Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 227(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
“Twenty-seven. Well, I’ll be twenty-seven this weekend.”
“I hope your twenty-eighth year will be the best ever.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
Grayson pulled out his phone to look at his schedule. “I have a few deliveries scheduled for Saturday morning and then I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“Are you sure you don’t have something else you need to do?” she asked.
“I do tonight or I’d ask to stay and hang out with you longer.”
“Of course. You must have a date or something,” she said quickly.
“Only with my elderly male neighbor who needs help with his TV. He goes to bed at eight so I’ll have to get there before the lights go off,” Grayson corrected her as he boosted her up to her feet.
“Oh! You need to go help him.”
“That’s the neighborly thing to do. I’ll drop by after work tomorrow and we can talk more before the weekend. Let me give you my telephone number so you’ll have it,” Grayson suggested, pulling out his cellphone.
They quickly exchanged numbers and he took her hand as they walked to the door. Cupping her chin, Grayson pressed a soft kiss to her lips, loving how she closed her eyes before puckering her lips to receive his kiss. Precious.
“I’ll see you tomorrow when I finish my deliveries. It could be late—like seven-ish. Eat your dinner. I don’t want you to wait for me.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered, standing in the doorway.
“Close and lock your door, Little girl. I need to know you’re safe.” Grayson stood on the doorstep until he heard the click of the lock engaging. This was a safe neighborhood from all appearances, but he wanted to make sure she was tucked inside for the night.
Chapter Three
The next night, Valerie hovered by the door. It felt like she’d looked at the front window sheers four hundred times, hoping to find him parked in front of her house. The curb remained stubbornly empty. Walking back to the couch, she flopped down in total dejection. She scanned the house and sighed.
“Of course I had to clean for him to be here,” she said aloud to the room.
Valerie never let her house get chaotic, but a bit of dust didn’t bother her at all. She’d looked around the room after he’d left last night and hoped he hadn’t noticed. Today, every surface sparkled.
When her stomach growled, Valerie decided she would give up. Walking into the kitchen, she pulled out the fancy cheeseball she had concocted earlier to share with him. She’d have some of it for dinner.
Grabbing the box of crackers and the platter containing the special treat, Valerie walked back to the family room to watch TV as she ate. She had just set the food on the coffee table when a sharp knock at her door made her heart beat faster.
She raced to the door and threw it open. “Oh,” Valerie sighed in dejection at the sight of Ellie standing at the door with a beautifully decorated box.
“That was not the reaction I expected,” the cupcake bakery owner chirped as she extended the box of cupcakes to Valerie. “Evan and Tori ordered you a few cupcakes for your birthday. We were on our way home so I just ran them by.”
“I’m so sorry, Ellie.” Valerie realized how rude she had been and shook her head sadly. “Thank you so much for bringing them by. I could have come to pick them up.”
“Let me help you ladies with those.” The deep voice made both Valerie and Ellie turn.
“Who are you, a cupcake thief?” Ellie asked as she pulled the cupcakes away from his reaching hands.
“Oh, no, Ellie. This is Grayson. He makes deliveries in the area. I bet you’ve met him before,” Valerie said quickly.
“Picture me in a dark shirt and shorts,” Grayson suggested with a smile.
A wrinkle appeared between Ellie’s eyebrows as she obviously followed his directions. “Do you drive a big delivery van?” Ellie asked after several seconds.
“I do. It’s back at the warehouse tonight getting filled up with all sorts of goodies for people to get tomorrow,” he said.
“Sorry for accusing you of trying to steal the cupcakes,” Ellie said, handing over the box.
“No problem.” Grayson looked around the neighborhood as if he were scoping it out for troublemakers as he accepted the parcel. “This looks like a safe place, but Little Cakes’ cupcakes might just bring a few desperate people out of the woodwork.”
Ellie and Valerie giggled at his silliness, making Grayson’s smile widen. A toot of the car horn behind them made both ladies jump.
“Oh! I have to go. Daddy’s waiting!” Ellie announced before dashing back to the car where a large man waited.
“Did she just say Daddy?” Valerie asked in astonishment.
“She did. I wondered why the cupcakes at Little Cakes were so special. Now I know,” Grayson said. “They have the magic of a Little girl’s sweetness baked into each one.”