Page 39 of Timid (Lark Cove 2)

“So? Did you get another note?”

I smiled. “Yes.”

After our dinner with June and Hannah earlier in the week, I’d called and told her all about Jackson. She was on Jackson’s side of my crossroad, waving me over.

“I’ll be there in a sec.” She hung up before I could respond.

I laughed and went to unlock the door since it wouldn’t take her long to get here.

Leighton lived on the other side of town, the “lake side” whereas I lived on the “town side.” The highway was the divider, separating the larger homes on the shoreline from the majority of businesses and locals’ homes on the other.

She hadn’t always lived on the lakeside. When we were kids, her family had lived a couple of blocks away. But her dad was in construction and had made a lot of money over the last twenty years building extravagant lake homes. He’d worked hard, and as a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary present to Leighton’s mom, he’d invested in some lakefront property of his own and built them a beautiful home.

He’d also built a boathouse for Leighton, so like me, she lived on her parents’ property but in her own space.

Ten minutes later, after she’d walked across the highway and up a few blocks to my house, Leighton was sitting next to me on the edge of my bed with Jackson’s note in her hand.

“He loves you.”

I rolled my eyes. “He doesn’t love me. He just wants . . . well, I don’t know exactly what he wants.”

“It’s not sex,” she declared, earning another eye roll. “Okay, it’s not only sex. If he wanted his normal slam, bam, thank you, ma’am kind of night, he wouldn’t be leaving you notes and coming to see you at work.”

My lips pursed and I swallowed the bitter taste on my tongue. I didn’t want to think about Jackson doing any kind of slamming or bamming.

“What are you going to do?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. What would you do?”

“I think you should tell him about the kiss in the playground.”

“No sirree.” I shot off the bed. “As far as I’m concerned, that night never happened.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to go out with him. If that night never happened, then you have nothing to be mad about. Especially since he apologized for calling you Willow for so long.”

I frowned, annoyed that she’d tricked me. “That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. But why not? I mean, you’ve liked this guy for an eternity, so why not go out with him? Yes, he got drunk and high and kissed you, then forgot. Total asshole move. But it was one mistake. If you tell him about it, I bet he’ll feel awful.”

“I’m never telling him about it, Leighton.”

She held up her hands. “Fine. What I’m saying is that he messed up and would probably own it. Just like this note.”

She plucked the apology note from my nightstand. Was it pathetic that I kept them on my nightstand so I could sleep next to them? Probably.

“I don’t want to tell him.” I sighed. “It would be too humiliating.”

“Then don’t tell him. But if he really is interested, why wouldn’t you go out with him?”

I went back to the bed and plopped down. “It hurt. So much. I’ve never felt anything like that before. And that was just after one kiss. What happens if we date for a while and then he dumps me? What if he breaks my heart?”

She set her hand over mine, her pink manicured nails such a contrast to mine, which were unpainted and cut short. “It’s possible. But that’s a risk no matter what. Don’t you want to at least give Jackson a chance? I mean, if I had a guy who I’ve been crushing on for ages ask me out, I’d be too curious to resist.”

I blew out a long breath. She was right, I could get hurt. But that was a risk everyone took when it came to love. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” She put the notes back on the nightstand and scooted back into the pillows.

The couch over by the window was comfy and soft, but whenever Leighton was over, we always camped out on my bed, either to talk or gossip or watch TV. It was our spot.