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“You’re a people-pleaser.”
“To the extreme. In my freshman year of college, I failed my first history test, and I cried the whole weekend. The following Monday, I took the professor blueberry muffins during his office hours, because he’d mentioned once that they were his favorite. I apologized for failing, and I’ll never forget what he said to me. He looked at me and said that failing the exam was in no way an indication of me being a failure. I still struggle with that, the idea that one life failure doesn’t make me a failure.”
“You’re too hard on yourself, Red.”
“How can you tell? You just met me about an hour ago.”
“I think you can know a person based on the first few minutes you meet them if you look closely enough.”
“Is that what you do? You read people?”
“Yeah. It comes in handy for the industry I’m in. I have to get a quick grip on who my clients are when it comes to real estate, so I know which persona I should present to them.”
“You put on a different mask with everyone? That sounds exhausting.”
He shrugged. “Not really. Everyone wears different masks on a regular basis. Some people simply aren’t aware of it. Also, I like to think of the masks as different versions of the same person. Humans are complex, complicated. We are so much more than just one mask.”
The more he spoke, the more I dreaded the fact I wouldn’t get any more of his words after tonight.
He brushed his thumb across the bridge of his nose. “What was the nice lie? To my question about how being in the foster system affected you?”
“Oh.” I sat up a bit straighter and gave him a big, fake smile. “My upbringing had no effect on my life. I believe we create our own life stories. The past doesn’t define us.”
“I see that it’s a lie in your eyes.”
I turned to look out into the night. “That probably means you’re looking too closely.”
“Can’t help it. Looking at you feels like the best choice I’ve made in a while.”
I laughed, trying to play off the butterflies he was sending through me. “Is that a line you use on all the girls?”
“Nah, but seeing how it made you blush, I might start,” he teased.
“Well, you’re going to have to try harder. I’m not blushing—my cheeks are just cold.”
He raised an alarmed brow. “We can go inside. It is a bit—”
“I’m not complaining. I’m just trying to find a lie to cover up the fact that I’m blushing.”
“You’re beautiful.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed at his abrupt statement. “Shut up. You already got me to blush. No need to dig deeper.”
“No, I mean it. You’re beautiful. I don’t even mean your looks, but those are spot-on, too. I mean your spirit. That’s beautiful.”
A wave of shyness found me as I shifted myself and crossed my legs like a pretzel. “You don’t even know me.”
“As I said, I’m good at reading people.”
“You aren’t the only one gifted at that. I grew up a solid introvert who prided herself on being a people watcher. I learned to read people at a young age.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. That paired with the knowledge I’ve picked up from watchingCriminal Minds, and well, I’m pretty much a professional people reader.”
“Okay, Red.” He turned to face me directly and crossed his legs in front of him. Our knees brushed against one another as he raised a brow in intrigue. “Read me.”
I rubbed my hands together. “Game on. Okay.” My eyes moved across his body, taking in his entire being. His shoulders were relaxed. He was fit, as made clear by the bicep muscles showing through his costume. He had a nice-sized—
