laughed. “Fine. You can go with me. But I’m going in the underwear store alone.”
“The hell you will. That’s like the cherry on top of the errand list.”
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? Are you some kind of lingerie aficionado?”
He slanted a confident smile at her. “As a matter of fact, I can choose the lingerie that will rock your world.”
“Oh, this I have to see.”
“You have no faith in me. I intend to prove you wrong.”
She couldn’t wait. Plus, it would be fun having some company on her errand runs. And Rafe was definitely some fine-looking company.
“Have you had breakfast yet?” he asked.
“No.”
“Go get dressed. We’ll stop for breakfast, then shop. By the way, where’s your grandpa?”
“He’s at therapy until two. Then Theo is picking him up and they’re going to some AFL-CIO dinner. Grandpa brought a change of clothes, and he’ll change at Theo’s house.”
“Kind of a heavy day for him.”
She appreciated that Rafe was aware of how taxing the day would be for her grandfather. “Yes. But he’ll have a couple of hours to rest at Theo’s house, and Theo promised me he’ll make sure Grandpa puts his feet up and they’ll watch TV. Grandpa always falls asleep in front of the TV.”
“Good. My guess is his butt will be parked in front of the TV all day tomorrow, too.”
Carmen laughed. “Yes, he’ll need a recovery day for sure.” She stood. “Okay, give me ten minutes and I’ll go get ready.”
“I’m not in any hurry.”
She went upstairs to change, feeling excited about Rafe going with her today. Which was ridiculous. They were only running errands together. It wasn’t like a date.
But they were going to hang out together today. And she liked him, enjoyed spending time with him. Nothing wrong with that, was there?
And maybe she’d tear through her to-do list a lot faster now that she’d have help. Then she could come home and dive into cleaning and laundry. And that would suit her just fine.
Today was shaping up to be much more interesting than she originally planned.
WHILE HE WAS WAITING FOR CARMEN, RAFE WASHED their cups and turned off the coffee maker, then wiped down the counter. After that, he took a seat at the kitchen table and made a list on his phone of all the places Carmen needed to stop today.
Of course, he was particularly interested in helping her buy underwear. He could already envision her in some sexy red lacy bra with matching panties. Then again, Carmen was practical, so she might be the cotton type and prefer beige or white or black.
She’d look hot in those, too.
Mainly his preference was to get her naked, so he could stroke his hands across her skin and taste her all over.
That train of thought was making his dick twitch, so he got up and went to the bay window, looking outside.
Her backyard looked well manicured. He wondered who did the mowing and trimming for her.
“I’m ready.”
He turned and smiled. She’d put on a pair of blue shorts and a silky white-and-blue polka-dot sleeveless button-down shirt that pressed nicely against her full breasts. Her hair was pulled up, and even dressed casual like that she looked damned gorgeous.
“You look pretty.”
She glanced down at her feet where she wore a pair of navy blue and brown sandals. “Really?”
“Yeah. You’re always beautiful, Carmen.”
She sighed. “And you always know the right thing to say. Thank you.”
They stopped at a local breakfast place not too far from their house. It was small, cramped. The owner was a cranky bastard named Gustav Lopez. His father hailed from Puerto Rico, his mother from Sweden, and the guy was six feet four, mean as he could be and made the best damned pancakes Rafe had ever eaten. Fortunately, his wife, Sofia, was the polar opposite, as sweet a woman as you’d ever meet, and Gustav’s bluster was all for show. The guy was a local treasure, as least as far as his cooking.
“I can’t believe you know about this place,” Carmen said as they were seated at a table in the corner. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine, too. Jackson and Kal and I stumbled onto it not too long after we moved into the house. One bite of Gustav’s Swedish pancakes and I was a goner.”
Carmen nodded. “They’re my favorites. So delicate and delicious. And the sausages he makes are perfection.”
Their waitress, Roxanne, came over and brought menus and took their drink order.
“How’s it going, Rafe?” Roxanne asked, offering up a bright smile.
Rafe