Page 127 of A Little Tempting

“Honey, you have nothing to be scared of, especially with a guy like Reeves who clearly cares about you. Besides, he’s hot as fuck, and I have no doubt he’ll be so good in bed it’s not even funny.”

Pushing my eggs around my plate some more, I snort. “Yeah, so not the part I’m worried about.”

“Falling for someone is a leap of faith, Dyl. Sometimes it’s worth it, and sometimes it isn’t, but refusing to fall in general won't get you anywhere. You need to have a little more faith in yourself,” she counters. “Are you coming to Game Night with him tonight?”

“I haven’t decided yet. My mom wants to take me out to dinner, so it depends on when we finish.”

“I hope you do. I have a feeling he’ll love showing you off to the rest of his friends, and afterward, you can chat about what you both want out of the relationship.” She stands up and sets her dishes in the sink. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a paper to work on. Oh, and PS—you’re on dish duty as payment for breakfast. Thank you!”

I roll my eyes, watching her go as I call out, “You’re welcome!”

* * *

After spendingthe entire day cleaning the house from top to bottom, my mom picked me up for dinner. It was fun. Catching up on everything going on in the families. I needed it more than she knew.

Now, we’re on our way home, and when we reach my street, I lean closer to the windshield, taking in the cars parked along the curb. Like always, it’s packed.

“What’s going on?” my mom asks.

“Game Night.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” I glance at her and turn back to the scene unfolding in front of us. “They’re chaos.”

With a rueful smile, she pulls up to the crowded driveway. “Aw, I miss college chaos.”

“You’re crazy.”

“And you’re adorable if you honestly think I believe you don’t kind of love being here.”

She isn’t wrong. I do kind of love it. I kind of love a lot of things about college, especially when I’m around a certain someone.

“It’s…a lot,” I reply.

“Life is…a lot,” she repeats, mimicking me. “The trick is to soak it up while you have it and not lose track of your goals while trying new things and figuring out what works for you and what doesn’t.”

“Look who’s a sage old woman,” I quip.

With a gasp, she shoves my shoulder. “Excuse me? Did you just call me old?”

“And sage.”

Her eyes thin. “Mm-hmm. And to think I let you talk me into stopping at the grocery store to get more Ben & Jerry’s. I feel played.”

I laugh. “Learned from the best.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Get out of my car, missy.” As I climb out, she calls out, “Love you!”

“Love you, too.” I give her a small wave, letting the ice cream we stopped for hang off my arm in its grocery sack. “Thanks again for dinner.”

“Anytime, babe. Tell everyone hi for me.”

“I will.”

“Including Reeves,” she adds, and I swear I can hear the amusement in her voice as my body freezes.

Turning back to her, I bend forward through the passenger door and give her a look. “Excuse me?”

---