AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He leaned toward me, and with his lips at my ear whispered, “Hell yes, there’s going to be a second.”
When he pulled away, his face was intense and it caused my heart to flip. We hadn’t seen much of each other in the last two days since our amazing dinner. He’d been locked away in his office, and every time I’d wandered down the hall to see him, I’d either heard his fingers flying over the keyboard furiously or him on the phone barking orders about stuff I didn’t understand.
But I hadn’t been lying when I’d told him it was the best first date I’d ever been on. And not just because he’d given me an incredible gift. We’d spent the entire evening laughing and talking and trying not to toss our cookies every time we tried one of the dishes I’d ordered. They were all horrible, and we’d ended up hitting the Taco Bell drive through on the way home.
Through all the laughter of that night, I’d seen something in him I’d never seen before. The way he watched me as I rambled on about school, his whiskey eyes intent on my face, really listening to what I was saying. He’d stop and ask me questions when he didn’t understand something, showing a genuine interest in what I was talking about. It was refreshing.
And when we talked about our childhood, it amazed me how much he knew or remembered. I still couldn’t believe the boy who had always ignored me, or looked bored anytime he’d been forced to spend time with me, was the same one who could recall events I barely remembered.
“Smith, how’s the play going?” Lawson asked, finally tearing his gaze from mine. His voice was firm, making it clear he was no longer interested in talking about our date.
Relief coursed through me. It wasn’t the first time I’d worried that dating Lawson was going to make things complicated. And while I thought I could handle things being weird between us, I couldn’t stomach the fear of losing my second parents.
He pinned Smith with a glare, and not for the first time, I wondered why he had such an issue with him. He’d never even given him a chance. Smith didn’t seem to notice, though. He’d sat beside Hampton quietly throughout dinner, and even though we’d all tried to engage him in conversation, the answers he’d given to our questions had been short. His usually charming persona was toned down tonight, and his comment about dinner was the first thing he’d said unprompted all night long. He’d seemed distracted and antsy even. And judging by the way Lawson glared at him, Smith’s unease was something he’d picked up on.
He wiped his mouth with his napkin and responded, “Not good. The funding hasn’t come through yet, so production is at a bit of a standstill. We haven’t been able to secure any good backing. It’s been nothing but empty promises.”
His eyes darted around the room, never landing on anyone’s face for longer than a second.
Hampton sat beside him, his hand resting on his shoulder, and smiled. “The funding will come through, Smith. Just have faith.”
I nodded along with him. “Yeah, things have a way of working themselves out. My last year in college, there was a glitch with the financial aid. I was going to have to miss the entire semester, but at the last minute a scholarship came through and paid for tuition, books, and left me with money to live on.” I shook my head at the memory. I’d been so overwhelmed and devastated that I wasn’t going to graduate on time. It had nearly cost me my admission into medical school.
“What was the scholarship for?” Smith asked.
I shrugged. “It was ridiculous. It was a scholarship for Irish women in medicine. I think I only got it because my last name is Kelley.”
Georgia’s fork clattered to her plate and I glanced up, my brow wrinkled. Her lips were pressed tight together, trying desperately to cover humor. Hampton, however, wasn’t even trying to conceal his amusement as his belly laughter shook the table.
“Okay…” I drawled. “What’s so funny?”
“Hell, that wasn’t a scholarship, Piper.” Mr. Reed rumbled from the head of the table. “Ow!” he yelped. “What the hell, Peg?” he barked, his face red as he looked at his wife.
“What?” I looked around the table, trying to figure out just what was going on. Hampton and Georgia continued to snicker. Lawson, on the other hand, wasn’t laughing at all. His eyes were wide and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.
“Nothing, honey,” Mrs. Reed replied, still glaring at her husband. “How’s the cake, everyone?”
“I don’t understand what just happened,” I murmured, still staring at Lawson. He was glaring at his father.
“You mean you never told her that you paid for that semester of school for her?” Mr. Reed declared. It was less of a question and more of an accusation.
My head whipped back to Lawson. “What is he talking about? What the hell is going on?”
Georgia gave up on trying to suppress her humor and began to giggle. “Daddy, you just sold your son out.”
“Well, hell, how was I supposed to know he hadn’t told her? They’re a couple now, figured he would have told her all his secrets,” he rumbled again.
“We aren’t a couple.” I protested weakly, still staring at Lawson.
“Dad…” Lawson drawled, his head turned in my direction, but his eyes were everywhere but my face.
Turning his attention back to me, Mr. Reed asked, “You really thought you’d been awarded a scholarship for Irish women in medicine? Girl, you know I love you, but I’m beginning to wonder if you’re qualified to take care of people’s lives.”
“Walt!” Mrs. Reed snapped. “I think you’ve said enough.”
I’d always wondered how the hell that scholarship had appeared out of the blue, but it had solved my problem and I’d just been grateful to not have to miss my last semester of school. Now, however, it was all beginning to click into place. My face heated from embarrassment. It wasn’t the first time I?
?d been laughed at by the Reeds. Hell, usually I was laughing at one of them. But it was the first time I’d felt like a fool in front of them.
