Page 126 of Doughn't Let Me Go

“Hey!” Kyrie twists her lips at her dad. “Rude.”

“I’m sorry, have yousmelledyour feet? There is no way an angel has feet that smell that bad.”

I point toward Porter. “As someone who does your laundry, I’m with your dad on this one.”

“Is that what you were doing when I saw you kissing him?”

“Throwing your stinky socks into the washer?” I smart back quickly. “Yep.”

I can feel Fran’s eyes on me again, and I chance a peek.

She’s grinning from ear to ear, clucking her tongue at Porter and me. “Very, very interesting. I wonder if Mel knows about this.”

“Fran…” Porter warns.

She mimes zipping her lips, tucking an imaginary key into her clutch purse. “Secret’s safe. Besides, you can tell her in person next week when you two meet about the move.”

Porter’s eyes widen at Fran’s words and he sends her azip itlook. It’s fleeting, but I see it.

Dread washes over me.

I was right. Porter is leaving.

Emptiness begins to settle in at the thought of him leaving me.

No. Notme.Here. It’s just sex, Dory. Get it together.

The scent that’s all him fills my nostrils as he leans into me. “We should probably talk later.”

I don’t look up at him.

I can’t. If I do, I’ll break, and I’ll end up doing something crazy like begging him to stay.

Instead, I nod.

He squeezes my thigh and then his hand shifts to his own lap, and I miss his warmth instantly.

Porter is going back to California. His business is there. His life is there. Moving to the East Coast was just an experiment, and it didn’t turn out like he planned.

It makes sense for him to leave.

And I shouldn’t be surprised.

Because nothing good ever lasts.

Slice Seventeen

Porter

It’s now or never, big guy.

Big guy? Since when the fuck do I call myself big guy? God, I’m an idiot today.

My first big screwup happened this morning when I messed up with yetanotherconference call. Stupid time differences got me all fucked up.

Okay, time differences and the fact that I spent way too long lingering in Dory’s bed this morning, but whatever.

It was another screwup.

---