Page 109 of Yes No Maybe

“After Airlie, I feel like I can tell you anything,” she says with a crease on her brow as if she’s only just realizing it.

“You can. And you should. Tell me more about this… hyper-sexuality and all the ways I can make you feel beautiful.”

“No, no. It’s your turn. Best sex ever.”

Our beers arrive with our pizza, but despite the interruption, Rowan’s eyes stay on mine in a curious challenge as my hand drifts slowly up her soft leg, tightening around her firm calf.Ah, these legs.

As soon as our server leaves, I say, “This might sound trashy—I don’t remember her name.”

She lets a relieved sigh escape, probably because it’s not Evie. And it really isn’t, not that I’d dare bring her up. Evie’s a lazy lover.

“It was my junior year of college. My roommate dragged me to a frat party. It’s cliche—I know—but I met a girl. A senior. We connected over cheap beer, loud music, andHarry Potter, oddly. She asked me to her room and told meexactlywhat she liked. I listened and paid attention. The more she was into it, the more I enjoyed it. It made me better at it, frankly. No matter how muchstudyinga guy does, a confident woman is his best teacher. Turned out to be the most useful thing I learned in college.”

“Areallife skill.” Then, she blushes as if she’s imagining us—I know I am. “Um, can you believe we’re talking about this?”

“Look, I promise I had perfectly acceptable first date conversation cued in my head, if not for my Freudian slip.”

Another chuckle rises behind her bite of pizza. “Oh, like what?”

“Like… how is it with Sara gone?”

“Quiet, a little sad, but okay. BFFs for life.”

“Ah, there’s that dorkiness you promised. I thought you were a crazed do-gooder adding a foster kid to your life of service. She was such an asshole in the beginning. Are you going to put yourself through it again?”

Based on her pinched brow and staring off into her beer, this question seems to challenge her more than talking about sex. “I’d love to do it again.”

“It’s difficult—letting a stranger into your home and hoping for the best, but when I imagine it from the other side—the kid who lost a parent or stability, whatever the case, I think… damn, that’s so much worse. You’re good to take the risk.”

“The best things require the most risk. Besides, I think I got more out of it than she did.”

“You and the rest of us.” A cheesy grin wraps my face as I tilt my beer toward her.

The twinkling lights overhead reflect in her eyes like specks of gold as she peers into the river’s darkness. “You were right about Mom,” she says after hesitating. “She met Reggie at a crowded café when they shared the last table. Love at first sight, they say. They’ve been dating for over a year.”

“Overa year? That’s a long time. You okay?”

She shrugs lightly. “He’s wonderful, and they’re annoyingly sweet together. They’re the newest old couple you’ll ever meet. I’m a little sad she couldn’t tell me sooner, but I’m thrilled for them. I have you to thank for that.”

“For what?”

“Preparing me for it. If not for our talk in the hallway, I would’ve gotten hung up on her not telling me instead of what matters—Mom finding love.”

“You would’ve handled it fine.” My finger traces the curve of her knee.

Her back straightens as she sits up. “It’s more than that, Jack. Your books helped Mom believe in love again. Without them, I wonder if she would’ve been open to sharing a table with a stranger at a café. It’s like you prepared her for meeting Reggie.”

“I can’tpossiblytake credit for that.”

“You should. It’s more proof that writing love stories is what you’re meant to do, and your work matters.”

Her words and the sincere gleam in her eyes stir something in me I can’t quite describe—me, the fucking wordsmith. My work has always mattered to my fans and especially my bank account. But that she believes it contributes to a greater good brings on an emotional surge in me—a complicated mix of pride, hope, fear, and determination. I want to pen a thousand books just to keep her faith in me.

“Um, you’re definitely giving me too much credit, but thank you. And cut it out. I can’t get choked up on our first date. I’ll never live it down.”

She laughs and leans forward again. “Fair enough, but there’s one more thing I need to thank you for—just one.”

My eyes narrow with angsty suspicion.

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