Page 40 of Chasing Forever

He shot off the chair and disappeared down the hall to his bedroom, leaving her alone to catch her breath.

Instead of sitting still, she got up and wandered over to the dining room table to peruse his book choices. She saw titles by James Patterson, Harlan Coben, and a few other authors she wasn’t familiar with. Even though she didn’t share his taste in books, she liked that he was a reader. She could never understand people who weren’t. To her, it was one of the greatest pleasures there was.

She was fingering the top book and thinking about how she and Chase were different yet similar when he came back into the room.

“See something you like?”

She turned around at the sound of his voice and thought, Yes, you! He’d changed into a pair of black cargo shorts and a white T-shirt with Hang Loose written in black letters, and he was still wearing his glasses.

“I prefer other genres, but these look like good choices.”

He took a few steps closer. “Let me guess. You’re a romance reader.”

Something about the way he looked at her when he said it gave her a jolt. Or maybe it was just the word “romance” dripping off his lips. “Are you assuming that because I’m a woman?”

“There you go again, answering a question with a question. I’m telling you you’d make an excellent lawyer.”

She laughed. “Fine. I do read romance, but I read other genres too.”

He nodded, seemingly unsurprised by her answer. “My sister reads romance too. Loves it—pun intended.”

This would have been the perfect time to tell him she was a romance writer, but she still held back, and she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t have time to contemplate it further because he’d turned and was heading toward the door.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes.” Since she already had her purse and keys in hand, she said, “How about if I drive this time?”

“Fine by me.”

When she walked over to the red Jeep, he glanced at her with surprise.

“What?” she said after they’d hopped in.

“Nothing.”

“It was something.”

He chuckled. “I was expecting a four-door sedan, that’s all.”

Her eyebrows went up, and she shot him a mock scowl. “Do I look that boring?”

He shook his head. “Not boring, just practical.”

“Is that what you think of me?”

“It’s not a bad thing, Callie. You have to stop thinking I’m criticizing you.”

She sighed. “You’re right. It’s just that I do drive a four-door sedan at home.”

“Oops.”

She laughed. “It’s okay. I get it. I come across as a no-nonsense kind of woman.”

“I’ve learned that everyone has different sides. There’s the persona we show the world, and then there’s our private persona. Sometimes they’re quite different.”

“Is that true for you?”

When he didn’t answer, she said, “You know what? Never mind. What sounds good for dinner?”