Lunch was ridiculously delicious. West took me to a new place that had recently opened in The Gulch, just a few blocks down from the skyscraper his company was building. Biscuit Love was aptly named with fluffy biscuits piled high with chicken and gravy (on mine) and shaved country ham, fried eggs, and gravy (on his).

We sat at a table near the window that overlooked the bustling sidewalk outside. "This may be the best breakfast I've ever had," I said, wiping a dribble of gravy from my chin.

"Wait, try this." West held up something that looked like a donut hole to my lips. It was oozing with smushed berries and cream sauce.

I bit into and had to will my eyes to not roll back in my head. "Oh my god." I chewed the bite slowly, savoring the flavors. Blueberry, lemon, cream cheese...

When I opened my eyes, West was biting his lower lip as he watched me. "You're beautiful, Lucy."

I licked my lips and laughed. "You know, I'm really liking this whole honesty thing. Everyone should date this way."

He leaned on his elbow. "I completely agree. I'm going to do this with all the women I'm seeing."

My mouth dropped open enough for him to notice.

"I'm kidding."

I reached over to his plate and picked up the rest of the donut hole. "You like teasing me," I said, popping the rest of it in my mouth.

He sat back in his chair. "You make it so easy. I've never seen anyone blush as quickly as you."

"Those things are delicious." I pointed to his empty bowl.

"Should I order some more?" he asked.

I shook my head and wiped my mouth with my napkin. "God, no. I'll be in a food coma by the time I get back to work. Thank you for lunch."

"Thank you for joining me." He pushed his plate away. "Tell me something I don't know about Lucy Cooper."

"You know a lot," I said with a laugh. "My address, my medical history..."

He pointed at me. "Your STD status."

I laughed. "And that. What else is there?"

"Do you have any pets? You already met mine," he said.

"Not since I was a kid, and never for any significant amount of time even then. My mother always loved the idea of having animals until we actually had them, so the dogs and the teacup pig never lasted very long around our house."

"You had a teacup pig?"

I nodded. "His name was Keith Richards."

West laughed. "You had a pig named Keith Richards?"

"He was born with a birth defect that made him walk a little sideways, so Mom started calling him Keith Richards." I thought for a second. "We also had a hedgehog named Donkey Kong for a little while."

"Did your Mom name him too?" he asked.

I shook my head. "My brother, but he's just like her. I told him we should name the hedgehog Sonic, obviously."

"Obviously," West agreed.

"So he named it Donkey Kong." I chuckled and chewed on the end of my straw. "I almost forgot about that."

"Do you have any more siblings?"

"Nope. Just me and Ethan. Oh, wait. I guess that's not exactly true anymore. I now have a stepbrother named Bryan who lives in St. Louis."

His head pulled back. "So your parents are divorced?"

My shoulders sagged. "No. My mom passed away last year."

He frowned, and it was almost as adorable as his smile. "I'm really sorry to hear that. Was she sick?"

"Lung cancer. By the time she was diagnosed, it had spread all over her body. There wasn't much they could do to save her."

West reached across the table and put his hand on mine. "I'm really sorry, Lucy."

"Thank you." The corners of my eyes were beginning to tingle. We needed to change the subject. Fast. "What about you? Any siblings?"

He withdrew his hand. I was determined to not read into it. "I have a brother," he said.

"Please tell me his name is East," I begged, clasping my hands beneath my chin.

He balled his napkin and threw it at me. "His name is Lucas."

"Is he in the construction business too?"

"No. We're not really close. He lives up near Bristol now and works for the city."

He was probably the mayor if the rumors were true about the Adlers.

"I went to school in Johnson City, then lived there for a couple of years before I moved back home."

"I know exactly where it is. You're a Buccaneer?" he asked.

I nodded. "It was the farthest place I could go away to school and still get in-state tuition."

He laughed. "That's always a good reason. I did the opposite. Went to school practically in my backyard at Belmont."

I already knew that.

"What did you study?" I asked, though I already knew that too.

"Business."

I raised my hand. "Marketing."

"You know, we'd make one hell of a corporate power couple," he said.

My eyebrow lifted. "Is that a proposition?"

His perfect lips spread into a smile. "It's certainly looking like it could be."

I leaned my elbows on the table. "OK. I have to ask. Why did you wait a month to ask me out? I really thought we had a connection the day we met." I held up my hands. "Then nothing for weeks."

He sat back in his chair. "Do you want the truth?"

I nodded, though I wasn't so sure about it.

"I was seeing someone when I met you."

My heart deflated with all the force of a punctured balloon.

Then he reached across the table and took my hand again. "I wanted to call you. I wanted to see you. But I needed to do it the right way."

Something tugged in my chest. It was my heart swelling again.

"Will you forgive me?" he asked.

I smiled. "I think I already did."

When we got back to my office, he pulled up to the curb instead of parking in the garage. "I have meetings this afternoon in Franklin, so I have to run. Sorry, I can't walk you up," he said.

"It's all right. I think I can find my way. Thanks again for lunch. It was great."

He pointed up at the building. "I hope your boss doesn't give you too hard of a time."

"She will, but you won't be the reason. And even if you were, it would be worth it."

His smile was intoxicating. "I should be done by four or so today," he said. "Do you have plans for dinner?"

No, but I did have practice. Mandatory practice. Practice I wasn't ready to tell him about.

"I don't, but I have other plans tonight I can't get out of," I said, hoping that would be explanation enough.

It wasn't.

"Another hot date lined up?"

I put my hand on the door handle. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I actually would." He stretched his arm along the back of our bench seat.

I hesitated. "I'll tell you someday, maybe."

He sighed. "We're still on for Friday though?"

"Absolutely."

"Any hints as to where we're going?"

"Nope. I'm keeping that a secret too." I opened my door.

"I thought we agreed to not play games," he said, cutting his eyes over at me.

I slid out of the truck and leaned back in from the curb. "No, West. You agreed. I never did."

He laughed. "That's how it's going to go down, huh? Me laying my heart out and you keeping secrets?"

"Only for a little while. I'll see you Friday, West."