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“Oh, I’m definitely up for it. I just wanted to know if kissing you afterward would be bad form.”
Her eyes widened at his bluntness, but luckily for him, she didn’t look too upset by the suggestion. If anything, she looked flattered.
Shane usually avoided romantic entanglements. Everyone he’d ever loved had died, and he had no idea what his expiration date was. He’d managed to prolong his several times, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he couldn’t dodge the inevitable. Still, he was in a place he never expected to be, and there was nothing wrong with having a little fun.
“I don’t know. If you remember our disastrous first meeting, I was heartbroken over a very recent breakup.”
“You weren’t that heartbroken,” he said. Though, the fact that she’d recently got out of a relationship was exactly why he was pursuing this. She needed time to heal, to recover from the last guy, and he was willing to step in as her rebound.
“I love how you think you know me so well.”
“I don’t,” he said. “I’d like to, though.”
“Hypothetically speaking, if you were to kiss me after pie, I wouldn’t turn my cheek to you.”
“Good to know.” He motioned toward the table. “Now let’s get back to Morgan’s Bay town directory. Who is the older woman with the bright pink hair?”
Olivia smiled, and this time let it spread wide across her face. A spark brightened her eyes. “That is Lillian, the coolest person you’ll ever meet.” Shane eyed her with doubt. “No honestly. I wanted to be her when I grew up.”
“Why’s that?”
“Her store, Lillian’s closet, is my favorite place on earth. I used to spend all my time there in high school.”
“Is it like a clothing store?”
“‘Is it like a clothing store?’” Olivia mocked. “It is so much more than that! Lillian opened the store back in the early 2000’s when she decided to clean out her closet.”
“She had that many clothes?”
“You have no idea. The racks were packed with designer pieces. As she’d sell and free up space, she’d just go to her stockpile and add more. Now she goes to estate and yard sales to buy clothes to keep her stock up. But when she first opened, I was eight, and I’d go with my mom and try on all the costume jewelry and carry around the designer bags. I always said to myself, one day I’d have a collection of fancy handbags.”
“And do you.”
“I’m still working on it.” Olivia held up her checkered purse. “This is my first. One day I’ll have more.”
“Why bags? I mean what’s so special about them?”
She shrugged. “I guess they always meant sophistication and femininity—two things I always wanted.”
“From an outsider looking in, you don’t need a bag to be either of those things. You’re doing just fine on your own.”
Her thick eyelashes brushed the apple of her cheeks before her eyes popped open and pinned him in place with a sultry stare. “You’re just trying to seal the deal on that kiss.”
“Hadn’t crossed my mind, but if it’s helping, I’ll take the assist.”
“It’s helping,” she admitted just as Connor brought out her burger and ruined the moment. If that wasn’t what family was for…
Chapter 7
Olivia enjoyed her burger while Shane went to refill the book club’s drinks. She held her glass of water up—she had a golf cart to operate after all—and toasted them. Lillian dodged her head around Shane, pointed at his butt, and gave Olivia a thumbs up. Olivia choked on her water.
Shane returned to his place behind the bar. He’d only been bartending for a couple days, yet the ease in which he moved and the confident way he carried a conversation… it was as if he’d been a part of the town for much longer.
“Those women can drink.” He grabbed a lime and a knife, getting to work on refilling the condiment tray.
Olivia popped a fry in her mouth and chewed. “Oh, that’s nothing. Wait until after the Memorial Day parade.”
His hand stilled in mid slice. Her eyes roamed the long length of his fingers, and instant heat bloomed in her cheeks when her mind took her to an X-rated feature.
