“You and I have a puzzle to finish,” he said. “And after that, I was thinking we could go out for a secret treat.”
Bless the man. He knew exactly how to save the day.
“A treat?!” Pip yelled. “What treat?”
“Secret, remember?” Victor said.
“What is it? My birthday?”
Belle cracked up, and even Victor grinned at Pip’s dramatic, wide-eyed enthusiasm.
“Wow. Sounds like Uncle Vic planned a big day for you.” Belle glanced at the time on her phone before stashing it in her purse. “I need to leave or I’ll be late to meet my friend. I’ll see you back here in a while. Maybe we can squeeze in some pool time before dinner.”
Pip nodded excitedly. “Okay. Bye, Belle.” The little girl ran back to the puzzle, plopping down on the floor once more.
Victor had risen when Pip did, but he didn’t resume his seat. Instead, he walked Belle to the front door. “You’ll be home by four.”
If he meant that to sound like a question, he’d missed the mark by a mile. Because what it actually sounded like was a demand. Belle thought she should be annoyed by his highhandedness. Apparently, her feminist side disappeared around Victor, because his command sent an erotic shiver down her spine.
Time to get the hell out of here before she threw herself at the man. Her crush was reinterpreting everything he said and did, twisting it all to fit her fantasies, when in reality, Victor wasn’t treating her any differently than he did his sister. Belle hadwitnessed this same overprotectiveness when his sister went out with friends for the evening or was scheduled to work the late shift.
Obviously, since Belle was staying with him for the summer, and Vivian was out of the country and too far away for him to protect, Victor had transferred the big brother vibes to her.
Her mouth twisted in disappointment. Just what she needed. Another freaking brother. As if the five she had weren’t enough.
“I’ll see you later, Victor.”
It took her the entire drive from his place to the tiny coffee shop in Fells Point to get herself under control—both physically and mentally. By the time she arrived, she’d managed to turn the headlight nipples off and shut down all—well, most—thoughts of Victor.
Walking into the coffee shop a few minutes early, she nodded to the new barista, Cori, cruised around the counter, and straight into the back office. Her former boss, Jerry, glanced up from his desk, smiling when she walked in. Rising, he crossed the room and gave her a big bear hug. Jerry was a former Marine who’d decided to open his own shop after retiring from service. Like Victor, Jerry was a huge guy. Unlike Victor, Jerry’s face seemed incapable of frowning and the man seriously had the greatest—and loudest—booming laugh she’d ever heard.
“What brings you in today, Belly?”
Belle chuckled at her boss’s silly nickname for her. “I’ve entered the world of online dating,” she said, feigning a shudder. “Meeting a guy for the first time for coffee here.”
Jerry patted her shoulder. “Smart girl, bringing him here where I can keep an eye on you.” He gestured toward the door, the two of them walking back to the front counter. “I was looking for an excuse to get away from that desk for a little while and you just gave it to me.”
“Jerry,” Belle protested. “I don’t need you hovering around, giving the poor guy the evil eye. You’ll scare him away. I just wanted to say hello to you before he got here.”
Jerry ignored her, which wasn’t surprising. He was a mother hen to all his employees, always offering advice or a shoulder to cry on when needed. He’d never married or had kids of his own, so he adopted all his baristas, never missing a birthday and always buying the world’s most thoughtful Christmas gifts. And even though Belle hadn’t worked for him in five years, those birthday and Christmas gifts still came.
“Jerry,” she started again, when he put on an apron and set up camp behind the counter.
“No evil eye,” Jerry said, crossing his heart. “I just want to check this guy out. If he looks okay, I’ll go back to my office. Promise.”
Belle gave her boss a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks.” She said a quick hello to Cori, then claimed a table by the front window, waiting for Scott before ordering.
He arrived fifteen minutes late. Belle tried to tell herself that while she was punctual to a fault and his tardiness annoyed her, fifteen minutes shouldn’t be a deal-breaker.
“Belle?” Scott asked, walking over to the table after spotting her.
She nodded, rising. “Hi, Scott. It’s nice to meet you.”
They shook hands as Scott’s gaze traveled the length of her. While Victor’s perusal had been brief and appreciative, Scott’s lingered uncomfortably. Probably because she got the sense he wasn’t entirely impressed with what he saw.
Belle was petite, and that smallness was everywhere—including her barely B-cup breasts. Considering that was where Scott’s eyes hovered the longest, she could only assume he was a tit man, and he found hers lacking.
She hated to start throwing up red flags, but she was a bit annoyed he hadn’t apologized for being late or even explained why. That, paired with the creepy up-and-down look, wasn’t convincing her things between them might work out.