her hand and let out a very un-Katerina-like “awwww.”
Tabitha leapt out of her chair and over to the couch. “Now I have to see.”
Elise didn’t fight them and soon Tabitha was making cooing noises as well. Lucy rolled her eyes. “Oh for the love of God, what did he send?”
Tabitha tossed her the phone and even her snarky sister melted visibly at the sight of Jack’s big eyes staring up at her.
“Jack misses you,” Lucy read aloud. She looked up at Elise with a grin. “Holy crap, sis, this guy has got it bad.”
Chapter Nine
Elise came back to the city the day before New Year’s Eve and had barely unpacked her overnight bag when she got a text she’d given up on ever receiving.
She stopped breathing, her heart in her throat as she saw Ben’s name and picture pop up on her phone.
Hey, can we talk?
Forcing herself to wait to respond, she counted to ten before hitting send. I’d like that.
Turned out he wanted to meet that day.
Great. Better to get this over with. Start the new year fresh.
At least that’s what she told herself as she made her way to the coffee shop they’d agreed on. It was close to Derek’s apartment building so she could head over there to take Jack –and Derek—for a walk when their little catch-up was done.
She was so close she could see his apartment building from the coffee shop window. The vague sense of guilt that gnawed at her stomach was stupid, it wasn’t like they were officially dating—and she and Ben definitely weren’t dating. There was no cheating going on here. Still, she ducked her head as she entered the coffee shop and hurried to the counter to order.
Ben came in seconds after she found a seat at a small table in the back. He came to join her, not bothering to order.
He looked awful.
His hair was messier than normal, his face was unshaven, and he sported bags under his eyes that could be better described as luggage. He looked so bad, so not like himself, that she forgot she was supposed to be embarrassed and that this was going to be an awkward conversation.
Sweet Treats: A Love Bites Novella Page 5