Chasing Christmas Eve
Page 19Which meant Caleb was wrong. Sex—or almost sex—had the opposite effect of helping him.
He crossed the courtyard and headed straight for the coffee shop. Tina owned and ran the place, and the dark-skinned six-foot woman in towering platforms flashed him a warm, welcoming smile. “Looking a little crazy there today, sugar.”
“Feeling it too,” he said as she made his usual without asking. Back when Tina had been Tim, there’d been only coffee here. Now Tina made muffins, croissants, and when she was in a really good mood, pie as well. Amazing pie.
Spence eyeballed the display hungrily.
“Haven’t gotten to the pies yet today.” Tina bent to a low shelf and came up with a to-go box. “But I saved you a slice of yesterday’s key lime.” She smiled. “To miss my key lime is a crime.”
“Hey,” a guy standing in the pickup line said. “You told me you didn’t have any key lime.”
“I don’t,” Tina said and winked at Spence. “Your girl was here earlier, working her very cute ass off at one of my tables.”
His girl . . . It wasn’t true but damn if he didn’t feel a little bit like a happy caveman at the thought.
“She pounded away on her laptop like she was possessed,” Tina said. “It was cute. And inspiring. I have no idea what she was doing or working on, but she was happy doing it.”
Okay, so Spence wasn’t the only one working his ass off. And at that thought, he realized something else.
Colbie wasn’t like him. She could balance a full life and work, and even, it seemed, be inspired by it.
The knowledge did something to him, deep in his gut.
It tapped into some deep-seated belief that maybe he could do the same.
At least with her . . .
Out in the courtyard, he opened the box. Two pieces. Two forks.
Tina knew him all too well, knew that Old Man Eddie had the same food tastes—and distastes—as Spence and that Spence would share. With a sigh, he strode past the fountain and peered into the alley.
And yep, there was Old Man Eddie, leaning against a Dumpster talking to someone.
Chapter 10
#MonkeyBalls
Colbie had come downstairs, seeking coffee after staying up late several nights running to write. She was getting into it too. It was wonderful. Amazing, even.
But she needed the company of some living and breathing humans instead of just Cinder and her own made-up fictional characters. She’d been hoping to find Kylie or Willa. Or even Elle.
Which meant she must be desperate indeed.
Actually, she secretly wanted to run into Spence.
It was odd to her how connected she felt to him. Odd and . . . amazing. He was so different from anyone she’d ever known. Quiet but not even remotely shy, incredibly smart, and shockingly intuitive . . . he was an enigma to her.
And she’d dreamed about his mouth on hers every night.
But she knew she needed to stay smart and cautious. She wasn’t here for more of those amazing kisses, or even to let a man into her world at all. She was here to right her world.
And then move on.
She’d met Eddie a few days earlier on a walk through the courtyard, and she’d found him funny and charming—enough to finagle her cup of coffee and muffin from her within two minutes. He seemed to know everyone in the building, but when she mentioned Spence, he’d suddenly gotten very busy brushing crumbs off his chest.
Then Spence appeared, wearing another pair of wrinkled cargo pants and a button-down over another T-shirt that read Trust Me, I’m An Engineer. Most of his pants pockets were bulging with various goodies, although it was easy enough to see that not all his goodies were relegated to his pockets.
He gave Old Man Eddie a long, indecipherable look before turning his sharp gaze on her. “Hey.”
She smiled. “Hey back.”
They stared at each other until she forced herself to move. “Okay, well, have a good day,” she said to Eddie and went to walk past Spence. “And you too,” she said. “Happy working, yeah?”
Spence’s mouth quirked a little as he stared down into her face. “Yeah.”
“You cooked last time,” he said. “How about it’s my turn tonight?”
She raised a brow. “You’re going to cook?”
“Hell no. I’m going to buy. But I’ll make sure there’s something green and disgustingly healthy to eat, how’s that?”
Eddie shook his head. “You’re going about this all wrong.”
“Am I?” Spence asked mildly.
“Yeah. You’re supposed to wait a full week before you contact her after a date, and then you text. No one asks anyone out in person anymore. It’s just not done.”
“How would you know?” Spence asked. “You haven’t dated since the seventies.”
“Hey, I get around plenty. And the rules on dating are everywhere. Don’t you Snapchat? Or Instagram?”
Spence looked pained and Colbie laughed, amused by their interaction, which on the surface was all sarcasm and cynicism, but she could feel a deep affection between them. They’d obviously known each other a long time. And there was something else. She could see a blanket of Eddie’s peeking out from his crate and it was the exact same blanket that Spence had on the back of his couch.
Spence took care of Eddie, and that made her a sucker for him.
“You’re playing it too easy,” Eddie told Spence. “Women need to feel chased but not smothered, or it’s over. And this one . . .” He smiled at Colbie, his whole demeanor softening. “She’s a keeper. She deserves the best.” He shook his head at Spence. “You millennials think you have it all figured out, but you don’t.”
Spence didn’t take his eyes off Colbie, so she saw them flicker with good humor. “Should I wait a few more days, Colbie?” he asked.
“Well . . .” Far be it from her to settle this disagreement, but . . . “I’m only here until Christmas Eve. I don’t think we’ve got time for games, or to be coy.”
The smile in Spence’s eyes spread to his really great mouth, and she was reminded of how that really great mouth had felt on hers.
“Is that a yes?” he asked.
“Make him wait, cutie,” Eddie said.
Eddie barked out a laugh. “Darlin’, you want him to burn down the building? The boy’s a genius, but trust me, it’s book smarts only.” He pointed to his own brain. “It’s all up here, see? Not in his hands, if you know what I mean.”
Spence cut the old man a look.
Eddie cleared his throat. “Right.” He lifted his hands in surrender. “Just trying to help.”
“Maybe just run me over next time.” Spence looked at Colbie. “I’ll make you a deal. Have you started on your list yet? The one you made on the plane?”
Thinking of her list, specifically number ten, she blushed. She’d been out and about in the city, but only for short stretches at a time. She was looking forward to exploring. “Not yet.”
“How about we knock something off your list and then eat?”
Her heart started to pound. By knocking something off the list, surely he didn’t mean number ten . . . Somehow she managed to meet his gaze and found affectionate amusement all over his face.
He was teasing her.
Two could play at that game. “Sure,” she said. “We’ll play tourist and then eat something that you cook.”
Spence laughed. “You’re a stubborn one.”
“Takes one to know one,” Eddie said and lifted his hands when Spence sent him another long look.
“You gotta stretch yourself,” Colbie said to Spence, mimicking his own words back at him.
Spence let out a rueful laugh. “Wow, I’m really an asshole.”
“So is that a yes you’ll cook me dinner?” she asked.