Page 56 of Drawn to You

“Sure you did.”

“Did you remember to tell them to put your gravy on the side?”

“Yep. I’m so fucking hungry I think I’ll just drink the gravy.”

I turn into his long driveway, furrowing my brow when I see an unfamiliar car parked by the house.

“That’s not the housekeeper’s car, is it?”

He follows my gaze and groans. “Oh, fuck my life. It’s my parents.”

I turn to him, my eyes wide. “What? I assumed you hatched from an egg or something. You hardly ever mention your parents.”

He sighs heavily, his head falling back against the passenger seat. “Guess you’re about to meet Stan and Savannah.”

“Are they just dropping by? Did they text?”

He glares at me. “Trust me, Nosy, if I’d known they were here, we would have gone to a hotel. My parents have the incredibly annoying habit of just flying in from Florida, unannounced, whenever they feel like it.”

I fake cry as I park the car out front instead of pulling into the garage. “So much for our plan.”

“We’re sticking with the plan. They can entertain themselves for a while.”

He gets out of the car and walks around to the back to retrieve our bags. I run a hand over my hair, wishing I didn’t look like a college student who gives no fucks. I travel casual. My sweats, T-shirt, slides and messy bun screamI woke up just in time to make it to class.

I take the hair tie out and brush my hands through my hair, then check my teeth in my phone camera.

“You look fine. Let’s go.”

Dane’s parents either have a key or the code, because they’re already in the house, the smell of brewing coffee greeting us when we walk inside.

Dane sets our bags on the couch and we walk toward the kitchen. A beautiful woman with long dark hair walks out to greet us before we get there.

“Hello, sweetheart.” She looks at me, her eyes bright. “And who is this?”

“This is my girlfriend, Josie.”

Hiswhat? We turn to face each other, him giving me a look of love and me giving him a look of,What the hell?

Savannah sighs happily, her heels clicking on the floor as she rushes over to embrace me. “Josie, he’s been keeping you a secret from us! Oh Dane, she’s lovely.”

I try to smile, but I can’t make my face look anything but panicked. “I’m a mess. We just got off a long flight.”

And he just called me his girlfriend.

“You always look great, babe.” Dane winks at me.

“There he is.”

A tall, broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair walks into the room. I should have known that freakishly attractive Dane has freakishly attractive parents.

“He has a girlfriend, Stan.” Savannah is glowing with the news.

Fake news, but still.

“Hi, I’m Josie.”

Stan walks over to shake my hand, giving Dane a look of approval.

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