“Something like that.” He bends to kiss the top of my head. “Goodnight, Nora.”
“Is that all I get from you?” I ask, grinning like an idiot. “I thought you were going to kiss me properly, not like I’m someone’s grandmother.”
His eyes lighting up behind his glasses, he dips me backward, so low I could probably reach down and touch the floor, and kisses me so passionately my knees feel weak.
Unsurprisingly, I don’t go home for another hour.
The next day, he invites me back, and I come.
We have breakfast together, and then we garden with Nathaniel, who pays us with his garden’s bounty. Tomatoes and cucumbers, that is. Afterward, we make a salad and playHalf-Life.
For some reason, all of that is far more concerning than all the sex we’re having.
On Sunday,I ask Hannah, Briar, and Sophie to meet me for an emergency summit at Dottie’s tea shop, Tea of Fortune.
When I arrive, the three of them are already congregated at a table in the back. But I have another stop to make first—Dottie and Ann are sitting at a table near the entrance, sipping iced tea.
I pause near them. There are dozens of questions I’d like to ask, including how and why they started the group chat with Cormac, but I say the first thing that comes to mind.
“Thanks for the ice cream, Ann.”
“Well, speak of the angel,” she says loudly, slapping the side of the table. “There you are, honey! We were just this moment talking about you.”
I glance at Dottie, who beams at me.
“I haven’t seen you since the wedding,” I say. I’ve stopped by the tea shop a couple of times to interrogate her about Cormac, but she hasn’t been around.
“And you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Dottie pats my cheek. “We’ve been busy these past few weeks, haven’t we, Ann?”
“What?” Ann says loudly.
“We’ve beenbusy.”
“Yes, ever so busy,” Ann agrees. Turning toward me with a smile, she says, “Honey, did you say you had the ice cream? I thought that boy was just humoring me. It does me a world of good to hear he kept his word. A real world of good.”
My mind flashes to Cormac licking and kissing his way up the inside of my thigh…
I clear my throat. “It was nice, yeah.”
I glance around. No one I know is present, other than my friends seated in the back. Hannah waves wildly, and I lift two fingers to indicate I need two minutes. She gives me one finger back. Given the finger she’s chosen, she’s either only granting me one minute, or she’s unhappy about the delay.
“I take it you’ve become friendly with Cormac?” I say, turning back to Dottie and Ann. Then I lower my voice. “He told me you know about our fake relationship.”
“Of course,” Dottie says. “And we would never breathe a word to your parents. Cormac made it very clear that he was concerned about them finding out.” She makes a show of zipping her lips.
“There’s something enjoyable about having a secret,” Ann says. “All that sneaking around. The stolen glances.”
Dottie clucks her tongue. “You’re making her uncomfortable.” Turning back to me, she asks, “But will you settle a little wager for us, Nora? Has he been rolling up his shirtsleeves? Ann is very concerned about that.”
“What was that?” Ann asks.
“Hissleeves,” Dottie says, more loudly.
Ann gives Dottie a look of concern. “His name isn’t Steve. It’s nothing like it.”
“Heavens to Betsy, turn on your hearing aid.”
Ann scowls at her but flicks on her hearing aid before turning toward me. “Has he been rolling up his shirtsleeves, honey? I told him, very specifically, I said that’s one of your best features, son. You want to put your best features forward.”
