Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 31149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31149 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Tessa leans in too, and I want the ground to open up and eat me whole. “Does he know you want him to be your valentine?”
Both their eyes cut to me then back to each other.
Yeah, not a fan here.
“I’ve given off some pretty strong signals. Should I just ask?”
Tessa nods as I run my hands down my face. “You guys are killing me.”
They both ignore me, and Tessa says, “Yeah, maybe. I don’t know. I’m down for Galentine’s, honestly.”
“Right? I told my sisters that if he does ask, I’m blowing them off.”
“Wow. You must like him.”
Maggie grins. “Yeah, he’s pretty awesome.”
Tessa beams at me. “He is.” She winks at me, and I continue to glare. She giggles before turning back to Maggie. “Have you eaten at the Holly Lodge?”
“Oh yeah. It’s my favorite diner in town.”
I watch my sister’s profile as she nods eagerly. “Do you like their steak salad with blue cheese?”
“What are you doing?” I ask, just as Maggie exclaims, “Oh my God, no way. That and the mozzarella sticks are my favorite.”
“You’re kidding me!”
“No, for real. Also, I have to tell you, when my mom and I go to Lake Placid, we always go through Cozy Cup. I love your homemade whipped cream and the caramel. It’s my favorite coffee, for sure.”
Tessa smiles proudly. “Which beverage is your favorite?”
“The Frosty Freeze! It’s so tasty.”
I love the look of pride on my beautiful sister’s face. I knock my shoulder into hers as I say, “That’s my favorite too. The hazelnut and sugar cookie flavors pair perfectly.”
Maggie agrees earnestly. “They really do. My mom gets the sugar cookie by itself.”
“You and Dermot should make the trip down, have a cup with me one day,” my pestering sister suggests.
“I’d love that,” Maggie says with a thousand-watt smile. “Just need him to ask me.”
Tessa snorts, then elbows me. “Yeah, you should ask a lot of things.”
“I will when you’re not around to stare at us.” I give her a dry look.
“Make sure to let me know if he doesn’t,” Tessa whispers to Maggie, not so quietly. “He’s a wild card, this guy. Lots of bad girlfriends.”
Maggie’s eyes fill with compassion, and it pisses me off that my sister threw my business out there. “It’s not a big deal. It was a long time ago,” I say, kicking at the post of the fence. “Something I wish I could have told you, instead of having it come from my sister.”
Tessa shrugs. “He doesn’t like talking about that kind of stuff. It’s been a while for him when it comes to dating, so be patient with the big lug.”
Maggie smiles sweetly at me, her eyes locking with mine. “That’s not a problem.”
“Are you done?” I ask, and Tessa just smiles like the pain in the ass she is.
Then out of nowhere, she throws her hands up dramatically. “Oh shit. I forgot to put the alarm system on at the shop,” she says in pure, animated horror. “I have to go back! Like, right now!”
If I weren’t onto her charade, I would be more concerned. Instead, I eye her. “Oh no, please tell me more about the alarm that wasn’t set by me.”
She waves me off. “You did it wrong. Duh! I have to go. I hate to do this, but I’ve gotta cancel dinner. But hey, Maggie loves everything I got, so you two can eat it. Together. In your house. And maybe ask some questions you want the answers to.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t. I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. I know how important they are,” Maggie says quickly, guilt written all over her face. “I’m so sorry.”
Tessa waves her off. “They are, but something has come up, and I can’t ignore it.”
“Tessa,” I try, but she shakes her head.
“Sorry. Rain check?”
She wraps her arms around my neck, hugging me close. I hug her back as I sigh deeply. “You’re doing too much.”
In my ear, she says, “This is it, Mot. Don’t overthink it.”
She pulls away and squeezes my arm. Then she looks at Maggie. “I can’t wait to get to know you.”
“I want the same, but are you sure you need to go?”
Tesse feigns sadness. “Unfortunately. But my brother is in great hands.”
She waves to us, and then she’s off. I watch her get into her car before I look back at Maggie. “You know she did that so we could be alone, because apparently I’m over here dropping the ball left and right.”
“Oh, totally. I have four sisters. I can see meddling a mile away.”
We share a smile. “But I’m not upset about it. I want to spend time with you.”
“Me too,” she says softly.
I don’t know who moves first, but together, we walk to the end of the gate, and I open it for her. I hold it for her as she steps through, her eyes on me. The tension between us burns like the setting sun, and I can’t help but look at her lips. They’re so plush, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to kiss them. Her two front teeth sink into her bottom lip as she looks away, a blush creeping up her beautiful face, and I’m gone for her.