“You’re welcome.” She couldn’t look away now. His hazel-green eyes drew her in.
She wasn’t sure who moved first, but suddenly they were kissing.
Seth trapped her against the counter, and she moved her hands around his neck and pulled him closer as she kissed him back. He angled his mouth over hers as he lifted her hips and set her onto the counter. Gwen wrapped her legs around him and let herself melt into his warmth, and touch, and taste. She wasn’t sure when she’d changed her mind about Seth, but she now realized that she’d been hoping he’d kiss her again.
If she could gauge his interest in her by his intensity right now, she could pretty well guess that he’d been thinking about kissing her again too. His mouth was hot against hers, and he ran one of his hands up her back and tangled into her hair. It was falling out anyway. Then his mouth moved along her jaw and down her neck. She let her head fall back as she tried to catch her breath.
When his lips touched her collar bone she felt like she’d been ignited. “Seth,” she whispered.
He lifted his head, their gazes meeting. The desire in his eyes was palpable and sent her pulse thrumming even faster.
“I know,” he said, his voice hoarse. “We should stop.”
She nodded because she didn’t know if she could speak in a normal tone. He brought both hands up and cradled her face, then tenderly kissed her mouth again.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he said when he broke away.
She nodded again. Seth drew back, and she only wanted to grab him again and pull him to her. To feel his mouth warm against hers, his hands holding her up, his scent surrounding her.
He turned and scrubbed a hand through his hair as if he was trying to regain his composure.
Gwen slid off the counter and straightened her clothing. Then she picked up her purse from the counter. Her heart thumped with nerves. Had she been too bold? Had she made herself vulnerable?
“I’ll clean this up later.” Seth turned back to her. His eyes scanned her face, and he gave her a soft smile. “Come on.” He grasped her hand, and Gwen couldn’t exactly explain why, but relief flooded through her. Whatever the kiss had or hadn’t meant, Seth seemed to want to keep her close.
They didn’t speak as they walked into the summer night and crossed the parking lot. They passed Seth’s car along the way to Marge.
Gwen released his hand and dug her keys out of her purse to unlock the door. Seth held the door as she slid into the seat. She put the key into the ignition, then turned it. Marge started right up. Thank you.
“Gwen.”
She looked up, and into Seth’s gaze.
“If you, uh, change your mind about that second date, you have my number.” He looked so assailable, standing there, that Gwen almost climbed out of the car to kiss him again. But she resisted.
“You’re pretty good at changing a woman’s mind,” she said.
Seth smiled. He leaned down and brushed his thumb against her earring. “See you later, sunshine.” He straightened and stepped back, then closed her door.
Waiting had always been hard for Seth. So he hoped he was making the right decision by waiting for Gwen to reach out to him. He felt they’d shared some pretty amazing kisses, and he even felt their connection when they weren’t in the same room together. But it was more than the physical attraction between them. She gave him confidence to keep forging his own path. The problem was, Seth had no idea what Gwen was thinking or feeling.
The day after their kiss in the restaurant kitchen, Seth had debated whether to text or call her. He’d thought of a few scenarios. The boss scenario: Just checking to make sure you’re still good with the work schedule for the rest of the weekend. The man-who-is-trying-to-get-to-know-you-better scenario: How did Marge do on the drive home last night? If you ever have car issues, I can pick you up. The guy-who-can’t-stop-thinking-about-you scenario: Want to grab a late lunch before work? I’d love your opinion on another dessert recipe.
Instead, he did nothing. Well, he baked more desserts, since he had his parents’ house to himself again. All that counter space was too tempting, and judging by the way Gwen had loved the She-Devil last night, he was definitely putting that on the menu. In fact, he’d already sent the new menus to the printer.
Wait . . . did Gwen kiss him because of the dessert? Had the chocolate made her feel amorous? He had to think about it for a moment. No, he decided. Gwen kissed him because, well, because she wanted to. She had to like him more than she was letting on. At least, he hoped so.
