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ChapterThirteen
Jesse and Nicole suffered through the first hour of a terrible movie before Jesse begged to go see if Raina was still awake. What he found, upon knocking and entering the guest bedroom, surprised him almost more than the skirt he’d seen her in earlier that evening.
“You’re wearing pajamas,” Jesse stated in surprise.
She was dressed in a light pink tee and matching shorts, both covered with tiny purple flowers. It wasn’t revealing in the slightest, but for Raina, it was definitely a new look.
Raina glanced up from where she was standing by the bed. “Should I not be?”
“No, no,” Jesse said quickly. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you in shorts before. Or pants, but you’re…”
“Wearing shorts now.” Raina pulled on the hem of her shorts self-consciously. “Zara gave them to me. Do they not fit?”
“No, they fit...really great,” Jesse finished lamely.
“Okay, I was worried. You’re still staring at them.”
Jesse flushed, jerking his gaze away from Raina’s smooth skin. “Right. Yes. Um, I wanted to see if you wanted to grab a snack.”
“You do know it’s like one in the morning, right?”
“Hey, that means we have the house to ourselves.”
Raina laughed. “Sure, why not. Is Nicole already asleep?”
“She falls asleep the second her head hits the pillow. I literally just left her, and there’s no point even going back upstairs to check.”
“Let me find a sweatshirt,” Raina said, rubbing her arms. “It’s a bit cold.”
“Here.” Jesse pulled his hoodie over his head. It was one he often slept in—dark green and made of some impossibly soft fabric—that Aunt Alexandra had brought back from Italy on one of her frequent trips.
“Thanks,” Raina said shyly, taking the hoodie. She pulled it on and smoothed down her hair before turning back to him. “Ready?”
Jesse nodded and the two made their way quietly down the many wooden steps, careful not to trip and knock over something expensive. When they passed through the kitchen door, both of them froze when they noticed the room’s other occupant.
“Oh, hello, Jesse,” Nicole’s father said absentmindedly, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He was the antithesis of his wife, with graying hair and a tendency to forget people existed. “And you must be Raina. Come for a midnight snack?”
Raina turned red, but Jesse managed to maintain his composure. “Yeah, we figured we’d grab some ice cream before bed,” he said smoothly, walking over to the freezer. “What are you working on?”
Nicole’s dad sighed, unbuttoning his cuffs and rolling up the sleeves of his button down. “I’ve got some paperwork for a demolition happening in a few weeks. Unfortunately, when the interns slack off, all their work gets left to the big bosses.”
Jesse chuckled. “Remind me never to work for you, sir.”
Nicole’s dad eyed him, curiously. “Are you interested in law? Company management?”
“Possibly law, but I’d be leaning more toward family law. I’m not 100% sure yet.”
“You’ve got time,” Mr. Lawrence replied. Leaving his papers on the island, he stood and stretched. “I’m missing a paper or two, so I’m going to grab them from the home office. Feel free to finish off any of the ice creams, just not the mint chip.” He winked.
Laughing, Jesse grabbed a carton of Neopolitan from the freezer and then addressed Raina. “Hey, bowls are in one of the island drawers. I think it’s the one right below the papers.”
“Got it.” Raina drifted over, pulling open a drawer. “No, they’re…”
When she didn’t finish her sentence, Jesse set the ice cream on the counter, frowning. “Raina? Everything okay?”
“Jesse.” Her voice was hoarse, shaken. It had him hurrying to her side.
She was standing by the island, fingers drifting over the marble countertop until they pointed directly at the papers Nicole’s dad had left behind.
