Sweet Love - Mia Kayla Page 0,11

didn’t even ask what we wanted to order,” Casey snapped, her voice harsh.

She was like Jekyll and Hyde in one person, and the flip of her switch was this Kyle guy.

“I ordered you chicken strips without the breading. I thought you’d like that.”

“Who eats chicken strips without the breading?” She leaned into him, eyebrows scrunched, her lips pursed, and an absolute scowl taking over her features.

“Well, you know, with your condition and all, you should monitor your carbs.”

It was like watching an old married couple on TV argue. It was quite comical. I bit my tongue to prevent laughter from seeping through my lips.

“I have diabetes, and it is controlled. I eat normal food, you know.”

“Chicken is normal food.”

Alyssa leaned over, so she could look at them both. “Do I really need to sit in between you guys? Can you behave for the next few hours?”

“Can’t you see it’s him?” She poked her finger into Kyle’s shoulder, and he jumped.

“You’re hurting my feelings, Casey.” And when she went in to poke him again, Kyle grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. “Seriously, I’m just looking out for you.”

She shoved at his shoulder and pushed him so hard that he slipped out of the booth. “Get out. I’m playing pool while we wait for food. I can’t sit here by you because you are so annoying.”

Instead of getting back into the seat, he followed her to the pool tables. “I challenge you to a match. If I win, you eat my chicken with no breading, and if you win, I won’t say a single word throughout dinner.”

“You not talking? Impossible.” Her smile turned glorious. “Fine, I might be little, but I can play pool.”

“I can’t miss this.” Alyssa slid out of the booth and headed to the pool table at the far end of the bar.

And then there were two.

“Are they always like that?” I gripped my bottle a little tighter, focusing on my friends on the opposite side of the room. Having Connor this close to me made my pulse tick up in tempo and the inside of my palms sweat.

When I lifted my head, Connor was staring directly at me, and I immediately slid my stare back to the trio at the pool table.

“Yeah. Casey, Kyle, and I grew up together. They are more like siblings who don’t get along. I think Kyle gets a kick out of annoying her. At one point, it was his hobby of sorts.”

“That’s pretty cute.” When my eyes flittered back to his, I noticed his business-casual blue button-down, opposite to what I had seen him wearing this morning. “So, where’s the candy-cane uniform?”

“It’s at the dry cleaners.”

That smile. It was actor beautiful, and curiosity ate at my insides.

“Mmhmm, sure.” I waved a hand in the air. “If you aren’t the spokesperson for Colby’s, what department do you work for?”

His eyes widened right before he said, “I’m in charge of the marketing team.” He coughed, and the coughs kept coming until he took a sip of his beer, most likely to take care of the tickle in the back of his throat.

Marketing? I wouldn’t have pegged him for working in marketing. Maybe research and development.

“That’s pretty impressive. Sometimes, I wish I had taken that route instead of the path I took.”

If I’d majored in marketing, I could have been unleashing my creativity somehow, using the skills I loved to use on a daily basis.

He leaned into me, his face so close to mine that my breath caught. “Charlie, the girls are right. You’re definitely in the wrong field.” His stare was all-consuming and heated everywhere he took me in. “You’re talented, Charlie.”

I couldn’t help but smile because of the way he’d said it. He barely knew me, yet there was so much power behind his words.

“I can guarantee you that my marketing team would not have thought of this.” He plucked the sketchbook, opening the page to the Funch candy bar. “How did you come up with this?”

I laughed. “We were just messing around. I mean, if you look at the current branding, it’s outdated, and it kinda sucks, doesn’t it? Be honest.”

After a beat, he spoke, “You’re right.” His eyebrows pulled together, his gaze so intent on mine. “But where did you come up with the idea?”

I shrugged. “It just came to me.” Having a highly creative mind, even as a kid, an endless amount of ideas filtered through my head. “The girls were talking about the company coming up with new products