Page 26 of Deception
“Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
“Because you’re a guy.”
“I’m glad we’ve established that,” he says with a chuckle. “Look, I know you have a lot going on, and you don’t have the best experience with men. This can be all at your pace.”
She swallows, her hands shaking slightly. “So… What, uh, do we do now?”
Her nervousness makes him smile. For one, it means the desire isn’t just one-sided. Secondly, she’s normally so sassy that he’s thrown her off her game. He affects her. “I think I should go,” he says. “But I’d like to take you out on a real date. Are you free tomorrow?”
“A date?”
“Yeah, a date. Dinner. Movie. Maybe some kissing. Because, I gotta say, you’re one hell of a kisser, Gracie Short.”
She blushes and looks down. “Uh, yeah, okay. Let me make sure I can get someone to watch Nolan.”
Kent reaches out and lifts her chin to look at him, and he kisses her softly. “Let me know if tomorrow doesn’t work. We can figure something else out.”
“O-okay.”
Biting his lip, he stands. “Goodnight, Gracie.”
“Goodnight, Kent.”
Chapter Nine
Griffin’s Beach
Lex
“What are you doing here?” Autumn asks.
She crosses her arms over her chest in the doorway of the house she’s shared with Rocco since they graduated high school. Immediately defensive. That’s Autumn, alright.
“Can I come inside?” Lex asks.
Sighing, she moves to allow entrance. “Fine.”
Jesus, there’s a lot of sass here.“How are you doing? Anything new going on?”
“That’s what you came here to talk about?” she says and sits at the kitchen table.
Her leg crosses over the other, and she leans back with what Lex can only assume is a disgusted look on her face. She won’t quite meet Lex’s eyes, and it’s difficult not to reach out and slap her right now.
How did we even get here?
“I’m having the old ladies meet at the hotel restaurant tonight at eight while the men are in Church. I’d like you to come and join us.”
“Why?”
“Because Lane’s birthday is coming up, and I think it would be good to do something. Margaret needs to know we’ll honor our promise about keeping her mom’s memory alive. She’s been struggling lately.”
This softens Autumn, and Lex gets a glimpse of the woman she used to know. The girl who ran around with Lex and Felicity as they talked boys and school and everything under the sun.
They were always such good friends. Sure, they had their share of fights like anyone does, but they always found their way back to each other. Lex can’t figure out why they haven’t followed the same pattern this time.
Am I that out of touch with everyone and everything in my own life because of what I’m going through? Do I have huge blinders on?
“And you’re getting together for what?”
