Page 17

Dani

“You look like you’re floating on cloud nine.”

I glanced at Stan and smiled. “I’m not even doing anything,” I laughed.

“Honey, you haven’t stopped smiling since you waltzed through the door.” Stan held up the coffee I had brought him, and his eyes twinkled. “And you even splurged on the fancy coffee today. I can’t tell you the last time I had a double-shot vanilla latte.”

I shrugged and reached under the counter to grab the feather duster. “I thought you deserved it after working by yourself yesterday.” I made my way over to the racks of wine and gently brushed away the fine layer of dust that had settled on them.

Stan hummed as he took a sip. “And what did you do on your day off?” He paused, and his voice turned to tease. “Maybe spend some time with a handsome biker?”

I rolled my eyes and kept my back to him. I really couldn’t stop smiling. Even though Smoke had left rather quickly this morning, it hadn’t dampened the lingering warmth in my chest.

“Um, I did some grocery shopping and made one of my mom’s desserts...”

“And?” Stan urged.

I turned to face him and was unable to hide the sparkle in my eyes. “And then Smoke came over to take me on a motorcycle ride to dinner, and then he came back to my place for... dessert. He didn’t leave until this morning.”

Stan threw his hands in the air, and his voice rang through the shop. “Praise Jesus,” he sang. “I was hoping that man would put the moves on you.”

I laughed and shook my head. I turned back to the wine rack and ran the duster over the bottles with a soft touch. “You’re impossible, Stan.”

“I’m invested, honey,” he shot back and took another sip of his coffee. “I want you to be happy, but I also want those girls to come back to the shop. You hooking up with one of those biker men is exactly what we need to lock the girls in.”

“Are you using my relationship to get more business into the shop?” I laughed.

Stan laughed. “Yes, but you know I just want you to be happy. I haven’t seen you date… ever.”

I bit my lip and tried to fight the heat rising to my cheeks. “I really like him, Stan. He’s nice, but he’s also…”

Stan leveled his gaze on me. “He’s a man , Dani. I’m too old to be looking at anyone, but you would have to be blind to not be able to see the appeal that man has. I’m going to need more details other than he’s nice.”

I shook my head and focused on the rows of Merlot in front of me. “It was more than nice, okay? It was amazing. The ride, the dinner, just... everything.” My voice softened, and I could almost feel the way the wind had whipped around me as I held onto Smoke and the rumble of his bike beneath us.

Stan grinned. “A man like that can’t just be ‘nice.’”

I chuckled, placing the duster back under the counter and leaning against it. “Yeah, well, he’s something else, but also nice for sure.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “And? Will there be a repeat performance?”

I shrugged, but my smile gave me away. “I hope so. He had something to do with the club today, but he promised to call later.” I didn’t want to tell Stan everything about Smoke. He had told me the whole crazy story last night because I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone.

“Dani,” he sighed dramatically. “You’re killing me here. What things did that man have to do instead of being with you?”

“The man is allowed to have a life that doesn’t involve me, Stan. We just started whatever this is between us.” I reached for a notepad to check the inventory. “I’m not trying to overthink it and just let things happen.”

“Sweetheart, you deserve to enjoy it. That man looks at you like you’re the best thing he’s ever seen.”

I felt my stomach flip at Stan’s words. “Yeah,” I admitted softly. “He kind of does, doesn’t he?”

“Damn right he does,” Stan said with a wink. “I’m going to go fill the Italian herb olive oil keg. You need anything?”

I shook my head. “I’m just going to go over inventory and see if there’s anything we need to order.”

Stan nodded and disappeared into the back room.

I grabbed the clipboard from under the counter, scanned the shelves, and made notes here and there. But my focus kept drifting. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way Smoke had smiled at me last night and the way his voice softened just enough when he called me “angel.”

The lingering scent of leather and engine oil from his jacket still clung to my memory, and I found myself smiling all over again.

I shook my head and laughed softly to myself. “Get it together, Dani.”