Page 27 of State of Grace

“You lived in the same century as John Lennon and Dolly Parton, and Taylor Swift is the greatest?” Blake dramatically held her mouth agape.

“I said what I said.” Smugly, Alexis shimmied her shoulders as her body relaxed even more. She smirked at Blake, whose look of absolute bemusement was still plastered on her face. When Alexis winked at her, Blake shook her head and rolled her eyes. “What? Don’t tell me you don’t occasionally jam out to TSwift. She’s amazing.”

“Oh, sweetie,” Blake’s eyebrow arched, and Alexis focused in on the way she’d called her sweetie, “we are going to have to educate you musically.” She held out her hand. “Where’s your phone?”

“What?” Her brain was still focusing on Blake calling her sweetie. She’d entirely missed anything that had come out of her gorgeous mouth since then. Get yourself together, Lex.

“Your phone. I want to find you songs to listen to so we can expand your musical palate.”

“My palate is fine, thank you very much. And the phones in my bag.”

Alexis nodded to the small bag she’d sat on the cupholder in the console between them. Blake fished out the phone, and Alexis thanked the good stars above the only other items in there were her keys. While trying to focus on the road and the woman beside her, Alexis noticed a smirk and a slight blush come over Blake as she tilted her body and the phone away from Alexis’s view.

Fuck. Sophia.

No one ever knew what would come out of Sophia’s mouth, and she was substantially less predictable over text. There was no way to know what Sophia had sent back in response to Alexis’s text but judging by Blake’s face, the text must have been inappropriate.

“Give me that.” Reaching over, Alexis tried to grab the phone back, but Blake swatted her hand away. She snapped her fingers and pointed out the windshield as her face grew mockingly solemn.

“Eyes on the road, missy. We cannot have TMZ reporting ‘Blake Calloway dies in fiery crash thanks to a mysterious but gorgeous distracted driver.’”

“You worry too much about TMZ.” She begged her mind not to focus on Blake calling her gorgeous. Alexis wasn’t sure how much more her brain could handle without exploding.

“You would, too, if you were me.” Not offering any more explanation, Blake turned to lean her back slightly against the passenger door. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she cleared her throat. “So, Sophia would like to say that you can stay out as late as you want, and she says to remind you to chew a breath mint and put on some ChapStick before any kissing happens.” Yet again, Alexis begged for a hole to open up in the Earth and swallow her whole. “She also included an excessive amount of that kissing face emoji.”

“She’s annoying,” Alexis nervously laughed as she gripped the steering wheel.

“Do you want me to respond?”

“Hell, no.”

“What’s your passcode?”

“Stop it.” Alexis giggled as she tried to take the phone from Blake once more. Another swat of the hand and a pointed finger out the windshield made Alexis nod as she turned her full attention back to the road. “0508.” Blake typed in the code. “It’s Harper’s birthday.”

“Oh, so she had a birthday a few weeks ago, huh?”

“Yup. She turned five but is going on twenty-five.” Alexis tried not to look over at the phone in Blake’s hand to make sure she was only on the music app. The beginning of a song she didn’t recognize started, Blake turned up the volume as she set the phone down in the console between them. “What is this?”

“Are you seriously telling me right now you’ve never heard ‘Jolene’?”

“Who’s Jolene?”

“Only the biggest whore in the world.” Blake looked utterly exasperated, and it was insanely adorable. “She tried to steal Dolly’s man.”

“Wait.” Her nose scrunched up in confusion. “Who’s Dolly?”

“Stop talking before I find you less adorable, and just listen.” Blake clicked the button on the screen in the car to restart the song. When Alexis opened her mouth to speak, Blake shushed her. Despite the song’s catchy beat and lyrics, Alexis couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that Blake had called her sweetie, gorgeous, and adorable all within the last five minutes. Alexis didn’t know her well enough to know if that was something she did with everyone or…

No. Don’t go there. Nothing good can come from that.

“Well?” Blake paused the music before it could change to another song.

“Well, that’s going to be in my head for a while.”

“Right? It’s as catchy as Taylor Swift.”

“So, you admit her songs are catchy.”

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