Page 32 of Then Came You

Then Sam came around to the front of the desk and faced her. He crossed his arms over his muscular chest, and she prepared herself for a scolding.

“I’m impressed.”

What? “You are?”

“Yes. You handled the situation very well. You could have made it a lot harder on them, but you didn’t, and I think Maddie will be better for it. I wish I could say the same for Gwen, but who knows?”

“Wow. I thought you were going to accuse me of being too soft on them.”

He shook his head. “If it really was their first time, a warning is usually sufficient.”

“You don’t sound sure, though.”

“You never know about people. Maddie seemed sincere, but she could have been acting.”

“I thought of that too, but for some reason, I believed her.”

“You have a soft heart.”

“I’m beginning to think you do too.”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

She smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

He started to leave, but then he paused. “The weather’s supposed to be really nice this weekend.”

“I heard that.”

“Seems like it might be a good weekend to go to the cider mill.”

Maybe it was because he’d complimented her on how she’d handled the shoplifting situation. Or maybe it was because she was becoming more comfortable with him. It certainly had nothing to do with how handsome he looked in his uniform or how his arm muscles bulged out. She didn’t have time to analyze her reasons, because her head was already bobbing yes.

“What’s your schedule like?” he asked.

“I’m free on Saturday.

“Me too. Pick you up around eleven?”

“Okay.”

She thought about walking him out, but her legs felt a bit wobbly. Instead, she watched him stroll out of her office, her gaze drifting down his body. Lauren and Savannah were right. The man filled out his uniform like no other. Then she slumped down in the nearest chair and bent her head into her hands.

There’d been a time when she’d looked at Owen like that and they’d have made plans to go to the cider mill on a beautiful fall weekend. How could she do this to him? What would he think of her dating one of his peers?

Then again, she and Sam weren’t really dating, were they? Sam had agreed that they didn’t have to call it that. But he’d also admitted he felt a connection to her, and damn if she wasn’t starting to feel it too.

Chapter 12

It was one of those gorgeous end-of-summer days with a hint of fall in the air—a perfect day for going to the cider mill.

Sam parked and had planned to go around and open the passenger door for Gillian, but she’d already hopped out. He took it as a reminder that this was an outing and not a date.

“Looks like we picked a good time to come.” The cider mill was busy but not packed like it would be in the weeks ahead.

“Um-hmm.” Gillian seemed preoccupied as she glanced around the store.

“So, what’s your preference?”