Page 74 of Lee

“We’re in the same spot as last time,” he said after she’d put the bags and blanket in the back seat of her car.

When Lee’s car pulled out from ahead of her, Rori glanced in her side mirror, then followed him. She hoped that she wasn’t making a mistake, but only time would tell.

After they’d both parked, Lee waited at the trunk of his car for her to join him, then they walked across the grass to where the group had gathered.

“Look who I found,” Lee announced as they arrived at the blanket.

“Who you found?” Charli asked. “Or who you went looking for?”

“I drove past her car and recognized it, so I stopped to talk.”

“Well, however it happened, I’m just glad you’re here,” Charli said as she approached Rori with a smile. “Come get some food.”

The others were already sitting down with plates of food in their laps, but they all called out greetings.

“Is Carisa coming, Lee?” Janessa asked.

“I think she planned to, but she said she wouldn’t be here right away.”

“Well, there’s plenty of food, so eat up.”

Rori wasn’t sure if she should decline or not, but she also didn’t want to be rude. So she took the plate Lee held out to her and began to put food on it.

It was basically the same fare as last week, so she built herself a turkey sandwich, though it wasn’t as stacked as the previous one since she wasn’t hungry thanks to her PB&J earlier.

“Hey, I’m glad you made it,” Jackson said as Rori sat down on the edge of the blanket. Lee set his plate beside her, then headed for the drink cooler. “Guess I wasn’t the right person to issue the invitation.”

“I’m sorry.”

Jackson laughed. “Just kidding. I know I didn’t actually invite you. I only asked about your plans. Regardless, I’m glad you’re here, even if it’s because of Lee and not me.”

Rori felt her cheeks flush, so she looked down at her plate, hoping to hide them. Were her feelings for Lee so obvious?

“Here you go, Rori,” Lee said, holding out a can of soda, revealing he remembered what she liked from last time.

Thanking him, she took the can. Her heart skipped a beat at the smile he had for her.

When he settled down on the blanket beside her, Lee was close enough for his knee to bump hers. And his nearness created conflicting responses inside her. Her mind was sending out lots of warnings, but her heart was glowing with hope.

It was like she just couldn’t protect herself around these people.

Especially Lee.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

After he’d finished eating, Lee set his plate on the grass next to the blanket, then leaned back on his hands. He watched Rori chat with Janessa, trying to figure out what to make of the woman.

The comment she’d made about not getting close to people had really hit him hard. She seemed to have such a tender heart that he couldn’t understand why she didn’t have a ton of friends.

But perhaps she’d learned early in her life that she needed to protect herself. So by the time she was an adult, she’d figured out that while she could be nice to people, she still had to keep her distance from them.

Lee really wanted to prove to her that she didn’t need to do that with them. With him. If she’d let them, they’d be there to help and support her in any way she needed.

So far, she’d showed an initial reluctance to accept help from him, or even to spend time with them. Though they’d been able to convince her to join them and take the help they offered, he hoped that soon she’d understand they really wanted her around. They really wanted to help her.

More than anything, Lee wanted to see her gain confidence in herself and the fact that she was enough. She didn’t have to be anyone but who she was, and they wanted to spend time with that person.

When his text alert pinged, Lee straightened and fished his phone from the pocket of his cargo shorts.

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