“Three sugars and lots of cream,” I said.
“Good thing I brought lots of cream, then.” He held up little containers of half-and-half.
“What about you?
He smiled. “Just black, babe.”
“You’re easy.”
He chuckled and grabbed the plain bagel. “Depends on who you ask.”
I grinned.
“You still have nothing in your fridge,” he pointed out.
“I know. You’ve been a bad influence and distraction. I really need to go shopping.” I grabbed the sugar from the cabinet above the dishwasher and spooned some into my cup.
Austin handed me a bagel.
“I thought you wanted the poppy seed,” I said as Austin spread cream cheese on the plain one.
He shook his head. “It’s all you, babe.”
“You’re pulling out all the charm today, aren’t you?”
He leaned down to kiss me quickly. “Not just today. You’ll see.”
“Promises, promises.” I followed him to the table. “What are you doing here? I thought we weren’t seeing each other today.”
“I moved a few things around so I could drive you and your friend tonight.”
“What?”
“I’m your shuttle service,” he said. “Wherever you need to go, I’ll take you.”
“I don’t need you to drive me,” I pointed out. “I have a car that runs better than ever, thanks to you.”
He took a sip of his coffee. “Yeah, but if I take you, you can drink whatever you want and not worry about driving.”
“There is that.” I raised an eyebrow. “We might be really late, though. We typically are.”
Austin smiled. “What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“I haven’t worked that out yet. Kim knows not to call me before eleven. Even if she were dying, she’d have to wait until after then to let me know.”
He shot me a sexy little smirk. “I’m not apologizing for wakin’ you, babe. It made my day.”
I lifted my bagel. “I’ll take this as one even so.”
“Knock yourself out.”
“You really want to drive us tonight?”
He nodded.
“You’re sure you’re not busy?” I asked.
“Nothin’ I can’t move, baby.”
I tilted my head and stared at him in suspicion. “What’s your game, mister?”
Austin laughed. “Just want to take care of my woman. Make sure she’s safe.”
I leaned forward and kissed him quickly. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Danielle
We sat silently chewing for a few minutes before my phone pealed from the bedroom. I rose to my feet. “That might be Kim.” I rushed for my room and grabbed the phone just in time. “This is Dani.”
“Someone’s awake early,” Kim said. “I was expecting to leave a message.”
“Austin brought me breakfast.”
“Wow, you must really like this guy. No one wakes you on the weekend without feeling your wrath.”
I giggled. “I’m not that bad.”
“You keep telling yourself that, honey.”
“So what’s the plan for tonight?” I asked, and headed back to the dining area. Austin had moved to my sofa, his booted feet up on my coffee table, the remote in his hand.
“How about I pick you up at nine and we head to Blush?”
“Hoping if we get there a little earlier, we’ll be able to get in?”
Kim laughed. “That’s the plan.”
“I like it. Just one change.”
“What?”
“Austin wants to drive. So, how about we pick you up?”
“He’s crashing girls’ night?” she asked.
“Nope. He’s just designated driver. He’ll drop us wherever we want to go and pick us up when we’re done. It means we can drink and not worry about getting a cab.”
“But he’s not staying.”
I glanced at Austin. “Nope, he’s not staying. It’s just us.”
He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head.
“Sounds good to me,” Kim said.
“Awesome. We’ll see you at nine.”
“Perfect.”
I hung up and looked at Austin. “What?”
“What if I want to stay?”
I shook my head and grabbed my bagel, flopping down beside him on the couch. “Resist the urge. It’s girls’ night out and girls’ night out is sacred.”
“Where am I taking you?”
“Blush.”
“No.”
“What?”
“Sorry, let me rephrase,” he said. “Hell, no.”
I paused mid-chew. “You’re joking.”
“You’re not going to Blush, Dani. It’s a meat market.”
“It’s the most exclusive club in Portland and we’ve never been able to get in.”
“No mystery there, babe. They probably know who you are.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He scowled.
“Tell me,” I demanded.
“Damn it,” he said, but didn’t elaborate.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.