Page 87 of Dirty Pucker

I nod and she pops it in my mouth, giggling.

I bite down and wince. “God, that’s a lot of sugar.”

She laughs. “I forgot. You’re probably used to a super clean athlete diet.”

“Yeah. I can’t really handle that much sweet stuff anymore.”

“Yay. More for me.” She grins and pops a gummy bear in her mouth. I can’t help but smile at how cute she is. At how happy I am lounging on the couch with her.

When was the last time I felt this happy sitting on the couch watching TV with someone?

My brain comes up empty.

That’s gotta mean something.

It means that Ingrid is amazing and you like her. A lot.

Before I can think more about it, Ingrid grabs her phone and snaps a photo of the snacks on her coffee table.

“What are you doing?” I ask as she taps away on her phone.

“Adding some fun photos to your Instagram.”

She shows me the post. It’s a photo of the pile of snacks with the TV in the background. I read the caption.

Netflix and chill #vibes #relax

I run a hand through her soft hair. “You don’t have to work on my social media now. Not when you’re not feeling well.”

She sets her phone aside and hums. “That feels so nice.”

I gently massage her scalp. She closes her eyes, a sweet smile playing on her lips. After a while, she looks up at me. “You’re pretty sweet, Dirty Del,” she says.

Just then her phone rings. She grabs it and sits up.

“My mom is FaceTiming me,” she says.

I start to get up to give her privacy so they can talk, but she motions for me to stay.

She answers her phone. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Ingrid, darling, I need your expert opinion. We’re hosting a fundraiser in Turks and Caicos tomorrow night and I have no idea what I should wear. What do you think? The green gown or the blue one?”

I glance over and see a blur of green fabric on Ingrid’s phone screen, then a blur of blue.

“Definitely the green,” Ingrid says. “It’ll look so pretty on your skin.”

The fabric drops from the screen, revealing a stunning woman who looks like Ingrid in twenty-five years. I blink. Holy shit. Her mom is beautiful. She has the same hair color as Ingrid and the same soft blue eyes, delicate nose, and full mouth.

“You should wear gold jewelry with it,” Ingrid says. “You’ll look amazing.”

Her mom smiles. “Thank you, darling. You always save me when I’m in a fashion crisis. Hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

Ingrid chuckles. “It’s okay. Just stuffing my face with gummy bears, chips, takeout, and tea.”

“Oh goodness. That time of the month?”

“Yeah,” Ingrid groans. I chuckle. Ingrid elbows me.

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