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Erica rolls her eyes at her brother and mouths “sorry” to me before calling out a thank you and a goodbye to her brother and Josie. She closes the door and stands awkwardly, but beautifully in front of me. I wish I could pull her into my arms and just hold her. It feels like I’ve been gone for weeks. She’s wearing a pair of ripped denim shorts that show off her toned, tan legs and a Yankees t-shirt, and all I can think about right now is taking both items off.
I clear my throat, as if it will clear the thoughts from my mind.
“There’s a café just down the way…” says Erica, her green eyes on mine. They’re light, almost dancing. I can tell that I surprised her, and it was a good one. I bite back a smile.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
Chapter 55
Erica
Marco looks pensive as we walk down the sidewalk toward the café. I’m sure he’s thinking a hundred different things and I wish I could ease his mind. He was the last person I thought would be showing up tonight. As much of a sticky situation it was with my brother being there, I’m happy for the surprise. I’ve missed him, and I can’t help but feel he missed me too. He did after all, come home early, and by the looks of it, he may have come directly from the airport.
“Sorry about my brother,” I say softly, after our bout of silence.
“Oh, it’s okay,” he says, but I can tell something is bothering him.
“I didn’t know he was coming over tonight.”
“It’s really none of my business.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek, trying to get some sort of hint of what’s going on in his head right now. I wanted us seeing each other again to be so much more than this, but now it’s tainted by whatever inner turmoil he’s going through. I wish I could hug him, feel the warmth of him against me, showing him how I feel.
“He came to congratulate me, you know…”
Marco stops and looks at me curiously, his head tilted to one side.
“For the promotion.” I smile up at him.
“You took it?” he asks, and the excitement in his voice wraps around me like a hug.
I nod. I signed the contract at the end of my workday. It took a few hours to get over the shock of everything, but I knew I would be a fool not to take it. Ideserveit. The years I’ve put in at the paper. The dedication. The love I have for it. I know there’s no one better for the job, and the fact that Marco sees that makes it that much better.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asks.
“I was waiting to tell you in person. I thought you were coming home tomorrow, but then…here you are…”
He looks like he wants to hug me and all of me wants him too, but instead he stops himself and holds out his hand. Ilook down at it like it’s some sort of foreign object, my brows drawing together. But then I remember he’s my boss. This is the formality of a promotion. This is why people don’t mix work and pleasure…and kids.
I take his hand, but it feels anything but business-like. It’s gentle and his hand envelops mine easily, the roughness of his palms comforting against my own. Everything in my body is aware of how his hand feels in mine. My eyes meet his, warm and inviting, like a cup of hot cocoa and a snowy winter day.
“Congratulations,” he says with a smile that tugs at the corner of his lips.
“Thank you,” I say. “For giving me the chance.”
“You deserve it.”
I’m lost in that smile, in his belief in me. My gaze slips to his lips and linger before falling to the sidewalk—before I let myself do something that could very well complicate things. I need to know where we stand and where we’re heading before I get lost in a kiss. I know I’ll never come up for air again if I do.
“Shall we celebrate?” he asks, looking up at the glowing sign of the café.
“I’d love to.”
He opens the door to the café and lets me step past him into the small space. It’s perfectly cozy with mismatched booths and dim lighting that makes you want to order a cup of coffee and slightly strain your eyes to read in a corner booth. It’s one of my favorite places to come when I need to decompress.
“Wow,” says Marco, looking around.
“Pretty great, right?” I say knowingly.