Page 55 of Slash & Burn

“Hey,” Cory said, scowling at me over the menu.

“Sorry, pal, we’ve got to run.”

Checking my watch confirmed we had to leave right then or we wouldn’t make it to part two of the evening’s agenda. An agenda Jill was very curious about, based on the look she was giving me.

“Let them go,” Skylar said, swatting at Cory’s arm. “We’ve seen enough. Clearly Jill is here of her own volition,” she paused, smirking up at me. “Even if her choice of company is questionable at best.”

I shook my head, but appreciated the way her ribbing me had Jill laughing. Anyone who could help her feel more at ease was okay in my book. I gave Cory a quick handshake before he could stand, and leaned down to kiss Sky on the cheek. “Thanks,” I whispered in her ear before I pulled back.

“Anytime, hot shot,” she said, giving Jill a wave. “Have fun.”

It might have seemed a little odd to me that Skylar was so encouraging about all this, but I didn’t stop to consider why. Snagging my card from the waitress I took Jill’s hand and we bee-lined it for the truck.

“Okay,” I said, slamming my door shut. “Next up—if you approve—is a movie and some ice cream.” I raised my eyebrows, waiting and watching as she pulled her lips in on themselves, her eyes wide as she considered it. “Yay or nay?”

She tilted her head, noticing how excited I was. “I’m in.”

“That’s my girl,” I said, throwing the truck in gear.

After a second she turned, looking around the truck cab before she said. “I still don’t get why we needed the truck though?”

I chuckled under my breath. “You will.”

CHAPTER 23

JILL

Ididn’t even know drive-in theaters still existed, but someone had revamped the old one that had been across from a water park in Saco. Grady was practically buzzing as he backed us into a spot and tuned the radio to the right station for us to hear the movie.

I looked around, giving him a questioning look. “I think the screen’s back there,” I said, pointing over my shoulder.

“Oh, really?” He looked back where I was pointing and then at all the cars facing the opposite direction parked beside us. “Shit.” Flipping down the visors on both sides he pointed at the mirrors. “I guess we can watch in those.”

“Grady!”

He laughed, pinching my thigh. “Hop out, smarty pants.”

Following him to the back of the truck he popped the tailgate down and unhooked the bed cover I hadn’t noticed before. Rolling the black cover back toward the cab he revealed a mattress and blankets and pillows. He had an entire bed in the back of his truck and by the time he looked back at me my jaw was hanging open. I’d never seen anything like it.

“Wow.”

He rounded the tailgate, bumping me with his shoulder. “Wow, huh?”

The way his expression was lit up, like a kid in a candy store, made it hard to breathe. “This is…” It felt like too much. Way too much for something that was really just a summer fling. But Grady was shaking his head, anticipating the words I hadn’t gotten out.

“This is the kind of thing everyone should do at least once.”

I dropped my eyes to the ground. “Well, twice for you, I guess.”

He tapped the tailgate, a wordless invitation for me to climb up into the bed he’d made for us. “Not exactly.”

“Oh?” I pushed up on my hands, rolling onto my side into the soft, cozy bedding.

Grady was watching me roll around like a beached seal, his eyes crinkling as he shook his head. “I’ve never brought a woman to one on a date.”

Somehow I found that hard to believe. But I didn’t particularly want to imagine Grady doing this with anyone else, so I let it drop. We’d snuggled into our little nest by the time a concession worker walked by with a cooler of ice creams to choose from. Grady got a red, white, and blue Turbo Rocket and I went for the Strawberry Sunday Crunch.

“So,” he said between bites, his lips red and glistening from the ice cream. My eyes were glued to them as he spoke. “How are you with scary movies?”

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