Page 39 of Pinch of Love

“What do you mean, order in?” I asked. “Don’t tell me Buttercup Lake has delivery too.”

He smiled and nodded. “Oh, yeah. We’re big time now.”

I looked around the family room at Chewie and Cash and couldn’t help but marvel at how natural this felt and how unnatural Rob and I had always felt.

Part of this easy feeling was undoubtedly knowing that nothing would come of Cash and me.

“You know what? After today’s news, I’ll gladly take you up on that offer, and if I don’t scare you away after tonight’s meal, I’ll get the next one.”

Cash nodded, pulling out his phone. “I have them on speed dial.”

“Oh, yeah? Is it a place you take your hot dates?”

He smirked with confidence oozing from him. “From the book club, you mean?”

“I’m sure you seldom have lonely weekends,” I said wryly.

A guy this hot didn’t just stay in and twiddle his thumbs on a Friday night.

He winked. “Then you don’t know me well.”

A woman at the restaurant picked up on his speaker phone immediately and recognized his number. “Hey, Cash. Want your usual?”

“I’m upping my game tonight with two number four combination plates. And let’s do some mini tacos for an appetizer.”

“You still want your extra side of beans?” the woman asked.

Cash glanced at me and scowled. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, though.”

I held in a snicker and shrugged. “Don’t hold back on the beans on account of me, Cash.”

He flicked me a funny look as he filled them in on the correct delivery address and hung up.

I dashed to the kitchen and quickly pulled out some of the plates that Cash kept for his guests and put them on the dining room table. I shoved back the curtains so the lake came into view. Grandma Millie had brought over a bouquet of daisies and hydrangeas, which I grabbed from the kitchen and brought into the dining room as Cash walked in.

“Wow. You’re certainly classing up the joint.” He leaned against the wall and studied me as I fluttered into the kitchen to retrieve some more beers and utensils and take a deep breath.

The beer I’d polished off had played a funny trick on me. Cash was even more attractive, and it was as if all my Rob problems had drifted away. I suddenly didn’t want to think about the lawsuit hanging out there or the man who wanted to rip everything away from me.

Just the thought of eating takeout with Cash sounded absolutely refreshing.

I spun around with two beers and forks in my hand when Cash came up behind me. He smelled so sweet and spicy, kind of like his beer had mixed with a pine tree out back.

“Need any help?” His tone sounded super broody, or maybe it was that he was only a few inches away and I was swimming in everything Cash.

I brought my gaze up to his and regrouped, handing him the beer and forks.

“You are a little buzzy bee.” He laughed.

“Yeah? How so?” I called into the dining room as I sipped some water.

“You just never stop going, just buzzing everywhere, getting things done, rescuing injured chipmunks, making the table extra.”

“Extra?” I walked into the dining room. “Extra what?”

Cash chuckled. “It’s what the kids say. You know, you’reextra.”

“Am I that old that I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about?”