Page 55 of Stick Work

“I’m sure Taylor can help you with that.”

“Of course.” I throw my hands up. “Who doesn’t love a housewarming party?”

“Okay, you two enjoy.” She gives me a little grin before she turns and disappears into the back.

I lean in my words for Elias’s ears only. “She knows.”

“What?” He lifts his head, his brow furrowed.

“She knows about us.”

“How could she possibly know?”

My mind goes back to Grandma.

He looks at you like you’re the only thing that matters in this universe.

Had Gina seen that look? I shake my head. No, he was just pretending, and he does not look at me with love. That was an act, and I have to be wrong about Gina.

“You’re right. I’m just being paranoid.”

Or she caught me looking at him in ways I shouldn’t be.

Dammit, I might be in trouble here.

16

Elias

Taylor finishes her last exam today, and I’ve got a surprise planned—a quiet dinner out to celebrate. I tap the steering wheel, anxious to see her, to find out how her exam went as I sit in the car outside the performing arts building, cranking up the heat so it’s warm and cozy for her when she steps outside. Snow dusts the windshield, and I flick on the wipers to keep an eye on the building’s front doors.

She knows I’m here. It’s become our thing—me driving her to exams, picking her up whenever I can, squeezing it in between practices or games. She hates driving in the snow, and with the black ice warning tonight, I wouldn’t dream of letting her be on the roads in the dark alone. Overprotective? Maybe. But she doesn’t seem to mind. Not like the way she minds with her brother.

Finally, the doors swing open. Students stream out, bundled in scarves and jackets, their breath visible in the frosty air. I search the crowd, and my heart does a familiar flip when I spot her. She moves gracefully down the steps, her backpack slung over one shoulder, and my grin stretches wide.

I kill the ignition and hurry from the car, eager to meet her. As I close the distance, I notice she’s talking to someone. I can’t quite make out who it is in the dark, but something about her is vaguely recognizable. Taylor’s head lifts, and when our eyes meet, a smile touches her lips, lips that I can’t wait to kiss.

“There he is,” I hear her say, her voice carrying over the crunch of boots on snow.

When I’m closer, it clicks. It’s Avery, the server from the Nook.

“Look who I ran into,” Taylor says, turning toward me, and I slide the backpack from her shoulder and hook it over my own. “Avery had her last exam tonight too.”

“Nice to see you, Avery,” I say, my breath fogging in the chilly air as I move from one foot to the other to keep warm.

“You too,” she replies, her tone playful as she nudges Taylor with her elbow. “Must be nice having your own personal chauffeur.”

Taylor laughs and I quickly explain. “She’s my best friend’s sister. I’m not letting her out on these icy roads when I have four-wheel drive and she doesn’t. Kalen is busy tonight, and it’s what he would have wanted me to do.”

“That’s incredibly sweet of you, Elias,” Avery says, her smile warm. “Taylor is a very lucky girl to have two guys always looking out for her.”

“Elias is a nice guy. Not nearly as bossy as my brother,” Taylor chimes in with a nonchalant shrug, like we’re buds, old friends, and we haven’t been having sex like bunnies. Like she hasn’t been enjoying my commands in the bedroom. “And anyway, I’m helping him organize his new house, so this is the least he can do.”

Avery chuckles, nudging Taylor with her elbow. “Oh, the least, huh? I’d be negotiating a foot rub or two if I were in your shoes.”

Taylor’s eyes light. “Oooh. I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Avery’s mood shifts as she hugs herself, glances around and says, “I’d better get going. I don’t want to miss my bus. I need to get changed before we all hit up the Tap Room to celebrate.”

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