Honey Pie (Cupcake Club) - By Donna Kauffman Page 0,96
when it was right there, bigger than life, inside you all along.”
He did that thing where his gaze went from casual and flirty to intense and probing. Or maybe it was always probing, but the flirty part distracted her. She felt heat climb in her cheeks, thinking perhaps she’d said too much or hit a sore spot. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. I don’t even know—”
“You know me, Honey.” He said it quietly, watching her from those steady gray eyes of his. “Better than you realize.”
She smiled briefly. “Yeah? Well . . . ditto.”
“You ready for dinner, Dorothy?”
“Oh, I’m not Dorothy.” Her smile came back stronger. “I’m the Cowardly Lion, wishing for courage.”
“Then we’re more alike than we realized.” He uncrossed his ankles and pushed away from the truck, so he stood right in her personal space. “Because I think you’re one of the most courageous people I know.”
Her heart beat an unsteady tattoo inside her chest and butterflies danced in her stomach. Unsettling feelings . . . and rather thrilling at the same time . . . because no one had ever looked at her the way this man did. “Fool’s courage, maybe. You’re talking to someone who essentially hid in a barn for the past eight years.”
“You’re not hiding now.”
“Only because my poor, deceased seventy-two year old aunt made it her dying request. A woman who had more courage in her pinky finger than I have in my whole body.”
“Whatever gets us taking that first step isn’t the point. Taking the step is.”
“Was that how you felt when you took over the family business? Or did you always know that was your path?”
“I didn’t know much of anything when I was younger, except not to count on anything. Or anyone. I knew I was really good at fixing things. And so was my grandfather, so there was comfort in knowing I’d inherited that trait, but with it came the fear of what else I might have inherited.”
Her heart clutched a little. “Dylan—”
“At first, the business was more refuge than path. Maybe something like your carving and sculpting. Your barn was my family repair shop. And, later, my sailboat.” He kept his gaze straight on hers.
“You don’t have to tell me—”
“Yeah, sugar. I do. You need to know who it is you’re involved with.”
Her heart pounded a vibrating thrum. “Are we? Getting involved?”
She thought he’d tease her with that sexy grin, but he remained more serious, more straightforward. “I think we already are.”
“Dylan—”
“If I’m wrong about that, sugar, now’s the time to tell me. And don’t make it about the bookstore, or your car, or—”
It was her turn to get serious. “We may be involved, but we’re still getting to know each other, so I’m going to pretend you didn’t just insinuate that I’d ever get involved with you—or anyone—as payment for services rendered.”
“No, that wasn’t—” He broke off, swore under his breath. “I’m no good at this, Honey.”
“At what?”
“I’m good at fixing things, but figuring out relationships . . . they don’t come with a user’s manual.”
“No, they don’t. And I’m hardly an expert, given my history.” She paused, let them both gather their thoughts for a moment, then said, “Maybe we can just figure one of them out. This one. Together.”
She thought she saw a little tension ease out of his stance, and only then did she realize . . . he was nervous! He was worried . . . about her? That she’d what? Turn him down? Say no thank-you to him?
She grinned, which made him scowl, which made her grin wider. “I think we understand each other maybe too well. But, like you said, we just have to make sure we don’t get in our own way.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re cave dwellers, you and me. You by nature and me more from necessity, but still, we don’t generally stick our heads out much. And here we are, sticking out a whole lot more than that. So, I think, if we want to be . . . involved, as you say . . . then maybe when we want to pull our heads in and hide we should realize that’s when we’re supposed to do the exact opposite. At least with each other. Talk through it, stumble through it, whatever. Just, make sure we say something, and say what we know is true, and not just what would make it easier.”