Page 34 of What Started In Deception

“My dad has a good pasta sauce recipe. It’s from a jar, but I’ll add some seasoning, mushrooms, onions, sausage, and red pepper flakes for a little kick. It usually turns out pretty amazing.”

“It sounds delicious.”

“So, it’s a date.”

She nodded, even though it wasn’t. Just like tonight.

But she couldn’t deny that she’d had fun, which made her feel guilty. She felt even worse because Ty had been right yesterday when he suggested that she might like him a little.

As much as she didn’t want to, she couldn’t seem to help it. He was funny, laid-back, and easy to talk to. If things were different, she had no doubt that they would be great friends, but the extra layers and complications that came with every interaction made the possibility of anything more than an acquaintanceship impossible.

The music shut off as the movie screen went dark, and several floodlights turned on.

She sat up. “It looks like things are clearing out.”

Ty nodded as he scanned the area. “It does.”

They both stood, folding and gathering up the items they had come with.

Ty snagged her hand, lacing their fingers again as they walked through the park among what was left of the crowd.

It felt odd to hold a man’s hand again—something she hadn’t done since she and Andy were together. Ty’s hand felt different—bigger and warmer. But then again, everything about Ty was different.

“This was fun,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

“It was.”

“Maybe we’ll have a chance to do it again before we head up to Mass.”

She nodded as they crossed the street. “We’ll have to look at the dates. I’m pretty sure there’s one more movie before we leave, but it also might be the week after.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

They stopped at his truck, putting their stuff in the back seat.

She shivered, crossing her arms as the night turned chilly with an occasional cool breeze.

“Are you cold?”

“When the wind blows. It wasn’t very smart of me not to bring a sweater.”

He tossed her a pale-gray hoodie from behind his seat. “Go ahead and put that on.”

She immediately pulled it over her head, smelling him as the soft, warm fabric cocooned her skin. She hummed her appreciation as she took her seat. “This is comfy.”

“It’s pretty nice,” he said as he got in.

She buckled up. “I hate to say it, but I don’t know if you’ll be getting this back.”

He chuckled. “Unfortunately for you, I know where to find you if I need it.”

“Isn’t possession nine-tenths of the law?”

He grinned as she did. “That’s what they say.”

“I’ll try to remember to bring this with me when I come over on Monday night.”

“Go ahead and keep it for now. You can give it back in August.”