That night at work, Gwen was her usual friendly self, with everyone. Which meant with him too. She left before he was finished running the numbers for the night. Sunday she had off. Monday the restaurant was booked with a software users group, and Seth barely had time to say hi to Gwen. He’d noticed the line between her brows more than once when she wasn’t interacting with a customer, and his instinct was to pull her aside to see if everything was okay. But he refrained. The consolation in all of this was that the She-Devil became the most requested dessert on the new menu. Next week he planned to introduce a pizza pie—he and Pierre just had to agree on the ingredients.
By Tuesday night, Seth was ready to break all promises to himself and call Gwen after all. But then he had an idea.
On Wednesday morning, he found himself driving out of Pine Valley to the homeless shelter where he knew Gwen visited each week. He hoped she wouldn’t skip this week.
Less than an hour later, Seth pulled into the parking lot of the shelter. His Mercedes would stick out like a sore thumb, and he debated where to park. Finally, he chose a spot and climbed out of the car. He hoped the shelter accepted drop-in volunteers and that there wasn’t some sort of government security clearance he had to apply for.
He pushed open the front door, and the first thing that greeted him was the scent of Italian food. Spaghetti sauce and meatballs.
“Hi, there,” a man’s voice said from the direction of what had to be the kitchen.
Seth walked farther into the building and saw a man leaning through an alcove that connected the main room and the kitchen. He was tall, with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard.
“Hi,” Seth answered. “I’m here to help for a few hours. What can I do?”
The man hesitated, although his gaze was assessing. “Have we met before?”
“No, I’m Seth Owens,” he said, “Are you Mac?”
The man’s thick brows lifted. “I am.”
“Great. We have a mutual friend—Gwen Robbins.”
Mac’s dark eyes lit up. “You’re friends with Gwen?” Then his eyes narrowed, and Seth felt like he was being scrutinized.
“Yeah, she usually comes in on Wednesdays, right?” he asked.
“Yep,” Mac said.
When Mac paused, Seth continued, “So, what do you need help with?”
“Can you cook?” Mac asked.
Seth grinned. “Sure.”
Mac waved him into the kitchen. “Spaghetti is already boiling. Meatballs are defrosting in the red sauce. You can start on the salad and garlic bread.”
Seth made a quick scan of the kitchen—all basic stuff—and the ingredients—even more basic. He got to work, ignoring the fact that apparently Mac used frozen meatballs. Seth would let that slide. “It’s hot in here; doesn’t the air conditioning work?”
Mac chuckled. “First time in a shelter?”
“Yeah . . . ?”
“Uh, air conditioning is the last thing the county wants to spend money on,” Mac said. “Just being inside a building is enough luxury for some of these folks.”
“Understood,” Seth said. Next time, he’d wear shorts and sandals.
And although he was tempted to ask Mac about Gwen, he decided he needed to keep his head down and work. A line had formed by the time the meal was assembled, and still no sign of Gwen.
Two older women showed up to help, and Seth joined them at the serving table, taking on the task of adding the sauce and meatball
s to the plates coming through the line.
One man, who looked to be about eighty, called out in a loud voice when he reached the table, “Where’s Gwen?”
“Right here.”
Seth turned to see Gwen coming into the center.
“Sorry I’m late, Jerry.” Gwen crossed to the man and kissed his cheek.
Jerry smiled, making his wrinkles curve up.
When Gwen saw Seth, her mouth fell open.
“Hi, Gwen,” he said. He turned back to the next person waiting for the sauce. His heart had started pounding the moment he heard her voice, but he had to play it nonchalant.
Gwen said something else to Jerry, then talked to a couple of other people, but Seth forced himself to focus on serving.
Then he smelled lemons and vanilla.
Gwen stood right next to him, taking over the salad job from one of the older women.
“Hi, Ricky,” she said, and the man before them grinned.
Half of his teeth were missing, but the man’s smile lit up everything around him. “You’re late,” Ricky said.
“I know,” Gwen said with a laugh. “But I’m here now. How are you doing, my friend?”
