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“I know you want to sayI told you so, Steph, but don’t,” I warned her. “Just help me do something to my hair.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and Steph ran a brush through my shoulder-length brown hair. We were quiet for a few seconds before she finally asked the question that was really on her mind.
“Are you going to give him the note?” she wondered.
I didn’t know how to answer that.
She was asking about the Death Note, as I jokingly called the letter I’d written to everyone in my life who meant anything to me. It was only to be read if I didn’t make it out of the military alive. After the obligatory mention of my rather disinterested parents and a heartfeltI love youto my little sister, the rest of it was all about my feelings for Luke Kane.
“Maybe,” I told her. “If the moment is right.”
I arrivedat the Blue Creek Diner looking like… I wasn’t even sure.
I looked like myself, but different. And as soon as I walked in the door, a dozen heads turned to face me. I wrapped my arms around myself, suddenly self-conscious about my bare shoulders and collarbone on display.
This was a bad idea. What the fuck was I thinking? This isn’t me.
“Cindy?” a familiar voice asked.
I turned around to see Marnie, the head waitress at the diner. She smiled. After the double take.
“Well, don’t you look pretty tonight,” she said cheerfully.
“Um. Thanks.”
“You finally let your sister give you a makeover?”
I nodded quickly.
“Well, it’s sweet seeing you spruce up a bit.”
“I guess.”
“You smell nice too. Kind of fruity.”
I bit my lower lip but quickly spit it out again, tasting the cherry gloss Stephanie insisted I wear. I was wearing a lot of it. Like, so much I could smell it.
“Ugh, do you have a tissue?” I asked. “I should wipe off some of this lip stuff.”
She chuckled and shook her head, ignoring the request. “He’s in the back booth waiting for you.”
“Thanks.”
I spied Luke waiting in our usual booth, but he didn’t see me. He was a little slumped over, elbows on the table, with his head in his hands. Usually Luke had a smile on his face that could melt the iciest of hearts. But today he looked stressed.
“I happen to know Luke likes cherry,” Marnie oh-so-helpfully supplied.
I grumbled. Did everyone in Blue Creek know about my feelings for Luke Kane?
I was seriously about to turn around and head home to change out of this stupid dress… when Luke’s eyes met mine. I was spotted. I had to go over there.
I slid into the booth across from him, like nothing was different. Like maybe he wouldn’t notice that I’d put a fuck-ton of effort into looking like this. For him.
“Wow, Cindy,” he said, his bright blue eyes taking me in. “You look pretty. I mean, that’s a pretty dress. You got a date after this or something?”
He smirked, showing off that little dimple in his right cheek before smiling wide. He knew he had a great smile. It was the right amount of cocky to be sexy, but not arrogant. Fuck, when Luke Kane smiled at you, you felt like you’d just stepped into the sunshine after being out in the cold.
“You, um, wanted to talk?” I said, reminding myself that staring at him in silence was creepy.
