Page 28 of Love Her

“I did not kiss you.”

Raising a brow she returns the gesture with an eye roll. See. Sassy.

“Fine. I kissed your cheek. That’s not the same thing. You make it sound salacious.”

“Oh, a small-town scandal. I like it. How many rumors do you think we’re starting by sitting here together? Should I be worried?”

Her expression changes quickly, her smile falling as her eyes drop to her lap. I’ve upset her. I’m not sure what I’ve said, but I want to undo it. Take away that look from her face. Lis should never look like that.

Switching topics is necessary. “Ten get-to-know-each-other questions. I’ll go first. What’s your favorite movie?”

With a blank expression, she looks up at me and hesitates. Offering her my most flirtatious smile, I wink, and she relaxes a little. It isn’t the carefree version of her I’ve spent time with tonight but it’s better than the devastated woman she was a few minutes ago. I’ll circle back to that emotion someday, just not tonight.

“Bridesmaids. You?”

“Goodfellas. Favorite flavor of ice cream.”

“Orange sherbet.”

She motions for me to answer, her body relaxing and her smile a little more natural. “Mint chocolate chip. Mustard. Yes or No.”

“On my burger yes. On a sandwich, hell no.”

Laughing, I can’t help but agree with her. I open my mouth to ask the next question and she stops me.

“I want in on this game too. What is your dream vacation?”

“Hmm . . .” I try to decide which of my dreams I should share with her. “When I was a kid, I wanted to travel to all seven wonders of the world. Now, as an adult I think I’d settle for seeing the Colosseum in person.”

Resting her chin in her hand she gets a dreamy look in her eyes and sighs. “Rome. I always wanted to travel Europe. Just take off for a few months and wander. Sip wine in the French countryside, watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, and eat my weight in pasta in Rome.”

“Why didn’t you?”

Sitting up, disappointment lands across her face. “My ex-husband wasn’t much for traveling. Well, not for leisure. Now, unless I win the lottery or come into some money from a long-lost relative, I’ll have to make do with camping in a tent for adventure.”

We continue our game, learning more about each other and laughing. While none of our answers match, they do complement one another. We both like country music, but I like to drift back to the alternative rock of my youth while she secretly loves top 40 music. I’ve never watched an episode of Friends and she can easily repeat every word of every episode. I promised to watch a few repeats of the sitcom if she would stop recanting them at the table.

“Mom, can I spend the night at Kyle’s?”

“The boys wanted to have a sleepover. I’m fine with it if you are.” Kyle’s mom, Janet, says to Lis, her eyes flicking my direction before looking back at Lis. Pursing her lips, she doesn’t quite smirk, but it isn’t for lack of trying.

“You don’t have your stuff.”

“It’s okay. He can borrow some of Kyle’s pjs and I always have extra toothbrushes. The benefit of working in a dentist office. Besides, I don’t expect them to last too long. They’ve been running pretty hard.”

Lis looks conflicted but the hope on her son’s face must convince her because she agrees. Jacob hoots his excitement and jumps in her arms. When they start for the front door, I look at my phone and note the time. Dang it’s later than I thought. Lis stands and begins gathering her belongings.

“I should get going.”

“Let me make sure everything is covered with the bill and I’ll walk you out.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do. Give me two seconds.”

Rushing over to the counter, I confirm the bill was paid in advance before meeting Lis at the front door. Pushing the door open, I usher her ahead, my hand resting on her lower back. That same something passes between us again, but I don’t address it. Instead, I drop my hand and walk next to Lis as she pushes a button on the fob in her hand once then twice.

“What the heck?”

“Something wrong?”

She holds her hand up higher, pointing toward a small SUV. “Why aren’t the lights flashing?”

As we step up to the vehicle, I note the back door is slightly open. “Battery might be dead.”

“Ugh. Of course this happens the one time my parents go out of town.”

“I can give you a jump and follow you home. Make sure you don’t have any issues on the way.”

The smile she gives me has triggered something between us again. Maybe my bad luck is turning around.

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