Page 42 of Third Time Lucky

‘What if I invite Madi tonight, too? That way, it’s not weird because we’ll both have dates.’

‘I didn’t ask Lucy as a date. I just thought she might like to get out of the house. But that’s not a terrible idea.’

‘See, I’m a genius. You’re welcome.’

‘Don’t speak too fast,’ I say sarcastically. ‘Actually, don’t speak at all tonight.’

‘What?’

‘That’s right. Button it up, buster,’ I say, taking one more sip while my heart slows from nearing cardiac arrest. ‘If you say one word about any of this, in her presence, I’ll have witnessed two deaths.’

He furrows his brow. ‘You’re scary sometimes.’

‘Also, no romance. No touching. No lusting. We’re just a group of friends passing the time.’

‘Jeesh, OK, Bossy Betty.’ The way he nods his head suggests that he probably won’t follow any of my rules, so I need to be prepared in case he throws out a bomb.

‘Please, Aaron. I just talked to you about my feelings, which is code for this is a lot for me to work through, so don’t make things worse.’

He heaves another sigh, his heart taking over for his spitfire head. ‘Fine,’ he groans. ‘I’ll try to tame my tongue. And you should take that bottle home,’ he says. ‘You could use some liquid courage to shut up the ghost that lives in your head.’

‘No thanks. I’ve reached my limit already.’

‘Lightweight,’ Aaron teases.

I hang my head, exhaling deeply. This quickly spiraled out of control. How on earth am I supposed to process this information? She’s actually intome? Romantically? My heart races, my mind reeling as I try to make sense of the situation. Could it be possible that the tension between us wasn’t one-sided? That the sparks I felt weren’t just figments of my imagination? I think I’m about to find out.

12

ASHER

As the sun gently dips below the horizon, a breathtaking canvas of vivid orange and deep purple hues is painted across the sky, casting a serene glow over the rushing scenery outside. The air is filled with the aroma of fast food drifting in from roadside diners, carried by the breeze wafting through the slightly open windows.

I can feel the tension in Lucy, who’s sat beside me as I drive, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery. What’s going through her mind? Are her thoughts consumed by what she may have said to Aaron? How do I navigate this? I’ve no fucking clue.

‘I don’t know if I can fit even a morsel more into my already full stomach,’ Lucy remarks.

But her body betrays her words. It doesn’t faze her, but it’s great for me because I’ll always know when she’s hungry and I like to feed people.

‘Your stomach seems to disagree,’ I tease.

‘It’s one of those organs I have no control over,’ she says wistfully.

A smile tugs at my lips; curiosity piqued. ‘And what are the others?’

‘My head and heart,’ she answers with a rueful chuckle. ‘Those two never agree.’

The mention of hearts makes me acutely aware of mine, which is currently beating out of control. I’ve been thinking about this woman every second of my day, even when I’m with her, trying to decode her body language and read between the lines. But I’m no closer to figuring out if Aaron is telling the truth than I was right after he told me. I push those thoughts aside as we approach Audrina’s house.

‘Luckily, this is a baking class. I’m attempting to build our dessert menu.’

The smile that crosses this girl’s face… wow. I swear she gets prettier every time I see her.

‘We’re making dessert?’ she asks.

Before I can answer, we pull up to the front of Audrina’s house and are greeted by Aaron and Madi standing outside his car. They wave their arms wildly like two crazed fans at a concert.

‘Madi’s here?’ Lucy exclaims, her confusion evident on her face. ‘Why?’

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