Page 78 of Bound to You

It turned out to be a good guess becauseCoffee Shop Guy, formerly Pizza Guy, nodded. “I think so.”

“He ordered from you every Friday?”

That got me another nod and he took theseat across from me. “He talked about me?”

This conversation was not going how Iexpected. “Well, yes, but we were at the same restaurant a week or so ago andyou were with a woman and a small child and he was surprised because, well, hewas hoping you weren’t quite that…straight?”

Was there a better way to say that?

The next time Master made me talk tostrangers he was going to be there to do it with me. That was going to benon-negotiable.

The nameless man nodded slowly then shookhis head.

When that was all I got, I spoke up. “Thatresponse was not helpful.”

He chuckled and that seemed to get hisbrain going again. “I mean, yeah, I was out with Lynn and Becca, but I’m notstraight.”

That was only slightly more helpful.

Something about my expression gave thataway because he grinned. “She’s my sister-in-law and that was my niece.”

“Ah.” Now what? “Would it be alright if Ipassed that information on to Warner?”

Was that appropriate?

Coffee Shop Guy blinked a few times beforeresting his elbows on the little bistro table. “Do you think he’d want toknow?”

“Yes.” I thought that was a sufficientanswer, but he snorted.

“You’re worse than me. Tell me more.”

“Oh.” Um, tell him what?

Stuart was going to owe me a lot ofshopping this weekend.

“Um, I’m going to be seeing him tonightwhen we meet for…well, when we meet…” Oh dear. “We’re going to meet, so I’lltell him there, and yes, I think he would appreciate knowing he…he read atleast part of the situation correctly.”

There was a damned good reason I nevertalked to people outside of work.

I was terrible at it.

A smile spread over the guy’s face, makinghim look even younger than he already did. “He really talked about me?”

Hadn’t we covered this already?

“Yes.”

“Are you going out to dinner again? I mean,I can’t just show up at his house and say hello, but if he really wanted totalk, I guess I could show up randomly at the same restaurant and see if hecame over? What do you think?”

Oh dear.

“I think…I think…” This was beyond painful.“I think the only way to answer your question is to overshare about my personallife, and I don’t know if you would find that offensive.”

He was back to blinking at me.

Great. I was a bug again.

He finally shrugged. “You overshare and Ipromise not to be offended. Besides, now I have to know what you’re intobecause I’m curious.”