Page 66 of A Love Like Christmas Time
“I don’t—”
“Nuh-uh.” He wags his index finger in front of my face. “I’m your friend, and as your friend, I demand you cuddle this bad boy for at least five minutes. You don’t need to talk and I won’t pry, but you seem like you need some love.”
As if he’s jealous, Jensen trots closer, sits down right next to my chair and puts his chin on my thigh, staring at me with those damned puppy eyes.
“Make it seven minutes. Spare two more for Jensen or he'll get jealous,” Kieran says, and steals Henry’s fresh coffee. “Don’t look at me like that. It would be a waste to let this go cold.” He takes a sip, then leans back in his seat with a satisfied grin. “So, Caleb, if you ever had a dog, what would you name it?”
“Why? I have no intention of getting a dog.” I lift my chin to keep Dick from slobbering all over my face.
“Hypothetically,” Kieran says slowly, rolling his eyes.
“I mean, what kind of dog would it be?” I shoot back. He leans forward, tapping a finger against his chin as he thinks. “I can’t exactly name a chihuahua the same as I would a pit bull.”
“You know what, you make a great point. Let me get back to you on that.”
“And is it a male or female? You have to be more specific. Though I can tell you for sure that I would not give my dog a name that alludes to genitals.”
Kieran dramatically clutches his chest. “How dare you question Dick van Dyke’s name!”
“Honestly, I’m scared for any future pets you might get.” I shake my head at him and plop the golden retriever back into his lap. Jensen nudges my thigh as if to say, ‘It’s my turn now!’
I glance up at Henry when he returns to his seat.
“Shawna sent me away.” He pouts and crosses his arms across his chest. Jensen, traitor that he is, immediately turns away from me and trots over to his owner.
“That’s probably my cue to-” I get up. Both of them shoot me a glare.
“Nope,” they say simultaneously.
“The rush is dying down. You’re good.” Henry makes a vague gesture at the room. He’s right. Most of the customers have cleared out already, and Shawna is opening the showcase for her obligatory end of shift cake. “Meaning it’s the perfect time to talk about you and Lauren.”
He props his head on his elbow, and Kieran’s eyes widen, darting between Henry and me as if he’s watching a tennis match.
“For real?” he asks way too loudly for my taste. His face slowly breaks into a smile when I don’t deny it, then he jumps up from his chair with so much force that it squeaks across the floor, almost tipping over.
“Would you mind keeping it down?” I hiss at him, rougher than intended. Turns out, Lauren doesn’t have that ‘he made me orgasm’ glow about her. At least nobody asked her about it when she came in for lunch yesterday.
While I don’t mind if everyone knows, I don’t need them up in my business either. When did Henry notice?
“Did she tell you?”
Henry’s face stretches into a wide grin. “I got a message from Nic this morning.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and I sink lowerinto my seat. Right. Obviously, she would let him know about catching us kissing.
“Why did I not get a message?” Kieran pouts and shifts the dog in his arms.
“Because you don’t have boyfriend privileges,” Henry points out.
“But I have bestie status,” Kieran complains and shakes his head with a disappointed frown. “Some friends they are.”
“So your mood’s in the gutter today because Lauren drove back to L.A.?”
My eyes widen, and I freeze for a moment, caught off guard. Damn him and his perceptiveness.
“Hold up, hold up.” Kieran puts his hand over Henry’s mouth. “I haven’t caught up yet. Just so we’re all on the same page. You and Lauren? You’re together? Like boyfriend-girlfriend together?”
“Yeah,” I admit with a nod, lowering my gaze.
Wow, this table desperately needs to be cleaned. There are crumbs all over it. When did that happen?
