“So, is there anything good around here?” he asks as we step outside and I nod as I lock the office door.
“Yeah, there’s a deli on the next block over that has the best sandwiches,” I say, pointing to the right before turning left. “Or, there’s a burger place down there that I love.”
He takes my hand and laces our fingers together. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Let’s go to the deli.”
He pulls me into his side as we turn for the deli. “So, how’s your day?”
“Busy.”
“But good?” he asks and I nod.
“Yeah. What about you? I haven’t seen you in a couple days.”
He smiles and arches a brow. “Miss me?”
“Maybe. Is that crazy?” I know we haven’t known each other that long but I really do love spending time with him and he’s been too busy to stop by the last couple nights and texting only helps so much.
“If it is, then I’m right there with you. I wanted to come see you more than you know.”
A blush creeps up my cheeks and I look down at the sidewalk to hide my smile. After all I’ve been through, it means so much to me that he isn’t playing games with me. He’s honest and upfront with how he’s feeling and it’s exactly what I need.
“What kept you away?”
He sighs. “Clay.”
“How is he?”
“Last time I saw him, he was just fine but that was days ago.”
“I’m so sorry, Lucas,” I whisper as we stop in front of the deli. He pastes a smile on his face but I can see the stress wearing on him. As he opens the door, he brings our intertwined hands to his lips and kisses the back of mine.
“Don’t worry about it, babe. It is what it is.”
I nod. “Well, I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
“I know. Now,” he says as we step up to the front counter, “tell me what’s good here.”
“My favorite is the honey bear sandwich,” I reply, pointing to the menu board up on the wall. He nods as he reads the description with an adorable pucker to his lips.
“Sounds good.”
A young woman stops in front of us with an expectant expression. “What can I get for you two?”
“I’ll get the honey bear sandwich, a side of fries, and a water,” I say before glancing back at Lucas, who nods.
“Same, please.”
She rings it up and reads out the total. Lucas grabs his wallet out of his pocket and when I open my mouth to protest, he shoots me a look before handing over some cash. I stare at him for a second before pulling my wallet out of my purse and grabbing a ten-dollar bill. He glances back at me as I step up to the counter and slip the money in the tip jar. His jaw ticks as he watches me step back and then he smiles and shakes his head, pulling me into his arms as she hands him his change and receipt.
“Defiant, aren’t you?”
I arch a brow. “Only if you are.”
“Me? Defiant?”
“Well,” I mutter, wrapping my arms around his waist. “Maybe defiant isn’t the right word but you could let me pay for a meal every once in a while.”
He shakes his head. “No, I couldn’t. Iris would have my head… and my balls if I ever made a lady pay for her own food.”
“I see… so you’re going to pay for every woman’s lunch?” I ask, gesturing to the line forming at the counter and he laughs.
“If I have to, to prove a point.”
I flash him a skeptical look and he grins as he pulls some twenties out of his wallet and goes back up to the register where he whispers something to the cashier before handing her the money. The first woman in line watches him, wide-eyed, as he struts back over to me and I laugh.
“Feeling proud of yourself?”
He nods. “Yeah, I am.”
“Smith,” the cashier calls, holding up a bag with our food in it. He flashes me a wink before strolling back up to the counter to grab it. When he comes back, we head out to the patio and find an open table as he lays out our sandwiches, fries, and bottles of water.
“So,” he says as we sit down across from each other. “I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Tomorrow night… I was hoping to take you and Brooklyn to dinner at Iris’s house.”
“Oh,” I whisper, surprised by his question.
“If this is moving too fast for you, just say the word, Quinn, but I’d really like to introduce her to the two of you.”
Our eyes meet across the table and the hopeful expression on his face pulls at my heart. Maybe it is moving too fast but I can’t deny how I feel about him, even after such a short time, and I can tell that this is important to him. I nod.
“I’d really like that.”
He flashes me a satisfied smile. “I’ll let Iris know.”
As I peel back the wrapper around my sandwich, I suck in a breath, suddenly feeling nervous about meeting Iris tomorrow night. It’s clear from how Lucas speaks about her that she means a lot to him and I want to impress her.
“You okay?” he asks and I nod.
“Yeah, just a little nervous, I guess. I want her to like me.”
He reaches across the table and grabs my hand. “Of course, she’s going to like you. How could she not?”
“I… I just don’t want her to think badly of me. I know how people see me - a single woman raising my child on my own.”
“First off, Iris isn’t like that and second, anyone who is doesn’t deserve to know you. I may not know what happened with Brooklyn’s father but I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t be raising her by yourself if you had any other choice.”
“Thank you,” I whisper as my heart pounds in my chest. I glance down at the table for a second as a blush creeps up my cheeks before meeting his eyes again. “Tell me about her.”
“Iris?”
I nod and he laughs as he pulls his hand back and pops a French fry into his mouth. “Let’s see… she’s worked as a manager at this little grocery store as long as I’ve known her and she’s super laid back, which is exactly what I needed as a kid. She likes to drink tea and watch movies - that’s something we used to do together when I couldn’t sleep…”
“I can’t see you drinking tea,” I interrupt and he laughs.
“To be honest, it wasn’t for me so she’d make me hot cocoa and we’d watch her chick flicks.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I can’t see that either.”
“I know. No one can but I have a plethora of movie references up here,” he says, tapping the side of his forehead.
“Plethora, huh? I’m impressed.”
He nods with a wink as he grabs another French fry. “You should be.”
“How did you meet Iris? Was she fostering other kids?”
“Uh,” he mutters before clearing his throat. “No. Her house backs up to the woods and there’s this old railway that used to run through there but they don’t use it anymore. Clay and I found an old boxcar sitting on the abandoned track and we were living there when she found us.”