busy for me to stop by. I didn’t want you to go without eating.”
“Yeah, right, like she’d ever say that,” Angela said with a laugh. “Why don’t you give me the bag, and I’ll take it into the kitchen so you can smooch your girl.”
He handed her the bag, and as she walked out, he said, “Best friend ever,” and drew Roni into a sweet kiss, stirring those butterflies that seemed to live in her belly these days.
“I’m glad you’re here. I was missing you, too,” she said. “I’d never tell you not to come see me unless I was teaching.”
“Good because apparently I can’t even go a few hours without seeing you. I don’t know what you’re doing to me, but I hope you never stop. What time can I see you tonight?”
The air rushed from her lungs. “Thank goodness.”
“Why do you sound relieved?”
She looked up at him, feeling silly for worrying, and said, “I thought you might not want to see me tonight because you hadn’t said anything about it.”
“Babe, how can you think that? I’ll have to try harder to show you how I feel,” he said with a sexy smirk.
“That’s definitely not a problem.” She felt her cheeks flame. “I know how much you like me, but I don’t know what’s normal in relationships. I only know that when we’re apart, I can’t wait to be together again, and I didn’t want you to think I was too needy by asking about it.”
“That’s not needy, babe. That’s being into me.” He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “I fucking love that.” He gave her a quick kiss. “I don’t know what’s normal for other people, but I know what I’d like our normal to be. Seeing you seven days a week sounds perfect to me.”
She laughed softly, sure he was kidding, though his words filled her with joy.
“I mean it, Roni. I want us to be a given, not a question. What do you want?”
“To be a given,” she said, doing a happy dance inside. “But if you want time by yourself or with friends, I’m okay with that, too. I’m used to being on my own, and I’m not going to get jealous or clingy. It’s not that I need you with me every second or need to know what you’re doing every minute. I just like being with you. I guess I never realized I’m such a planner, but I’d like to know if we’re going to see each other or not.”
Angela walked back into the room and said, “Okay, you two. Time to wrap it up. This dance isn’t going to choreograph itself.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Roni said to Quincy. “Back in a minute, Ang.” She walked Quincy out to his truck, so relieved she had a bounce in her step.
“Get in here, beautiful.” His arms circled her, and he said, “I don’t ever want you worrying. If you’re concerned about something, talk to me. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big communicator. It helps me keep a clear head.”
“I will from now on. Promise.”
“Good. I have to get back to work, but I wanted to ask you one more thing. Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I know it’s your first holiday without your grandmother and it might be a tough one, so we don’t have to go anywhere if you’d rather spend a quiet night in. But Dixie and Jace are hosting Thanksgiving at their new house, and if you want to be around people, everyone will be there—the Whiskeys, Tru and Gemma and the kids, and almost everyone else we hung out with after the scavenger hunt. Lila and Bones share a birthday right after Thanksgiving, so we celebrate their birthdays that night, too. Nothing fancy, just presents and cake.”
Thanksgiving was about two weeks away. She was touched that he’d thought about her feelings and couldn’t believe he was willing to forgo seeing all the people he loved to be with her. “I would love to go with you. It will be sad without Gram this year, but I’ll make her famous apple pie, and you and I will be together, which will make it much better. This will give me a chance to get to know your friends better, too.”
“Great. How about we make the pie together?”
She fluttered her lashes flirtatiously and said, “Does that mean you want to get your hands dirty in my kitchen?” She could hardly believe how open she’d become in the