Page 12 of Fumbling in the Dark

Shane doesn’t miss a beat and meets me with every kiss. He opens his mouth, and I slide my tongue in—he tastes like beerand peppermint. I get lost in him. His hands grip my ass as he pulls me into him, showing me how much he’s enjoying this moment.

Someone from behind us wolf whistles, shattering the bubble we were in. I pull away from him, feeling the heat of embarrassment crawl up my chest. “Don’t worry about them,” Shane says with a look of concern.

“I know it’s late, but can I take you to another one of my favorite places?” I ask him.

“Baby girl, I will go anywhere with you,” he says so earnestly.

Nodding, I summon another Uber on my phone, taking him to my secret place.

Chapter nine

Janae

Shock runs through me when I think about the fact that I’m taking this man I just met to one of my most private places. A place that I’ve never taken anyone else. Shane and I jump into another Uber, giving the driver instructions to where I want to go.

Once the car is going, curiosity gets the best of Shane, when he asks, “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise,” I murmur.

“You’re really not going to tell me?”

“Don’t you trust me?”

He taps his finger on his lips while looking up at the roof of the car, pretending to ponder my question. I grin at his antics. “You’re so stupid,” I chuckle at him.

Leaning as far as the seatbelt will allow me into his space, I whisper in his ear, “I promise you’re going to love it.”

Goosebumps break out all over the back of Shane’s neck, and I can’t help but feel a sense of pride in how he’s reacting to me.With that, my brain starts to go into overtime with what all of this could mean and where it might go.He wants me.I want him.Maybe this will work out.

“How did you end up working at a florist shop, Janae?” Shane’s question pulls me out of the spiral I was about to put myself into.

“Last year, I was at school and needed a job. Thankfully, Ed and Millie needed help. They’re the elderly couple that own the shop I work at. They were willing to take a chance on me. I fell in love with making floral arrangements and learning about each flower. And the rest is history.”

“That is lucky. Not everyone finds something they love,” he says.

“What about you?” I ask.

“Football,” he says but doesn’t really explain, leaving me confused.

“Football?” Scrunching up my face, I admit, “I don’t know very much about sports.”

“It’s nothing. I just help out the team. Since I only ever did sports growing up, I thought it would be good to get a job that involved it,” he explains a little more but still doesn’t really say what his role is. I don’t push because this is technically a first date. And who am I to push for more? No one.

“Like a trainer or something?”

“Yeah like that,” he answers.

“Cool. Do you like it?”

“Yeah, it’s fun. I’ve never really been good at anything but football,” he says as he looks out the window.

“You never said if you and your brothers are close now that you’re older?” I ask him trying to get more out of him.

“Yeah, I guess so. We’re just all doing our own thing, catching up when we can.”

Shane falls silent after his confession, deep in thought. Allowing him to brood, I look out the window, watching as we leave the city so the expansive desert is all you can see. Sadness washes over me for a moment as I think about what Shane said about his family. Mine are my best friends. I couldn’t imagine not turning to them when I needed something. And when they can’t help me, I retreat to my one of my favorite places. The desert.

I’ve been to other areas of the United States and nothing compares to the beauty of the Nevada desert. Excitement bubbles within me when I realize that we’re getting close.

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