Sweet Dreams (The Bakery Romance Series Book 3) Read Online Free

was none of his business. “Did you need a ride back to Adrian’s after you drop off the moving van to the rental place?”
    After hesitating a few seconds, she finally nodded. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
    He’d rather go into his house and get some sleep, but he wouldn’t let her know that. “Let’s get going.”
    He followed her to the U-Haul center and waited outside while she turned in her keys. Seconds later, she exited the place and walked to his SUV. She opened the door and settled into the passenger seat. He turned his radio onto a gospel station, started the motor and made his way toward home.
    The crowded sidewalks of downtown Miami were filled with throngs of people. The leaves from the palm trees fluttered in the hot evening breeze. Misty remained quiet during the drive home, and his mind was plagued with questions about her background. As they drove along the highway, the blue Miami beach sparkled under the bright sun. Sunbathers enjoyed the hot, humid weather. He gestured toward the water. “You like going to the beach?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t go much. I don’t even know how to swim.”
    He stopped at a light. “Where are you from?”
    “I’ve lived in Lehigh Acres my entire life.”
    “Lehigh Acres?”
    “Yeah, it’s a town about two and a half hours from here.”
    As he continued driving, he glanced at Misty whenever they stopped at a light. Her smooth dark skin and large pretty eyes were hard to ignore. He recalled Adrian saying Misty had family problems. He wondered what kind of problems she was having with her family that would make her relocate to Miami.
    He pulled into his driveway. It was almost six thirty. Adrian would be home soon. His stomach grumbled with hunger. “Did you want to join me for dinner?” The invite popped out of his mouth before he could give it much thought.
    She furrowed her brow. “Dinner?”
    It sounded like she’d taken his invite the wrong way. “I have a lot of leftovers from…” He paused, wondering if Adrian had told Misty about his father’s funeral. He threw caution to the wind, decided to tell her about his messed-up life. “Look, my dad died a week ago and the funeral was yesterday, and—”
    She touched his arm, her cool fingers bringing relief to his heated skin. “I’m sorry about your dad. Is that why you looked so sad earlier?”
    The sadness returned. He wondered how long it would take for his grief to lessen. He nodded. “Yes, things have been pretty…stressful lately and the people came over for the meal yesterday and left a lot of food. I’m going to be eating leftovers for days.” He didn’t want her to think he was asking to share dinner with him for romantic reasons. “It’d help me out if you’d eat some of the food.” Another thought occurred to him. “When Adrian gets home, she can come by too. Maybe you guys can take some over to your place to eat tomorrow.” He stopped speaking, decided that he was rambling. He just needed to shut up, eat and rest for a while.
    Misty opened her door. “I’d love some dinner.”
    She followed him into his house. Butter-colored sunlight splashed into his living room. It was a good thing that Adrian had helped him to clean up the previous day. They went into the kitchen. He dished up tuna casserole and warmed it in the microwave. The fishy scent of tuna mingled with the smell of onions as the food circulated in the small oven. The microwave beeped, and he placed a generous portion of the warmed food onto Misty’s plate.
    They sat at the table. Would she mind if he held her hand while he prayed over their meal? He shook the thought away. “I’d like to bless the food before we eat if you don’t mind.”
    She nodded. “That’s fine.”
    They bowed their heads. “Lord, thank you for this day, thank you for this food, and please…help me, Lord with…please help me with…everything you know what I need help with and please be with Misty during her move to Miami.