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Jane’s gaze followed mine to look out the window. The snow was nothing more than flakes floating from the sky, and patches of blue were opening up amongst the thick cloud cover.
She looked back at me. “Dinner?”
“Yes. You know, the meal that you have in the evening so you don't starve during the night?”
She eyed me dubiously.
“Come on. Emile’s has upped their game. They serve locally sourced foods and more.”
Her eyes blinked at me from behind her glasses. She swallowed and caught the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth, worrying it just enough to send a jolt of awareness through my body. She finally shrugged. “Okay. We can have dinner, but it's not a date,” she clarified.
“No? Why not?” I couldn't help but tease. “We are having dinner together, and we're staying here alone at the house together.”
Jane’s eyes narrowed. “It'snota date.”
“What if I want it to be?” I didn’t know why I was pushing this issue, but I was. More than anything, I enjoyed getting a rise out of her.
Her nostrils flared when she let out a forceful breath. “Seriously? I'm definitely not the kind of woman you would ask on a date anyway, so why pretend? I'm just your sister's friend. Don't try to make it something it's not.”
Her comments irritated me. “You have no idea what kind of woman I would ask out on a date,” I countered.
She turned away from me, pushing off the counter and stepping to the sink. She rinsed her hands under the water, replying as she turned to face me while she dried her hands on the towel. “Back in high school, you were into cheerleaders.”
I tried to remember who I dated in high school, but in all honesty, I hadn't been serious about anyone. I didn't like admitting it, but Jane was right. I had dated more than one cheerleader. In college, I didn’t date any cheerleaders, but I did date a few pretty, popular girls. I felt a twinge of discomfort because Jane was beautiful now in a way that went much deeper than the surface. Maybe I hadn't noticed her in high school, but she was beautiful then too.
She’d just kept to herself and was quiet. Whenever she was here hanging out with Thea, she was more relaxed. Not that I spent time with them because, well, Theawasmy younger sister. We were just close enough in age that we often argued, even if we loved each other.
“Does high school really define who we are later on?” I mused.
Jane lifted one of her shoulders in a shrug. “No, it doesn't. But coming back to Haven’s Bay brings back all those memories.”
“That makes sense.” A part of me wanted to keep pressing, to rile her again, but I sensed now wasn’t the time and that this was a more sensitive topic for her than me. I glanced at my watch. “So, dinner around six? I'll drive.”
She let out a dry laugh. “Of course, you will. I don't have a car.”
I winked. “No, you don't. You’ll have to rely on me.”
“Are you going to hold this over my head?” She turned and hung the dish towel over the handle of the stove.
“Nope. I'm just glad it turned out I was here.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I wasn't, you'd be without a car,” I pointed out.
“I would have just rented one,” she snapped.
“Right, because there's a car rental place here in Haven’s Bay,” I deadpanned.
Jane actually stuck her tongue out at me at that, and I laughed. She waved over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen. “I'll see you at six. I have a little work to do,” she called.
ChapterSeven
Jane
I stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, staring at my reflection. I ran my hands through my hair and adjusted my glasses. This wasnota date, so worrying about my appearance was ridiculous. I reached into my toiletry bag and snagged my lip gloss. I silently insisted to myself, as I carefully swiped it across my lips, that I would wear lip gloss out to have dinner with a friend, which was true.
Liar.
