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“Is it against the law for me to want one now?” she snapped and wanted to die for being such a bitch.
Ding. Ding. Ding. The awkward bells started ringing again. She was going to have to stop those damn bells. But the only way was to have that talk Steve had been pushing her to have.
Not now.
Really bad timing. How did you tell someone helping you, Oh, by the way, you know how I said I love you? Well, I don’t really love-love you.
And yeah, that was what she needed to tell him. It didn’t matter what was happening with Chase. The fact was, she didn’t love-love Steve and he deserved someone who did. He was a great guy.
The woman put the cookie in a bag on the counter, and Della reached for some money.
“I got it,” Steve said.
“No, uh, I’m buying it and I’m buying yours, too.”
“No, I can…”
“You’re helping me.” Della threw a twenty-dollar bill on the counter. “Keep the change,” she told the girl. Then she went and found a corner table.
Steve walked over a few minutes later with a steaming cup of good-smelling, bitter-tasting stuff and a slice of cake.
“Thanks,” he said.
She nodded and reached for a napkin, suddenly wishing she had bought a coffee just to have something to keep her hands busy. But then again, she had the cookie. She glanced at it, still in the bag.
She looked up, and his soft brown eyes met hers. Not now. She glanced away.
Then Steve reached for her cookie. He had it halfway across the table when she put her hand on top of his and stopped him.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, I was going to try a bite.”
“No.”
He looked odd. “Okay.”
Ding. Ding. Ding.
She pulled the cookie back to her side of the table.
She glanced up. “I don’t love you,” she blurted out. Oh, friggin’ hell, why had she done that?
Steve had his cup to his lips. Her words must have shocked him because he apparently swallowed wrong. Coffee spewed out of his mouth, and … maybe even his nose. So not pretty.
Then he went from spewing to hacking.
“Shit,” she muttered and handed him her napkin.
He took it and put it to his lips.
“Sorry,” she said as he turned his face away and used the napkin to clean off his face.
When he turned back, he had tears in his eyes. Surely it was from the hacking and not … Let it be from the hacking. Please!
He met her gaze and then … then laughed. Real deep, belly-type of laughing.
She stared at him. “What’s so funny?”
