I Pretend You're Mine

9. The One

Lucy was brushing her teeth while the mirror fogged up from the steam of the hot shower. With only a flimsy shower curtain between a very naked, showering Tim and her, she practically chewed the head off of her toothbrush to stop thinking about soap all over his body and the fact that she was two steps away from being with him inside the shower.

Thankfully, there was a knock at the front door to pull her away from her thoughts. She spit to clear her mouth and answered to find Dave holding a bag.

"Good morning, Lucy," Dave greeted.

"Morning."

"I saw Tim while he was on his run this morning with Kojo. He said it would be okay if I came by. I just wanted to drop off some groceries so you two can make breakfast over here and have some privacy."

"We wouldn't mind eating with you guys," Lucy liked having breakfast in the main house with her aunt, Tamara, and Dave, and IF as they shared a meal, Tim happened to touch her or call her "baby" to keep up appearances, well then it was a great way to start the day.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous! You lovebirds are out of town. Away from the city. You deserve to have some time to relax and enjoy each other's company alone, so here are some groceries to make breakfast," he handed her the bag of food.

"Thanks," she accepted the groceries and tried not to think about how awkward it might be to eat with Tim alone in the privacy of the cottage.

"There should be plenty to eat in there for the next few mornings, so you two can share the beginning of your day together alone in peace."

It sounded beautiful if they were a real couple- starting their day eating breakfast together before the day's chaos pulled then in different directions.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, just still waking up I guess," she lied.

They both heard the bathroom door open and turned to find a wet, shirtless Tim with a towel wrapped around his waist. Lucy had seen his abs and broad chest before, but now, she just wanted to reach out and touch every centimeter of skin on display. She really was finding it increasingly difficult to control her thoughts around Tim.

"Hey, Tim. I brought over the groceries I told you about," Dave filled him in.

"Oh, thanks. Now I can make my signature pancakes for my girl."

My girl. Lucy's heart stopped at the way the phrase so easily rolled off of his tongue. She really REALLY liked the sound of that.

"Perfect! Are you still okay to cover the bookstore for a few hours?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, you said I should be at the store at 10AM to set up and open at 10:30AM, right?"

"You got it. Lucy, you're welcome to help, too, if you'd like. Tamara befriended the Fleming's son down the beach at our wedding and is spending the day with him, and I was hoping to stay home with Amy and make sure she rests. She's been nonstop since a week before the wedding, and she needs to take it easy," Dave explained.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind helping. Whatever you need," Lucy replied happily.

"You two are the best! I'll let you get back to your alone time," Dave looked between Tim and Lucy's still wet hair and assumed they were in the shower at the same time before he walked in.

Tim blushed when he realized what the situation looked like, but there was no use in trying to correct the other man. Instead, he waved goodbye to Dave, rummaged for a change of clothes, and went back into the bathroom to dress.

Lucy watched Tim enter the bathroom and eventually pulled herself together enough to unpack the bag of groceries Dave provided while thinking about Tim without a shirt on. She may have put the flour in the refrigerator in her distracted state.