Ricky shrugged his thin shoulders. “Same ole, same ole.”
Gwen piled on the salad.
A woman was up next. She was skinny as a rail and looked as if she’d been out in the sun for weeks.
“Love the sweater, Maddy.” Gwen stepped around the serving table and hugged the woman.
The sweater in question had probably once been red but now looked more like a maroon, with all the filth. Plus, wasn’t it too hot for a sweater in the middle of summer? The kitchen was like a sauna as it was.
“And I love your earrings, Gwen,” Maddy said with a wink.
Now Seth had to look. They were small, genuine diamond studs.
“Thanks, they were my birthday earrings when I was sixteen.” Gwen touched her earlobes. “Still fit.”
Maddy laughed.
Then Gwen took her place in line again and continued serving salad, chatting with everyone who came through. One man, named Declan, wore an arm cast, and Gwen fussed over him. Although the man wasn’t very talkative, Seth could tell he appreciated the attention.
When the line dwindled to the last few people, Seth started to clean up, pitching in wherever it looked like help was needed.
“Can you handle this, man?” Mac asked. “I’ve got to get to my daughter’s school choir performance.”
“No problem,” Seth answered.
“Thanks for your help,” Mac continued. He turned to give Gwen a quick embrace. Then he was gone.
Seth turned to continue cleaning the kitchen, but Gwen stood in his path, hands on her hips. He wasn’t exactly sure how to read her expression.
“Your sixteenth birthday, huh?” he said.
Her mouth twitched. “Are you stalking me?”
“I had a few hours to spare.”
Her blue eyes didn’t look convinced.
“Okay, so I was curious about where you spend your days off,” he said. “So, yes, I knew I’d probably see you here, but I also thought it would be half-decent to help someone else for a change, being a spoiled frat boy and all.”
Gwen didn’t say anything for a moment, but her eyebrows had shot way up. “Okay, so maybe I was a little judgmental.”
“Just a little?” Seth teased.
She smiled but seemed to be mulling something over. Seth hoped it was about him and that it was positive.
“Don’t push it,” she said.
“I’m not pushing anything.” Seth stepped past her and loaded the pots into the sink to be scrubbed. While he worked, he felt Gwen’s gaze on him from time to time. But he stuck to the chores while overhearing quite a few conversations between Gwen and the homeless.
He’d thought at first that Gwen came every week to do service, maybe to fulfill the part of humanity that seemed ingrained in her. But seeing her interactions and overhearing her conversations, Seth realized she enjoyed the actual people. They were friends of hers, and she cared about each one. Seth was more than impressed. Not many people from her station in life felt comfortable around the destitute and downtrodden. It was like they thought homelessness was contagious, and they’d only help them at arm’s length by donating money or something equally hands off.
It was time these homeless people needed. Time, care, patience, love. And, of course, food and shelter.
Seth dried the last of the dishes. He set things back into the cupboards, guessing where everything went.
Finished, he looked around for Gwen. She was sitting at the table next to the woman with the red sweater. They seemed engrossed in conversation, and Seth didn’t need to make a grand exit. So he pushed through the door that connected the kitchen to a back parking lot. He walked around the building to find his car. A few slots down from his Mercedes was Gwen’s beater car. He was tempted to wait in his car until he could make sure her car started up okay.
Why she drove the thing was beyond him. She was the top-paid waitress at the restaurant, and Seth figured she could afford a low car payment even if she didn’t have a roommate to split rent with. Maybe she was just hyper frugal . . . although she wasn’t opposed to wearing diamond earrings to a homeless shelter.
Seth opened his car door and cranked up the air conditioning before shutting the door so the air could circulate a little quicker.
“Hey, Seth!”
He looked up to see Gwen hurrying across the parking lot toward him. He climbed out of his car, leaving it running. By the time she’d reached him, she was out of breath, which, to Seth, was kind of sexy in itself. But he shouldn’t be letting his mind wander.
