Page 109 of All In Good Time

She knew he didn’t believe her, but if, by chance, he did, he sure wanted to change her mind. He leaned forward, folding his arms over one another and resting them right on her windowsill. His head was in the car now, and Becca had to lean back to put some much needed—unwanted—space between them.

“So that’s where she heard about our kiss,” he said, and his voice oozed a disgusting amount of glee.

Becca’s back straightened, and her hands slapped the steering wheel. “I didn’t tell her that.”

He tilted his head. “No? But you told Parr about Halloween, right?”

Becca blinked.

Where the hell did he find that out?

“I just needed his advice.” Her voice was higher pitched than she meant, and it gave her away.

He chuckled and leaned in closer. She didn’t back away this time. “And what did you learn?”

Oh, she had learned a lot. Maybe too much. Maybe just enough. Buta lot.

I learned that I love you.

She wasn’t going to say that, even when his eyes encouraged an answer. Derek was still Derek, and in what she’d seen in his interactions with other girls, that meant love didn’t work the same way. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was just like all the other girls—completely enchanted by him.

“What was it you wanted to do yesterday?” she asked, not caring that it was a sloppy distraction.

“Changing the subject?” He raised a brow and laughed. “Fine. I’ll bite. I wanted to take you on a date.”

And just when she thought she had the upper hand. “A date?”

Derek had been on dozens of dates during his time in Highburg. For sure, he was experienced in all it entailed. The problem was, she had no idea what his idea of dating was.

Long ago, she’d decided she just wanted to remain in the dark about what Derek did with other girls, but now she wished she had a better idea.

“Dinner, a movie—whatever you’d like, sweetheart. I hear they’ve got a nice ice skating rink set up in Richmond. You like skating?”

Becca’s mouth opened slightly. This was certainly not what she’d expected. “I’ve never been.”

“We’ll learn together then.” Derek grinned, and she admired the way his eyes seemed to lighten. “Let’s go after school tomorrow, okay?”

“Isn’t that a little late in the day? Richmond is over an hour away.”

“Better than staying here in Highburg.”

She almost missed it—the worried tone in his voice. When she did catch it, she wasn’t quite sure what it meant. Still, she smiled, because she couldn’t for the life of her resist when he looked down at her like that. “Okay.”

He nodded and straightened so he no longer leaning in through her window, but he stayed next to the side of her car. “Dress warm. I’ll see you tomorrow.” And that was that.

He raised a hand, and Becca rolled up the window as quickly as she could—worried that the longer she left it down, the more he’d be able to sense how badly she wanted to giggle and kick her feet in excitement.

A date. With Derek. Not just as friends.

As…something else. Something she wasn’t quite sure of, but something she really,reallywanted to be.

Her eyes followed him away from the car as her heart soared. As soon as he was out of sight, she really would squeal.

She raised a brow when he paused, halting his retreat into his house and turning back around. He caught her eye through the windshield, and she couldn’t read his expression quick enough to decipher before his grin returned, and he jogged back to her window.

Confused, she rolled it down again.

He didn’t rest on the sill as he did before, but he did lean his hand on the door frame right above the window. He leaned in so he was right in front of her face again. She held her breath.

---