Page 10 of Lemon Cake
As he saved her address into his phone, he grinned like a kid on Christmas morning. Butterflies were already starting to tingle in his stomach again, and he hoped he hadn’t pushed her too far.
The next morning, Rider spent his time in his home gym, trying to keep his mind—and body—occupied beforemeeting up with Gemma. Still, he couldn’t help but feel insecure, worried he’d gone too far by inviting Gemma to the barbecue. Before he got ready, he decided to call her to make sure she was comfortable.
“Hi,” her sweet voice came from the speaker.
“So, I feel like a dick,” he confessed. “I feel like I pushed you to come to the barbecue and wanted to offer you an out in case it made you uncomfortable.”
She giggled. “Not a dick.”
“But pushy, huh?”
“It does make me nervous but…” She paused and it felt like eternity before she spoke again. “I took it as a compliment that you think I can come with you without embarrassing you.”
“I wasn’t thinking when I asked you to come, but Braiden asked about you so I thought I should pass it along.”
“So, you’ve talked about me?”
Rider scoffed. “I didn’t have to. They made fun of me because I couldn’t concentrate yesterday with you around.” Then, realising what he’d said he rushed to add, “Which is a good thing.”
“I thought you looked good.”
Rider blushed. He fuckingblushedlike some lovesick teenager.
“I want to meet your friends,” Gemma continued.
“If they become too much to handle, I’ll take you to the nearest bookstore and buy you all the books you can carry.”
That made her laugh again. “Sounds like a win-win tome.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
Rider was on time this time—almost—and parked in front of the complex and walked through to find her building. Only two minutes late he knocked on her door, his heart pounding a staccato rhythm in his chest. Gemma opened the door with a bright smile on her glossy lips, her hair in a loose bun decorated with a small bow. She wore light wash jeans, a simple blue t-shirt, and sneakers.
“Hi,” she said softly, pulling his attention from her body. “Let me just grab the cake and we can go.”
“Cake?” he called after her as she disappeared back inside.
Rider took a risk and poked his head through the door. Her apartment was neat and modestly decorated with pictures all over the walls. Then his eyes landed on a wheelchair in the corner next to the couch. Not wanting to be caught spying, his eyes found her again.
“I thought it would be rude to show up empty-handed. Besides, I needed something to keep me busy.”
“Would it ease your mind if I told you I had to do the same?”
“Keep yourself busy?”
“Yes.” He took the cake box out of her hands and stepped out of the door frame. “I was a little nervous.”
Gemma paused to lock the door, tossing a grin over her shoulder. “I like honest men.”
He wanted to ask about the wheelchair, curious if she still used it but he’d learned his lesson last time.
“So, Braiden is the wide receiver?”
“That’s right.”
“I may have looked up your teammates to see who he was.”
Rider laughed and walked her to his truck. “He’s married to Sarah, and they have two daughters, Clara and Ina.”