“Thanks for cleaning up the kitchen,” she said. “And for helping today.”
“No problem.” Seth slipped his hands into his pockets. “Does Mac run the kitchen every day?”
Gwen smirked. “Don’t you get any ideas. We’re not feeding my homeless friends gourmet food.”
Seth laughed. “That’s not what I meant. I just wondered how he finds the time in the middle of the day.”
“He works security at nights for some company,” Gwen said. “Mac’s here Tuesdays through Fridays. Someone else helps the other days.”
“How did you get involved?” He hoped he wasn’t asking too many questions, because he knew Gwen liked to keep things private.
She shrugged. “I Googled it and then called the shelter.”
“Cool.” Seth’s gaze kept going to the sparkle of her diamond studs as they caught the sunlight. Surely there was a story there. “Hey, if you’re coming next Wednesday, maybe we should carpool.”
A smile tugged at Gwen’s mouth. “You really don’t like Marge, do you?”
“I worry, that’s all,” he said. “I mean, I’m sure she’s great for shorter trips. But maybe she could use a break.”
Gwen’s smile bloomed. “I’ll let you know, boss. See you tomorrow.”
With that, she turned and walked over to her car. She gave a final wave before climbing in, and of course Seth was still standing there when she backed Marge out of the parking spot and pulled out. Marge was running just fine, so Seth climbed back into his car and left the parking lot himself.
He hadn’t secured a date, but driving to the shelter together next week would be progress.
“I am not nervous,” Gwen told her reflection in the bathroom mirror. It appeared she didn’t believe herself. “No, really. I’m not nervous.”
A knock sounded on the apartment front door, and she flinched. Seth was right on time. It was Wednesday again, and all week Gwen had been thinking about how she’d agreed to carpool with Seth to the homeless shelter. Spending more time with Seth made her both nervous and excited . . . although she wouldn’t confess the excited part to Alicia.
Alicia was already teasing her enough, and it was getting harder and harder to act nonchalant around Seth at the restaurant.
Gwen ran her hand over her loose
braid, then applied her lip gloss—she’d wiped off the pink lipstick earlier. She didn’t want to be too gussied up. Next, she made sure her yellow-and-white, polka-dotted blouse was tucked into her navy capris. Ready. She just had to open the door now.
She could almost sense Seth wondering if he had to knock again, if she might have missed waking up to her alarm again. Gwen strode down the hall and opened the door.
And it happened again. Every time she’d seen him over the past week, her heart had flipped.
“Hi,” Gwen said, unable to stop herself from checking him out. His dark blonde hair looked like it was still damp from a shower. He wore a light-red T-shirt that hugged his toned arms and chest. His shorts were khaki, and Gwen wondered if she’d seen him in shorts before. Only once, she now remembered, after she’d slept on his couch. His toned legs pretty much completed his perfect visage. “Don’t worry, I’m ready this time.”
Seth’s green eyes filled with amusement. “I wasn’t worried.” He stepped back as she crossed the threshold and locked the door.
When she turned, he was sort of leaning toward her, and for a panicked second she thought he was about to kiss her. And when he straightened and said, “You smell nice,” she was slightly disappointed he hadn’t.
She really had to stick to her own resolutions. She couldn’t be telling him she wouldn’t date him, yet wish that he’d kiss her again. “Thanks,” she said. “I like your shirt.”
He chuckled as she walked past him. She refused to question why he was laughing, because obviously he was in a flirtatious mood and thought he had the upper hand since she’d agreed to ride with him. But when she slid into the smooth leather passenger seat, she was a tiny bit glad she’d agreed. Marge’s air conditioner had been hit and miss all week, and it was everything Gwen could do to not arrive at the restaurant a sweaty mess.
Seth’s Mercedes was in a different class, and Gwen knew she shouldn’t allow herself to enjoy it, because then she might be allowing some defeat of her morals. But then again, her parents were Audi people. So she clipped on her seatbelt and leaned the seat back a few more inches.
Waiting for You_Pine Valley Page 11
