Page 75 of Can't Help Falling

Feeling both flushed and a little silly, Fin crossed her arms over her chest and turned toward the living room.

“Where are they?” she whispered.

“Finishing dinner in the kitchen,” he whispered back, leaning in just a bit and causing even more color to rush to her cheeks. “They’ll be back out when they’re done.”

He nodded his head toward the coffee table in between the couch and TV and Fin did a double take. “Tyler. There are textbooks on the table.”

“Right.”

“They’ve been studying?” she asked, giving him a dry look.

“Yeah. They’re working on a project together.”

Fin groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “You sent me an SOS because Kylie has a school project with a boy?”

“What?” he asked obstinately, his hands raised. “Half the making out I ever did in high school was thanks to school projects. Besides, I’m not completely nuts. They’ve been...vibing.”

Fin burst out laughing. “Vibing? Is that energy lingo you’re using? Am I rubbing off on you, Ty?”

He scowled at her. “Did you bring the beers or not?”

She walked to her coat and pulled two beers out of the deep inside pockets, wagging them at him.

His scowl softened into humor. “Couldn’t spring for a whole sixer? Had to just grab two loosies like a guy on a street corner?”

“Hey, I was already carrying a bag of rocks. You expected me to carry an entire six-pack as well?”

They walked back to the kitchen in time to see Kylie and her study partner clearing up their plates.

“Thank you for dinner, Mr. Leshuski.”

“You can call me Tyler, Anthony,” Ty said, pulling himself up to his full height.

But even though Tyler was tall, over six feet, Anthony towered over him. At least six five, at maybe fifteen years old, the kid had that bowed look of someone who’d grown too fast. But he had a wide, crinkly smile, and lots of black, curly hair that fell into his face and perfectly set off his ochre skin.

“Fin!” Kylie said as she turned around. “I didn’t know you were coming over tonight.”

“Just thought I’d stop by.”

“Uh-huh,” Kylie said suspiciously, her eyes dancing back and forth between Anthony and Tyler. “Come on, Tony. Let’s try and finish that project.”

She tugged at Anthony’s hand and Fin felt a familiar wave of heat-ice radiate off the boy. He was having a big internal reaction to Kylie touching him and it was just about all he could do to hide it.

With chagrin, she had to admit that the exact same thing had just happened to her when Tyler had taken off her coat.

Tyler watched them go with narrowed eyes and then, with a shake of his head, started opening up the remaining takeout containers. He’d ordered enough food for a Thanksgiving feast and Fin was grateful. She hadn’t eaten since lunch and it was almost nine o’clock now.

She sat down quickly, before he could do something swoony, like pull out her chair. He sat down too, and held up both of the beers she’d chosen, peering at the labels. “Which do you want?”

“Either. I went with Mexican beer because you said tacos.”

“Perfect. Oh, this one needs a bottle opener.”

She grabbed the bottles from him before he could stand again and used one to leverage the cap off the other. Then she twisted the cap off the first and held them both out, letting him choose which one he wanted.

He just gaped at her. “I...have never seen a woman do that before.”

“Little something I learned growing up in Louisiana.”

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