Page 251 of The Sinner: James

“Hi,” she greets me, her eyes glinting with excitement. “Take a seat,” she says, pointing to the chair sitting in the middle of the room.

“What were you doing?” I say, glancing at the ceiling.

“Changing a light bulb. Give me a minute,” she says and darts into a different room.

She stops abruptly and spins around in the doorway.

“Shit. Is the car waiting for us outside?”

I flick my hand up.

“Don’t worry. He’s paid to wait.”

Her lips form an O, an amused smile beaming on her face. Gingerly, she presses her fingers against her lips.

“Oh. I forgot.”

Her comical expression makes me chuckle. It’s impossible not to share her sunny disposition.

She gives me a quick once over as I pull the zipper down and open my red puffer jacket.

“You look very, um... sporty,” she murmurs, taking in my shaggy, red boots and white jeans.

A playful smile sits on her lips.

Grinning, I sink into a chair.

“What?” I ask.

“You look very, um… I don’t know. Princessy?”

Biting her lip, she gauges my reaction.

I laugh softly.

“Good thing the braided buns are no longer in,” she continues, lifting her hands and twirling her fingers on either side of her head.

We laugh hard and keep giggling until tears start trickling down our cheeks.

“Anyway,” she says, wiping away her tears. “You look damn good.”

She does a double-take, flashing a cheerful smile.

“I’m dying to know what your secret is. On the other hand, it wouldn’t do me any good,” she jokes, and we snicker again.

“Are we back to the same problem?” I ask, leaning back in my chair.

She shoves the last piece of clothing into her travel bag and pulls the zipper up.

“Yeah, baby. We’re back where it all started,” she says, rising to her feet.

Taking a long breath, she looks around, checking for more things she needs to pack in her suitcase.

“A few more months like these past two–– make that twelve––and I may need to lose my V-card again,” she says, shifting her gaze back to me.

More laughter rocks our chests.

“But this time…” she says, pressing her knee on the second bag while pulling the zipper up. “This time, I’ll hire someone.”

---