“Apple or coconut cream?” Allison held the door open to the kitchen as she waited for my reply with the sweetest look on her beautiful face.

My heart was fucking toast.

“Aw,

man…that’s

easy…coconut

cream…thanks.”

Could this night get any better…now there’s pie in the mix?

Allison walked out of the kitchen with a small plate that had a huge slice of pie and 98/727

a generous dollop of whipped cream and a maraschino cherry on top.

“Here you go.” She smiled and placed the pie in front of me.

“Thanks.” I stared up at her again for a few seconds. This time, she was staring back at me, her hand slowly backing away from the pie plate and it reminded me of the awkward pause we experienced the first time I came into the diner. God I just want to grab her and sniff her hair. Thank God she can’t read my mind because if she could, this pie would be in my face and the cherry up my ass.

Allison abruptly walked away and said, “I am going to try Sonia again.” She picked up her iPhone and scrolled down to a number and this time she got an answer. I watched and listened to her as I stuffed my face with pie.

“Sonia! she shouted. “Where the hell did you put the credit card? I looked there; 99/727

it’s

not

there!

You

said

the

green

folder…what do you mean top shelf? Oh, the shelf in the pantry…crap, alright…yes, he is…later…later…I

can’t

now…

al-

right…thanks.”

She hung up and ran into the kitchen.

When she came out, she flashed me a big smile showcasing her perfect teeth.

“Cedric, I am so, so sorry. Apparently, she left it in a green folder, but it was a different green folder in a different spot…anyway, I am really sorry for the mix-up.” Allison handed me the card and our fingers brushed together, the feel of her skin sending a shiver down my spine and an awareness somewhere else. That was the first time I actually touched her.

“Please, don’t apologize, Allison. Sitting here enjoying this pie has seriously been the highlight of my day. And I should be apologizing to you for putting you through the 100/727

trouble of having to look for it, when it was my asinine mistake, leaving it here.”

“Well, it all worked out, I guess.”

“It did,” I said.

Then, there was more tense silence, as I got lost in those gigantic green eyes.

“Allison, I hope you have a safe way of getting home tonight…it’s pretty late.”

“I actually usually walk to the train station with Max, but…wait, what time is it?” She looked at her watch. “Crap,” she said.

“What…what’s wrong?” I asked.

“The last commuter train left at 11:20.

It’s 11:25. I missed it,” she said sighing.

“Well, it’s obviously my fault. Please let me drive you home. Where do you live?” This was too good to be true.

“I live in Malden. It’s about a half hour drive from here. Are you sure? I could call a cab.”

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“No way. You are here because of me and it’s actually right on my way home. I live in the city.”

“I figured that.”

“You figured I lived in the city…how so?” I asked with a curious gaze, not able to take my eyes off her swollen lips.

“Well, you’re always so well-dressed, like a businessman from Boston, I guess. I mean…uh…I remember the first time you came in,” Allison said shyly.

Shit. Ok, so she remembered me as

‘tip guy’.

I had to think quickly and then lied.

“Yeah, I have a client up this way which is why I’ve stopped in before.” Allison searched her bag for the key.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

“Absolutely.”

Absofuckinglutely.

I walked out first, watching her shut the light, lock the diner door and check it a 102/727

few times. I disarmed the car and stopped at the passenger side to let her in.

Her smile was mesmerizing as she stepped into the passenger seat and I gently closed the door, wondering again how I got so damn lucky.

CHAPTER 7

ALLISON

Holy shit. Is this really happening?

Cedric opened the driver’s side door, turned on the heated seats and started the car. He smelled so incredibly good, I swear, I could die happy right here in this seat, intoxicated by his scent. It was a mix of musk, sandalwood and leather in here.

He is so damn hot, dare I say the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes on. Just like I remembered, but with even more of a five o’clock shadow on his chin, which made him even sexier. There was a roughness about him that directly contradicted the business attire.

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As he grabbed his stick shift (pun intended), a slight piece of his shiny hair fell over his forehead and I nearly died.

He wasn’t wearing a jacket, just a purple fitted dress shirt that showed off his muscular chest. He was even rocking sus-penders, that wouldn’t have been sexy on any other man. He could pull those off really well, though. I had the urge to pull them and snap them back against his chest.

I turned around and saw that his suit jacket was thrown in the backseat, along with a bottle of wine on the floor. I wondered who would be drinking that with him.

Nervous chills ran through me as his big beautiful slightly scuffed hand grabbed the stick shift and moved it in a jerking motion. My body was fluctuating from cold to hot, reacting to these feelings of lust. I could feel my armpits welling with sweat again and a tingle in my nether regions. I realized at 105/727

this moment, how little control I actually had over my own body.

Cedric broke the silence. “So, you remembered me, huh?” he said suggestively in a low smooth voice as he turned to look at me with a sexy side glance, before returning his eyes to the road.

“Well, you were kind of hard to forget.

I…mean…you left quite a big tip.” I was sure to add that last part. I didn’t want to give away too easily the real reasons I thought he was unforgettable, which had nothing to do with the money.

Cedric seemed to hesitate, shaking his head and said, “Yeah…I guess I did, didn’t I?

I was in a bit of a rush, so I left you what I had in my wallet.”

“Well, thank you. It truly brightened my day and was very generous. I had wanted to thank you, but you left so fast. I thought maybe it was a mistake. I have never received such a big tip in my life. I actually 106/727

split it with Delores since it was technically her table to begin with. Delores is really cool.

She’s a hoot. She makes working at the diner fun.” I shut up immediately. Oh God, I was rambling like a bumbling idiot and making no sense.

“Well, I am really glad I could brighten your day,” Cedric said as he glanced at me and smiled.

“Thanks again.” I turned to look out the window when a sudden bout of bashful-ness took over.

In my periphery, I could see his head turn in my direction and I looked back at him.

“So, Allison, tell me, how long have you worked at the diner?” Cedric asked as he sped onto I-93, returning his eyes quickly to me once he entered the highway. I loved watching him drive.

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“Just a few months. I am just biding my time there. I was in a special education program at Simmons, but I am putting that on hold for a while. But working with kids with disabilities is really my passion.”

“Simmons is a great school. Special education? That’s an honorable field. What made you decide to go in that direction?” He switched gears and continued to alternate between looking at me and the road.

“Well, I really love kids and one summer when I was a camp counselor for the YMCA, I bonded with a little girl with Down syndrome. Her parents had actually given her up for adoption at birth, so she lived temporarily with foster parents. I am also adopted, so that made me even more attached to her. I was crushed when she was transferred to another family out of town.