Page 32 of Saved By My Buyers

“Twenty dollars for those thoughts, Dolly,” he says, making me laugh as he takes a large bite of his burger. Deciding to do the same, I chew slowly. If I ask him any of the questions rattling around in my head, he may choke.

“Eating isn’t going to save you from me,” he reminds me, scrunching his face at me in impatience.

Swallowing before I laugh, I roll my eyes as I wipe my mouth. “Let the record stand that you asked for this,” I say, raising my brow.

“Jesus, kiddo,” he says. “Okay, out with it.”

“Do you have a girlfriend?” I ask, taking a sip of my water.

“Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” Jack admits. “What if I had a boyfriend?”

“I wouldn’t care if you’re dating a koala, as long as it was consensual,” I say, trying and failing to keep a straight face. A few people glance over in horror, but Jack keeps his eyes on me, even as he grins.

“I have a girlfriend, and you’re the one who told me that ‘love is love,’” I remind him. “It would be hypocritical if I didn’t return that open mindedness.”

“You’re wise beyond your years, Dolly,” he says. “I am not dating: male, female, or koala.”

The end makes me giggle as I eat, popping a French fry into my mouth.

“So why not?” I ask him, making sure I’m not flashing food at him.

“Ugh, why are we talking about me? I should be embarrassing you by asking if you’re practicing safe sex or something,” he says, groaning.

We are definitely going to be what our eavesdropping neighboring tables talk about later. Thankfully, they’re clearing out, and we’re the last ones here.

“Not having sex,” I say with a shrug. “Hope you can sleep better now. Though, it’s not like Bee can get me pregnant if we were.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Jack says, though he’s laughing, just on the inside. “To answer that, I travel a lot, and I spend my down time with you or other friends. It’s unfair to start something when I know my priorities are focused on other things.”

Taking that at face value, I move onto other things as we eat. We chat about his hockey player friends, talk about going to a game when the season starts up again, and laugh a lot.

The entire day is perfect, and the dessert trolley I find out is run by a chef who has a travel kitchen in the middle of it as we move throughout the city. The driver points out different things as we drive, and I find myself having a blast. The desserts are incredible, but the company is top tier.

Jack motions to the driver that we’re getting off the trolley, and he pulls over, so we can walk to where The Darkest Nights is playing. I need to move my body anyway, I am so full.

“The dessert trolley was a nice touch,” I tease Jack as we walk. The sun is going down, but I’m not worried. I’m pretty sure I’m fairly well protected with Jack.

“It was, wasn’t it?” he says with a smirk, pointing to where The Darkest Nights’ sign is up announcing them. I’ve never heard of the band opening for them, but I love discovering new music.

Jack shows our tickets at the entrance, and then we follow the directors to our seats. The show is in an open air amphitheater, the weather is beautiful, and I cannot keep the permanent smile off my face.

Sitting at our seats, I take my phone out to check for messages, since I haven’t all day.

Bee:

I miss you so much, you have no idea how hard it was to keep Jack’s secret!

Me:

I wish you were here! This is amazing!

Bee:

You’re alive! Send me a photo and then put your phone away. Soak it all up, baby girl.

Her words make me sigh happily. It’s too soon to tell her I love her, right? We’ve been dating for almost a year, and my heart swells anytime I’m near her. My head is telling me to fuck the rules, because she’s my stepsister anyway. Clearly we don’t give a shit.

“Your thoughts are so loud, Dolly,” Jack says, leaning in to speak to me. “Is that Bee?”

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