Page 58 of Exposed Ink

“Okay,” I say, flipping the pancakes. “I get it.”

I don’t …

The second Kinsley told me she wanted more, that she wanted the promises and labels, I immediately considered her mine. But if she wants me to ask, I can do that. The problem is, I have a feeling that simply saying,Hey, will you be my girlfriend?won’t suffice.

“Do you?” Taylor questions, as if she can read my thoughts.

“Yeah, I need to ask her to be my girlfriend in a romantic way.”

I slide the pancakes onto our plates and hand her one.

“And how are you going to do that?” she asks, pouring syrup over her pancakes and then having a seat at the island.

“No damn clue,” I admit, having a seat next to her. “Any ideas?”

She thinks for a few minutes while we both eat our breakfast, and then her face lights up. “I got it! What if you bought her a pizza and wrote her a note that reads,This might be cheesy, but will you be my girlfriend?”

“Seriously? That’s the best you got, kid?”

“I saw it inThePrincess Diaries.” She shrugs.

“All those romance books, and you can’t think of a single way to ask her out?”

“Well, in most of my books, the guy is either in high school or college and hates her until, like, the last chapter, where he finally admits he’s loved her forever … or he’s a billionaire, and he takes her somewhere super fancy on a helicopter and makes a grand gesture. And since you’re far from a billionaire …”

“Screw this.” I shove the last of my pancakes into my mouth and swallow it down with a sip of my coffee. “Kinsley doesn’t need a grand gesture. She just wants me to ask, not assume. So, I’ll go by her work and ask.”

Taylor looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Wow … well, I hope you like being single because with that attitude, that’s how you’re going to die. Alone and single.”

“Dramatic much?”

I drop my plate into the dishwasher and rinse out my glass.

“I’m out of here,” Taylor says. “Don’t forget I leave tomorrow morning for state.”

“Am I driving you to the bus, or do you want to drive yourself?”

Before she started driving, every time she had a cheer competition, I’d drive her to the bus to see her off, but now that she has her own vehicle, she’s more independent.

“Nah, you can say goodbye to me tonight or tomorrow morning. I have to pick up Casey, and I’m leaving Snowball at the school.”

“All right, have a good day at school.”

“Will do! Love you.”

“Love you too.”

After she takes off, I jump in the shower and contemplate how to go about asking Kinsley to be my girlfriend. I’m still thinking about it while I walk Becky, and by the time I’m in my truck, heading over to Exposed Ink, I’ve decided that we’re adults, and she isn’t looking for a grand gesture—just for me to ask—and while my daughter’s advice is sweet, we’re not in high school anymore like she is.

But before I make it to the shop’s front door, I eye the pizza shop two doors down and groan because what if she is looking for a grand gesture?

“Fuck it.”

I walk over to the pizza shop, order a large pie so the other people she works with can have a slice, and then ask for a piece of paper I can write on … because apparently, I’ve becomethat guy.

NINETEEN

Kinsley

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