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“I do. This is my parents’ place,” I said. “Follow me.”

I put the half-ruined cake on the living room table and pointed to the staircase. “Second door on the left, upstairs. Towels should be in the cabinet right next to the double sink.”

Lewis ran a hand through his hair. “Would you mind coming with me? I feel weird opening drawers and cabinets in other people’s homes.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

Once in the bathroom, I grabbed a couple of towels and positioned myself on the edge of the tub, watching Lewis undo his tie. He ran hot water over it before scrubbing the frosting with a towel.

He looked over his shoulder at me. “I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why are you dressed like that?”

“Like a sad fox, you mean?”

He bit his lip, and his eyes sparkled. “More like a sexy fox, but yeah.”

I felt my cheeks warm at his comment. “There was a miscommunication about tonight’s dress code. I feel like a fool now.”

“Don’t. I like it.” He held the tie in the air. “What do you think?”

“That I should buy you a new tie. I don’t think this frosting is going to come off,” I said, taking the tie from him. I hoped it wasn’t one of those ties that cost a gazillion dollars and was crafted by blind nuns in Tuscany.

“Don’t be silly, I’ve got plenty of ties. Besides, these pink smudges make it look…”

“Horrible?”

“I was going to say unique,” he said with a grin. “But horrible works too.”

I hung the tie on a hook next to the tub. “I’ll get this horribly unique tie dry for you. We can assess the damage later.”

When I turned around, he was unbuttoning his black shirt. One by one, the buttons popped open, revealing an extra inch of skin with every move of his hands. I watched with a half-open mouth as he took the shirt off to rinse it in the sink. My mouth suddenly felt dry as a desert at noon. Seeing his bare skin set mine on fire. I had to get out of there before I burst into flames.

“I’ll go see if my brother has a clean shirt for you to wear. I hope you’re a fan of nineties rock bands.” I dashed out of the bathroom and ran into Benji’s room.

I needed a serious breather.

Chapter Eight

Lewis

It had been a while since Olive ran out of Colleen and Gary’s bathroom to find me a clean, dry shirt, and I was starting to worry I’d scared her off by calling her a sexy fox. The words had tumbled out of my mouth before I could think them through. I now regretted not biting my tongue.

They were true, though. Olive might not realize it, but holy guacamole, she was one gorgeous girl. That fox dress she was wearing showed off her beautiful legs, and the hood with fox ears made her look even cuter.

I took a deep breath. I needed to get her out of my head. This wasn’t the time or place to focus my thoughts on a sweet, gorgeous girl with adorable quirks. I had a clinic to run, a past to forget, and a heart to heal.

“Sorry it took so long.” Olive popped back in, closing the door behind her. She held out a black shirt, which I gratefully accepted. “I hope you like Foo Fighters.”

“Are you kidding me?” I pulled the shirt over my head. “I love them.”

I then plucked the tie from its hook and put it on. It was damp, but wearable.

“What are you doing?” Olive asked, the pompoms on her drawstrings bobbing up and down as she laughed.

“Some may call this tie ruined, but I still call it unique. Why should you be the only one to look out of the ordinary tonight?”

She threw me a smile that made my heart do a double take. “It does fit with that Foo Fighters shirt well. The pink gives it a soft touch.”

We looked at each other for a beat, neither of us speaking.