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The conversation dies down when Bernadette walks to our table carrying a large tray with our food sitting neatly on top. Once she makes sure we have everything we need and walks away from us, Autumn and I eat in a comfortable silence that makes me wonder if I should’ve done this dating thing sooner.
Autumn falls into step beside me as we exit the restaurant, giving Bernadette a wave as we walk past her, and I put my hand on her back to lead her towards the parking lot. I dart my eyes over the rest of the cars, double checking that no one standing around looks suspicious, until we finally come to a stop at the passenger door.
I pull open the door and help Autumn inside before slowly making my way around the truck and sliding into the driver’s seat. Her hands lay perfectly centered on her lap while her gaze points down at the floor and I wonder briefly what she’s thinking.
Was this date not as good for her as it was for me? I never thought I’d ever be saying that, I’ve never allowed myself to be in this position before now. It’s even hard for me to be around my own sister sometimes since she re-connected with Dawson.
When I pull in front of my house and cut the engine, I wait a few moments before finally getting out and walking around to Autumn’s door. She smiles at me while placing her palm in mine and we walk up the short path to the front door.
This would be the moment where I give the girl a kiss goodnight before driving away, but that’s not what will happen this time because Autumn is staying with me. Every single part of me wants to strip that dress off her, but I know I should slow things down a bit. We started this whole thing, whatever it is, ass backwards and this date was a means to turn that around.
Before I’ve even got my shoes kicked off at the door, Autumn is already halfway down the hall and I hurry to catch up to her. “Red, hold up.”
She stops outside her bedroom door and looks at me over her shoulder with an emotion I can’t place swirling in her eyes. Her breath hitches when I step closer to her and bring my hand over her cheek, then lean forward. “It’s not a real date without a goodnight kiss.”
This time the kiss is tender, almost a feather of a touch, then I’m pulling away. “Goodnight, Red.”
Chapter Fourteen
Autumn
It doesn’t surprise me when I wake up the next morning to find a note taped to the fridge with Easton’s signature at the bottom, letting me know he had to head out of town for work again. What does surprise me though, is the hurt that passes through me at the thought of being away from him for days at a time.
There’s no denying how amazing our date went last night. I had expected him to be jumpy or on edge, but he was perfectly calm and even managed a few smiles throughout the night. When he wasn’t looking, I’d study his posture, trying to look for any signs of it straightening from pressure, but he was as relaxed as I’ve ever seen him.
That kiss though?
Out of all the ways I thought last night would end, the last one was him giving me a quick kiss before leaving me standing at my bedroom door.
Is this his way of avoiding me again? It can’t be a coincidence that he left the day after our date. Since Bethany is still with her grandparents, I use the time to call Savanna to talk about how the date went last night.
The line rings once before she answers and says, “Tell me everything.”
“Well, good morning to you too,” I laugh while walking into the living room and sitting on the couch. “How did you sleep?”
She scoffs. “Uh uh, spill it. How was it?”
I stare at one of the pictures hanging on the wall of Easton and Bethany with smiles on their faces. “It went better than I thought it would, but I’m still worried he doesn’t feel the same way.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Well, he left town again without warning and I feel like it’s his way of trying to avoid me.”
Savanna sighs. “He might just need some space to think about everything. If he’s really avoiding you, then it’s because the date went well and he’s scared. I wouldn’t stress over it too much though, babe.”
“It’s a bad idea to date my boss, right? Not to mention he’s also your brother.”
“Not when there’s been sexual tension between you for years,” she says with a soft chuckle. “I thought you guys would’ve made a move on each other years ago.”
Was my attraction to Easton always that obvious? I try to think back to my younger years and what it would’ve looked like to have this young girl pining after Easton and my cheeks heat. I’m sure he was embarrassed about it more than anything else, not knowing how to act around me, so he resorted to bickering with me.
A throat clears behind me and I find Bethany leaning against the living room doorway, her eyebrows raised, and I let out a string of coughs. “Uh, yeah, I’ve gotta go, Sav. Bethany’s here. Call you later!”
There’s a weird smile taking over Bethany’s face and I’m not sure what to make of it. Did she overhear my conversation? More importantly, how the hell did I miss her walking through the front door?
I clear my throat and give her a nervous smile. “Bethany, hey, how long have you been standing there?”
She shrugs, her gaze not giving anything away as she walks over and sits next to me on the couch. “Not long.”
