Page 20 of Saved By My Buyers

“I’d say it’s working,” I admit, my throat dry as I text Jack back.

Me:

The pastel vampire will come out into the light, I guess.

I’ve managed to buy things that aren’t pastel colors, thank God. It doesn’t suit me at all. Whenever Bee and I go out, she insists on paying with her dad’s credit card.

I have about two thousand dollars still squirreled away from doing rich prep kids’ homework and essays. I believe in having money for a rainy day, but I’ll treat Bee to the movies or ice cream here and there.

She just beams at me as if it’s the sweetest thing ever. God, I think I have it really bad for her.

Glancing down at myself, I decide I’m going to need to change if we’re going to the ice rink.

Jack:

I’ll pick you up in forty minutes. Is your mom back yet?

When he found out that they were leaving, he was pissed. I explained that there are a ton of adults in this house, and reminded him that I lived alone for six months. Jack just grumbled at me and asked me to check in more frequently.

I haven’t checked in because of his Dolly radar, and I was having pretty shitty dreams up until Bee started staying in my room with me at night. Now, I feel refreshed and happy… outside of being worried about Mom and Gareth, that is.

I’m sure he’s forgotten about me by now after being away for a month. I can’t tell myself that maybe he drank too much, because I’m too smart to believe that.

Me:

No, she’s not back yet. Bee says that her dad said they’d be returning today.

Jack:

So she didn’t contact you at all while she was gone?

I know he knows she didn’t, so I text him a shrugging emoji. I don’t know what the hell goes on in my mom’s head. I never have.

“Okay, he’ll be here in forty minutes,” I sigh, pocketing my phone in my skirt pocket.

“Are you going to change?” Bee asks, eyeing my bare legs. My tummy flips over at the way her gaze moves over my body, and I find myself biting my lip.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “I think I’ll freeze if I don’t. I’m still not used to colder temperatures.”

“We’ve been having a really great summer, haven’t we?” she says with a lazy smile as she slowly presses me against the wall. Bee is shorter than me at five two, while I’m five five and still growing.

Tilting my head to the side, I nod. “It’s been amazing,” I murmur. “We still have a lot of summer left.”

“Yes,” she agrees. “I bet I’ll need to start volunteering at the hospital again soon, though. And then I’ll blink and it’ll be over.”

Bee’s pout is adorable, and I can’t keep myself from taking my thumb and pulling it downward with a giggle.

“You’ll still have time to have fun,” I remind her. “Maybe we’ll figure out a standing pool date or something. We do live in the same house, after all.”

“True. Speaking of dates, would it be weird if we dated openly? I mean…” Bee trails off as my heart starts to beat faster.

I couldn’t care less that she’s my stepsister. We aren’t related, and we just met each other.

“I don’t think it would be,” I breathe, panting slightly at the thought. Jack’s words ring in my ears. I don’t know if this means if I only like girls, or if I just like Bee. “Do you want to go out on a real date with me?”

Squealing, her fingers tangle into my hair, tugging my head down to press her lips against mine. Bee smells amazing, like jasmine and lemons. It’s a cloud that envelops me, though not overwhelming. Her lips are firm and soft, and gone as quickly as they were there.

“I got excited,” she breathes. Giggling, I clumsily kiss her back. It’s not perfect, but it’s fun and perfectly us.

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