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“It is.”We stand side by side and take in the Christmas wonderland we made.“Darryl’s gonna be so grateful that he trusted you to do this.”
“Trusted us.”She nudges me, and when I don’t reply, she nudges me harder.
“Trusted us,” I dutifully repeat.Then I hold out her coat so she can slide it on, even daring to slip my fingers into her collar to free her hair.It’s in a ponytail like that first day at Verdant.I let it go to settle against her back, but I accidentally keep hold of a small section.
“Need a ride home?”I wrap that strand of gingerbread hair around my finger, badly wanting her to say yes even though I’m already late to meet Wyatt.
She turns to face me, and we’re standing so close that my eyes have no choice but to drop to her mouth, which means I have a close-up view as she says, “CJ’s almost here.”
I can’t hold back my tiny sigh of disappointment.
“Okay.I’ll wait with you until then.”I free her hair and we walk together to the back lot, where we lean against the side of my truck.I’m stupid glad she didn’t do the “oh no, you don’t have to stick around” dance and hope it means she doesn’t mind being in my company a little longer.
We don’t talk.She just scoots a little closer to me and I scoot a little closer to her, telling myself I’m shielding her from the wind that’s picked up now that the sun’s gone down.I turn my head to ask if she’d like to wait in my truck while I crank the heat, and I find that she’s looking up at me like she’s about to say something.
My brain leaps into action and announces that we’re standing within kissing distance and she’s not pulling away.She wants more from me, and I know this for a fact because she confessed it to someone she thought was a stranger.
Christ, imagine that once upon a time I thought the worst thing that could happen from her knowing was losing my job.At this point, I’d welcome Darryl firing me at high noon during the Sunday brunch rush if it meant I could make this confession to Liv without blowing us up.
Maybe it’ll be okay.Her eyes are a warm invitation, her lips parted in a soft smile.Surely, she’ll understand.Surely, she won’t hate me for keeping Santa Luke a secret for so long, or for giving in and sinking into her heat last night in the VIP room.
I clear my throat.“Can we?—”
She blinks away as CJ’s headlights sweep across us.
“Unhand my roommate!”her friend rolls down her window to holler.
Liv gives a tiny eye roll and straightens away from me.“Good night, Jonesy.Thanks for waiting with me.”
“Night,” I say.Then I grope for my usual irreverent cool, which has been MIA for most of the night, and tell CJ, “Keep this one away from lions.They have aneffecton her.”
“Of course you’re late.”
That’s my brother’s so-very-loving greeting when I pull up outside his house.It’s the refrain I’ve heard my whole life, and my inevitable response comes out like a growl.
“I’m the one doing the favor.”For a second, it looks like he’s going to lash back, and I brace myself for it, but he just nods instead.
“Right.Thank you.”
“So what are we moving exactly?”I ask.
He turns and walks into his house, and I follow.“Reese wants the bedroom set, and I don’t want to fight her for it.”
I have a million questions about that starting with how long ago they broke up and why they broke up and if he’s handing over the furniture because he was a guilty party, but I lock it all away.He’ll talk when he’s ready to talk.
“Jesus, this is a beast.”I preemptively glare at the solid oak set that’s gonna be a real bitch to wrestle down the stairs and into my truck.We’ll have to manage it piece by piece.My first instinct is to double-check that Wyatt’s cleared to lift this much weight, but questions about how he’s healing tend to set him off, so I trust that he’s not doing anything that’s going to cause him any more harm.
Still, he’s sweaty and pale by the time I strap down the final nightstand and slam the truck tailgate shut.
“You good?”I ask as I fire up the engine.
“Yep,” he says tersely.He gives me Reese’s new address, and I point us in that direction.I’m prepared to fill the silence with the radio the whole way there, but Wyatt says, “So.Twice in one week.
“Mom’ll be thrilled,” I say.“Speaking of, would she like a new embroidery machine, do you think?”
She’s always enjoyed sewing and needlework, and in the downtime during her recovery, she’s gotten into making elaborate pop-culture designs that she’s started selling online.
Wyatt’s brows lift.“I think that’s a great idea.Do you want me to?—”
