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Stepping closer to me, she pressed her finger to the underside of my chin, closing my mouth. “I never abbreviate my curses. If I’m going to call someone a motherfucker, I go all the way. In this case, I wasn’t calling you one—I don’t know you well enough to cuss at you. Even if I did, that’s not my curse of choice.”
I removed her finger from my chin and gave it a squeeze. “That’s good to know. You had me spiraling there for a minute.”
She snorted a dry laugh. “There are several people I would like to tell off. You’re not one of them.”
I sensed the silent “yet” at the end of her sentence.
“It’s a good thing I’m out of here then. I’d hate to get on your bad side.” I shivered. “Seems scary. Probably entertaining, though. By the way, if provoked properly, how would you cuss me out? I’d like to picture it.”
She rolled her eyes. “I bet you pulled girls’ ponytails on the playground to get their attention, didn’t you?”
I’d done worse. Much worse. But she didn’t need to know my sordid backstory. If this was to be my last impression on her, I’d rather she remember me as the over-enthusiastic bartender than the guy who’d once decided to crush dreams and ruin years just because he’d wanted to.
So, I put on my best show, bouncing on my toes and grinning. “Come on. Ponytails are just hanging there, asking to be yanked. You can’t tell me you’ve never ever been tempted to tug on one.”
“I have—had two sisters. Of course I’ve pulled a ponytail or two.” She pushed up the bottom of her short hair. “Fortunately, I’m no longer in danger of that happening to me.”
“It’s a good thing you have the face to pull off short hair.”
Her eyes swept over me, pausing on mine before moving on. “It’s a good thing you do too, though your ears stick out a little.”
My hands flew to my ears, which, until this moment, had been perfectly average. “What? No, I—”
Her smile was like the first ray of light shining through a crack of storm clouds. Full and radiant, chances were, it would disappear as quickly as it had broken free. But those seconds had brought me to a standstill and knocked me in the gut.
“I’m kidding, Miles. Your ears are unremarkable in every way.”
Plop. That radiant curve of her mouth flatlined, falling off into a puddle, death by drowning.
Dropping my hands from my ears, I dug my phone from my pocket. “Give me your number. I want to text you whenever my ego gets out of control so you can put me in my place.”
She dragged her silly hat off her head and ran her fingers through her sleek, mahogany hair. The look she gave me was…pitying? Could I have been reading her right?
She licked her lips, her eyes darting to the side. “Look, I’m sorry if I came off as flirtatious, but I’m not dating right now.”
I wasn’t either, but I couldn’t say her rejection didn’t sting. I had been thinking, maybe in a few months or another life, I would have liked to take this girl to dinner and then make out with her grouchy little mouth.
“Whoa, whoa, slow down on the proposals. I’m only after your cupcakes and insults.”
She did that magic eye-narrowing thing again. Whatever she saw must have helped her make a decision because she stuck her hand out. I placed my phone on her palm, and she tapped on the screen before giving it back to me. I wasted no time texting her then changing her name to “Lydia-Daisy-Cupcake.”
“Now you have my number too. If you ever want to hang out, strictly as friends, I’m up for it.” I stuffed my phone back in my pocket, surprised at how sincere I was. “If you happen to be handy, I’m remodeling my house on the weekends and could use some help.”
She palmed her forehead. “Oh my god, was this all some elaborate ruse for free labor?”
I nodded toward her delicate wrist. “Gotta tell you, if that were my goal, I’d aim slightly beefier, like Duke or Lloyd.”
She tucked her hands behind her back, the force of her frown renewed. “Maybe you need someone who can fit in small places.”
I tapped the side of my head. “I’ll keep in mind you’re willing to do that. There are definitely some crawl spaces you’d fit into. By any chance, are you scared of bugs?”
With a huff, she swiveled on her toes and marched into the back, leaving me smiling all by myself. I didn’t mind, though. I had her number now. I could call her up for cupcakes anytime I wanted.
Chapter Five
Miles
“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” I was the poster child for the idiom. If I didn’t have something constructive to keep me busy, I inevitably found myself making trouble or getting into it.
