“Hey, we should go dancing in town. There’s a place with a live band and it’s a lot of fun. We could have a girls’ night.”
“That sounds like fun,” I say. I can’t remember the last time I went out for a girls’ night. If ever. If my sister and I ever went anywhere special, it was always something with the kids. Whenever she got free time she spent it with her husband, which I totally got. I’d want that too if I was married to Blake. The thought hits me hard, almost taking the breath from my lungs. It’s too overwhelming, so I push it aside.
“How about tomorrow night?” Dolly asks excitedly.
I get the feeling she is as starved for girly fun as I am. Living with my family, I never got to cut loose a lot, and I was always so focused on school I never took the time to party. This might be exactly what I need.
“I’m in,” I say, and we clink our tea glasses together. It sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe I can pull some more stuff about her brother from her.
We’re getting out our plates and making our food when the front door bangs open. We both turn and see Blake nearly running in, almost out of breath.
“Jesus, dude, did you run all the way home?” Dolly asks in surprise.
“No,” he says, looking over to me. “Just hungry is all.”
“Is everything okay?” I ask, wondering if his brother is okay.
“Don’t know. He was acting strange when I went to the door, and then he wouldn’t let me inside. It was weird, but I didn’t push it. I said I’d check on him again tomorrow, and he seemed even more mad about that. I finally left after he threatened to throw me off his land. It’s not like him, but he didn’t look hurt or anything.”
“That’s odd,” Dolly mumbles around a mouth full of food as she studies Blake.
I fix Blake a plate, and we sit down together at the table. He scoots his chair as close to me as possible. So close we are touching. But I don’t complain. I like having him with me. I keep telling myself that this can’t be real. No way is this guy so perfect and trying to give me his attention. Maybe he likes to flirt with everyone. I wasn’t in town long enough to hear any kind of talk about him, but I bet if I asked the right people next time I went in, I could find out some things. They may be things I don’t want to hear, but I may need to hear them right now. Before I get in way over my head.
Hell, who am I kidding. I’m already starting to fall for this guy.
“Time to go, Dolly,” Blake says after we finish eating and he’s cleaned up the dishes. I helped him as Dolly was picking at what was left of the food.
“Fine,” she huffs as she grabs her bag and heads to the front door. “See you tomorrow, Luciana,” she throws over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her.
“Why is she coming back tomorrow?” Blake asks, then shakes his head. “Why am I even asking? It’s probably to eat.”
I laugh, but decide not to tell him about our planned night out. I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s kind of our secret. Girls’ night with no boys allowed. It feels fun and sneaky.
After the kitchen is cleaned up, I have to stifle a yawn with the back of my hand. Blake watches me, then laces his fingers with mine, leading me down the hallway.
When we get to my bedroom, he leans against the doorframe as I step in. This moment feels so intimate, like he’s walking me home after a date. I guess in a way, he is.
“So I’ll see you in the morning?” I say, then I feel dumb. Of course I’ll see him in the morning. This is his house.
“As soon as the sun comes up.” He reaches out and brushes a stray lock of hair from my cheek, and for a moment I think he’s going to lean in and kiss me.
But to my disappointment he takes his hand away and steps back.
I don’t want this to be over. I know we are just a door apart, but I still don’t want to break this moment.
“Sleep sweet, Lucy.”
As he closes the door, I fall back on my bed and put my hands over my face. I’ve never wanted a man to grab me up and kiss me so bad in my life.
I lie there for what feels like forever. Sleep doesn’t come as my mind churns with thoughts of Blake and this day. I’ve never had a more perfect day in my life. I’m scared if I close my eyes I’ll wake up and this will all have been a dream.
I toss and turn to no avail. Giving up on sleep, I pull myself from the bed and open my bedroom door to see Blake standing there. His eyes widen with surprise.
“I was just going to check on you,” he tells me, making me smile. I’ve been noticing he’s always worried about me. It’s nice to be someone’s sole focus. It’s different.
“Couldn’t sleep,” I admit.
He grabs my hand, pulling me from my doorway and down the hall and into the kitchen. He lifts me up, taking me by surprise as he sits me on the counter. Then he starts pulling stuff from the fridge and cupboard.
“My ma used to make this for me when I couldn’t sleep,” he tells me, taking the cup he prepared from the microwave. “It’s pretty much the only thing I know how to cook being as I don’t sleep that well. My mind doesn’t want to shut off when it gets going about things.”
I take the cup from his hand and bring it to my lips. A warm caramel taste fills my mouth.
“Wow. That’s wonderful.”
He leans up against the counter across from me, his hands gripping the edge like he’s trying to keep himself in place.