Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
His gaze drifts to my legs again for a few seconds. “Yeah, well … I’m fresh out of ducks to give about you thinking I’m a dick. I’m not. You’ll see.” He winks before pivoting and sauntering to the stairs.
“Feel free to take that bag down to the dumpster,” I say.
“Nah … that might fall under the buying-you-a-coffee level of kindness. And I’m not going there.”
“Asshole,” I whisper with an unavoidable grin.
CHAPTER THREE
Eric didn’t give me a specific time to meet him for coffee, so I’m choosing my usual time, not caring if we have coffee. Sort of not caring. He has an innocent arrogance. An oxymoron? Probably, but it’s the best label.
“You’re late.” Eric smirks, his shaggy, damp hair partially sweeping across his forehead as he looks edible, propped up against the counter with his legs crossed and a paper cup in one hand.
“We didn’t set a time. I can’t be late.”
Finn slides a to-go cup toward me as I swipe my debit card. He knows my usual drink and my usual time. I love Des Moines’ East Village.
“You look pretty.” Eric manages to type something into his phone with one hand before slipping it into his pocket and pinning me with those deviant eyes and an ornery smile.
“Pretty? Huh … I don’t think anyone has ever said those three words to me. It’s a little old-fashioned, don’t you think?”
“Nah. Pretty is a timeless compliment. Cute as a bug’s ear is a little dated. ‘The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars …’ if you’re into Shakespearean compliments. Or are you partial to the eighteenth century? ‘Sweet lady, your virtues have so strangely taken up my thoughts, that therein they encrease and multiply in abundant felicity.’”
My thoughts trip over themselves. Eric’s quoting Shakespeare and eighteenth-century pick-up lines?
Be still, my beating heart.
“I’m trying to be polite since you didn’t think I was polite at book club,” he says.
I slide my debit card into my phone holder before picking up my coffee cup. “Why sugarcoat it now?” It’s too much effort to feign anger, so I set my toothy grin free. I have never met anyone quite like Eric Steinmann.
“Fine. You look fuckable.”
I cough, thankfully, before taking a sip of coffee.
Finn sniggers behind me as I follow Eric.
“I’ll take pretty,” I mumble. “Where are you going?”
He pushes open the door and holds it for me. I’d expect nothing less.
“Your tardiness means we must drink our coffee at my store since my shipment will arrive soon.”
“I have to be at work in an hour.”
“Good thing my store is right here.” He walks ten steps to the right. “A two-minute walk from the bouldering gym or a twenty-second bike ride. Correct?”
I chase his intoxicating spicy scent like a dog would chase bacon with legs into the retail space filled with cubed shelves and a few round racks. Eric hands me his cup, and I take it after a second of hesitation. He tips one of the box displays on its side and retrieves the coffee from me before sitting on the display and nodding for me to sit beside him. Then he stares out the window at the reserved parking space for the impending delivery.
“So …” I take a seat. “Are you originally from Des Moines?”
“Kansas City.” He sips his coffee.
“What brought you here? Surely people in Kansas City buy T-shirts.”
“Followed a girl to law school at Drake.”
“Oh …”
“Don’t worry. If this were a date, which it’s not, I wouldn’t be cheating on her. We broke up.”
“Sorry. What happened? Did you trash her favorite book?”
His head swivels toward me. “Funny.”
It’s not, but I won’t rehash that right now.
“No. We fought about other things, like her decision to smoke because it soothes her nerves. My grandpa died from that shit. I couldn’t figure out how someone in their twenties with a high IQ could start smoking. One night, she had too much to drink and tried seducing me after smoking half a pack of cigarettes. I pushed her away because nicotine doesn’t get me hard. She screamed at me and told me to get the hell out. So I did.”
I nod slowly. “Why didn’t you go back to Kansas City?”
“Finn.”
“Coffee shop Finn?”
He nods. “He’s my cousin and told me about this open space.”
“Have you always wanted to open a T-shirt shop?” I playfully lean into him and quickly right myself because he’s a slippery guy. I can’t fall for his charm when I know he has such poor taste in books.
Eric has a gleam in his eyes. “Yep,” he whispers, leaning to the side to nudge me the way I nudged him, but he lingers like he wants me to know he didn’t miss my inadvertent flirting. “Since I was a wee little thing, all I could think about was a store full of T-shirts.”