Lily-Grace grabbed her size and put it in the basket. “There. I think three suits should cover it.”
“It’s all on me. And your new phone too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. You wouldn’t have been on that deck if it wasn’t for me and my poor decision to join the date auction.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re not gonna fight me on this?”
“On letting you pay? Hell no. Receiving gifts is one of my love languages. Some people call it gold digging, which I think is bullshit. If you want to buy me things and your intentions are on the level, I will accept those things.”
“Well, in the context of friendship, I am more than happy to buy you things.”
“Hmm, yes. Friendship. Come on, Pleasant.” They walked around a little more, grabbing necessary and random things like waterproof sunscreen, an aloe and bergamot candle, and a cherry Coke energy drink that Lily-Grace wanted to try for science. Neither of them hated being off the grid for a little while longer, so they decided to stop and get lunch at this new sandwich place called Breakin’ Bread. They kept things light, talking about Zach and Evie’s wedding, how things are going at the ranch, and Jesse’s love for the water. From there they went to get their phones.
Jesse was set up and ready to go in fifteen minutes, but for some reason the guy who helped Lily-Grace had never encountered a computer before and seemed to be extremely averse to any sort of assistance from his coworker or Lily-Grace. She just needed him to assign her info to a new SIM card and they’d be off to the races. Eventually they got it together and Jesse paid for their new phones. He’d spent the whole time waiting patiently by himself, not saying a word, but giving her small smiles of reassurance whenever she looked his way. It was oddly comforting and nice. And unexpected from someone she thought had such a bad temper.
She tried not to compare their trip to the cell phone store to all the times she’d attempted simple outings with Dane. And bywithDane, she meant all the times Dane had paced in proximity, talking on the phone until he eventually handed over his credit card and ditched her. That had happened at least a dozen times before Lily-Grace suggested they stop shopping together. Dane was more than happy with that decision. As she climbed back into Jesse’s truck and he waited patiently for her to buckle her seat belt, she could only think about the reality of her relationship with Dane. He made her feel special, and the sex was amazing, but looking at how attentive Jesse could be, as a friend, opened her eyes to the possibilities of what future relationships could be like.
Not that this was Jesse’s tryout to be her man, but as her new phone started to blow up with fresh notifications, she realized she had never felt this comfortable being around any man she wasn’t related to.
“Do you want me to drop you off at your dad’s place?”
“Actually, I was hoping we could start our swim lessons today. Unless you’re busy. I’m sure you want to get some downtime before work tomorrow. This weekend has been a lot.”
“It has, but no. I’m free. I’m off dinner duty tonight too.”
“What do you mean?”
“We kinda rotate dinner duties. I cook, or my grandmother or my cousin. We have a lot of mouths to feed,” he said, his mouth tipping up in this little smile. Lily-Grace could not comprehend how no woman had ever just slowed down and given Jesse a chance to show this sweet side of himself.Hey, you were almost one of those women,a loud voice in her head reminded her. “Miss Leona is making everyone fend for themselves tonight, so I don’t have to make dinner for four to twelve people.”
“I barely cook for myself. I can’t imagine cooking for that many people.”
“I love it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t recommend it. Anyway. I don’t have plans this afternoon or this evening. We can start swimming lessons today.”
“Great. Let’s do it.”
Lily-Grace felt herself smiling as they pulled out of the parking lot. At least for this afternoon, they had a plan.
* * *
“Okay, so my dad told me you guys live on like a compound, but he wasn’t joking.” Lily-Grace looked out the window as Jesse drove them down the longest driveway on the face of God’s green Earth. She could see three large houses up in the distance.
“Calling it a compound makes it sound cultish. It’s just private property to grant my grandmother and my brother some privacy. Just turns out we all like privacy.”
“Hey, I get it. This place is beautiful.” They stopped at the first house in the cul-de-sac and Lily-Grace could hear barking in the distance. They walked over to Miss Leona’s house in the center, first, and let out four dogs, including her favorite, Clementine. The dogs were very excited to see Jesse and curious enough about her that she was able to sneak in a few pats on their adorable heads. Maybe she should get a dog, whenever she came up with her plan.
“What are their names?”
“You know Clementine.” He reached down and picked up the large black Lab like it was nothing. Clementine rested her head on Jesse’s shoulder and let out the cutest doggy sigh.
“Ah, she missed you.”
“She’s my boo,” he said, deadpan. “The little one is Poppy and that’s Euca and Sugar Plum.”
“I love it.”
