Page 26 of Made For You

“Will you be joining me?” I ask, trying not to make her feel even more anxious. I can’t even imagine how she felt walking over here.

“If you don’t mind, we can eat at my place.”

I walk over to her after putting down the bowl. “Wherever you want to eat,” I tell her as I stand in front of her. A soft little strand of hair has fallen out of her top bun, and my hand wants to come up and tuck it behind her ear.

“We can eat out on the deck right here.” She turns and walks out to the little table. “So Beatrice isn’t alone.”

I laugh at her. “Like she would let me leave her anywhere.” I shake my head. “I’ll make coffee. What do you take in it?”

“Whatever you have,” she tosses over her shoulder. “I’m going to go grab the fruit.” I watch her walk away. She’s wearing yoga pants again, and they literally show her ass to perfection.

“Those should be illegal,” I mumble, walking over to the coffee machine. I make two coffees, and when I walk outside, she is sitting down on the long bench with Beatrice next to her.

“I would have come to help, but”—she looks at Beatrice—“she needed some love.” She rubs her head, and Beatrice turns on her side.

Sitting down in the chair, I hand her the cup of coffee. “So I have to ask,” I say, grabbing a fork and cutting a piece of the omelet straight from the plate. “Did you google me last night?”

She throws her head back and laughs, the sound making my stomach feel like when you are on a roller coaster and you are going up the big first turn, as it slows down and you dangle there at the top, right when it drops you. That is what it feels like listening to her laughter. “I did not.” She grabs her own fork and cuts a piece of omelet before she stabs a strawberry.

I gasp. “Wow, you really do respect boundaries.”

It’s her turn to gasp. “Oh my God,” she says, grabbing a piece of watermelon from the bowl. “Did you google me?”

“No,” I tell her. Technically, I’m not lying. I actually didn’t do it last night. She’s never asked about it before. I look over at Beatrice, who just looks at me, knowing I’m full of shit.

“Considering that there are no boundaries in my family,” she states with a smile, and it’s a real smile. “My family is always pushing their noses in other people’s business, so I like to respect everyone else. I’m the last one to know anything because I don’t ask.” She shrugs. “Besides, Google can also be wrong sometimes.”

“Really?” I respond, shocked. “I’ve found them to be pretty accurate.”

“What was the last thing you googled?” she asks me.

“The weather.” The words come out right away. “This morning.” Fine, I did it on my walk, but it still counts. She eats a couple more bites of the omelet. “So when do you want to leave?”

“Whenever you are ready,” she replies, putting down her cup of coffee. “I’ve finished my work, so I can go whenever.”

I nod at her. “Well, let’s clean up and we can head out.”

She claps her hands in excitement. “Beatrice, I’m going on the water,” she tells her. “Isn’t that so much fun?” I swallow the rest of my coffee to keep my mouth busy before I tell her that I’ll take her out every day.

CHAPTER17

VIVIENNE

“What wasthe last thing you googled?” I ask him, wondering if he googled me. I’m not sure if he would find anything or not. I haven’t googled myself in a while. In the beginning, I used to google to see if someone figured out if I was Cooper Parker, but so far, my secret is safe.

But he answers right away without skipping a beat, so I know it has to be the truth. “The weather. This morning.” I take a couple more bites of the omelet, the whole time my stomach is doing somersaults. I have to drink some coffee to calm myself down. “So when do you want to leave?”

“Whenever you are ready.” I put down my cup, trying not to sound like a giddy teenager. “I’ve finished my work, so I can go whenever.”

He nods at me, and I love the way his eyes look this morning. They are on the gray side. “Well, let’s clean up, and we can head out.”

I can’t contain myself after he says that, clapping my hands. “Beatrice, I’m going on the water.” I hold her face in my hands. “Isn’t that so much fun?” I kiss her on the nose, and she licks my face.

“I’m going to go clean up my boat.” I stand. “Should I prepare lunch?” He shakes his head. “I’m going to anyway.”

“I was going to head out to the bakery down the street and grab a couple of things,” he informs me. “So how about you do what you need to do, and we meet here in about thirty minutes?”

“Sounds good,” I say, getting off his boat. “Do you want me to keep Beatrice so you can go faster?”