For Better or Worse

“So? What are you doing? What are you typing?”

“My phone number,” he said.

“I don’t want your phone number. If I need to yell at you, I’ll come next door.”

“There,” he said, ignoring her comment and handing her phone back.

“There what?” she asked. “Did you just sign me up for some sex site?”

“A sex site? You mean porn, 4C? And how exactly do you think that works?”

“Well, what did you do?”

“I forwarded your grocery list.”

“To whom?”

“To me,” he said, heading back into his apartment and leaving the door open.

“Creepy, even for you,” she called after him.

Josh sighed and turned around, walking back toward her until they were toe-to-toe and she had to tilt her head back to look at him.

“You are so dense, 4C.”

She frowned.

“I’m going to the store for you,” he said.

Her mouth dropped open, and he put his hand over it before she could respond. “Don’t say no. I’m a nice guy. Let me prove it. Please.”

He slowly lowered his hand, and Heather swallowed. “I never said you weren’t a nice guy.”

He grinned. “Sure you did. Multiple times.”

“I can’t let you go to the store for me,” she said firmly.

Josh put both hands on her shoulders and pivoted her around so that she was facing her own door, and then marched her toward it.

“Here’s the plan. You get your cute butt in there, take a shower, make yourself pretty, and then go about fussing around your table with your pink place mats or whatever.”

Her head whipped around. “How did you know I have pink place mats?”

He merely smiled. “I’ll go the store. Get all of your crap. Then you’ll cook. No quiche though. You’re doing scrambled eggs, maybe an omelet.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You know that I have pink place mats and that I was going to be making quiche?”

“Women love quiche,” he said. “I’ve never understood that.”

“Well, I’m a woman, and most of the people coming over are women, so . . .”

“Most?”

“Three girls and two guys.”

He studied her. “Guys? Huh.”

It was on the tip of her tongue to explain who Logan and Seth were—but for some reason, she kept it to herself. Maybe she wanted to let him wonder. Just a little.

“You don’t have to go to the store for me,” she said. “Truly.”

“I know,” he said, moving to his own door. “But you’re going to take me up on it.”

“I am?” she asked, even though she was pretty sure he was right. Hell, she was already digging her keys back out of her purse.

“You are.”

“What do you get out of this?” she asked suspiciously as he was about to close the door.

His head poked back out and he lifted his eyebrows meaningfully.

“No,” she said, pointing her keys at him. “I am not sleeping with you in gratitude for going to buy eggs.”

His grin only grew wider. “I’ll be back in thirty. Feel free to still be in a towel when I knock on the door.”

“Never gonna happen!” she called.

But then she was grinning, too, because she and Josh were back.

Chapter Ten

EXACTLY HOW MANY BANANAS did I put on my shopping list?” Heather asked as she pulled out a second bunch from the grocery bag. “I only need a couple for the fruit salad.”

“Sure, but you’re going to need a lot for the banana bread,” Josh said, moving some things around in her fridge to make room for the multiple cartons of eggs he’d picked up.

She turned and stared at his back. “I’m not making banana bread.”

“Well, not today you’re not,” he said. “They have to get all ripe and brown first.”

“Sorry, I’ll clarify. I’m not making banana bread ever.”

“Sure you are,” he said, pulling a bundle of Italian parsley from the bag. “As a thank-you.”

“Okay, I’ll admit that I owe you a thank-you,” she said slowly. “But I don’t know how to make banana bread.”

“Don’t worry.” He winked. “I do.”