Booked

Chapter 23 | I Picked You From the Start

Miles removed the book from his face to reveal the smile I had missed.

I ignored his last comment as a desperate attempt to regulate my heartbeat. His simple words had gotten to my head with such ease.

"As it would turn out, covering your face with a book doesn't transfer the information in as you would expect." I leaned against the doorway for extra support. "I know. I was disappointed too when I found out."

He chuckled as he sat up on the bench. Mr. Crawford was right—joking didn't make me feel better but making Miles laugh sure did.

My phone rang in my back pocket. I pulled it out with a frown before I saw Miles's name pop up.

"I was just making sure it still worked," he said with an amused expression on his face as I rolled my eyes at the childish move.

"What are you, 5?"

"It depends on what the scale is about."

It took everything I had in my self-control reserve to move on without gaping at him. "Anyway, I'm sorry for ignoring you. These past weeks have been, well, taxing."

Concern replaced the taunting features on his face. But before he could ask anything, I changed the subject because I knew I had no control over my mouth when around him. "Still considering that other publishing company? Did you make a decision yet?"

His narrowed eyes told me that my topic change had not been as subtle as I thought, but he played along.

"The downside of signing with them is that I'd need to stay here this fall."

"Were you thinking about leaving?" A shaky sound underlined my words and I hoped he hadn't noticed.

"I only wanted to after they told me I wouldn't be able to."

I laughed and, from where I stood, he looked like a fitting part of the scenery, charming and peaceful, like the rest of the garden. The kind of peace my cluttered brain could only admire from afar.

If not for the mischievous glint in his eyes that he wouldn't be able to hide if he tried, suggesting that chaos lied underneath the apparent calm, he would blend right in with the plants.

I looked away before my thoughts could translate into words I definitely did not need him to hear.

He left his bench and walked over to me, stopping way too close. "It's been a while since our last date. We should really do something about that."

My eyes widened at his words, but that only brought a wicked grin to his face as though getting a reaction out of me was his favorite entertainment.

"It wasn't a date."

"Now, try to say that with a straight face."

I stepped back and hoped that the farther I was from him, the clearer my mind would be. "Not a date," I repeated as I stared straight into his brown eyes, challenging him with mine.

"Good. In that case," Miles said, not backing down from the challenge as I hoped he would. "I'd love to do another one of those non-dates sometime. A certain someone offered her help, then disappeared for days and ignored my calls. How ever will she make it up to me?"

I smiled at his theatrics. "What, does my presence make you a better writer?"

"If nothing else, it keeps me sane."

"Fine. For the sake of your book and your readers, I'll take one for the team."

A mocking smile emerged on the corner of his lips. "Am I such miserable company that you're not looking forward to it?"