Page 20 of Trusting Blake
“Man?” Savannah snorts, exchanging a humorous look with Tori. “I’ll believe that when he finally sprouts a wisp of facial hair.”
Despite the confident high I’ve been riding with my new style, the sight of Lacey sends me plummeting into the depths of self-consciousness. My skin prickles under the heat of the sun and I wish I could swipe Blake’s hat from his head one last time to shield myself, but I doubt it would make a difference.
Cindy advances toward Myles – who has not-so-subtly puffed out his chest – and Lacey hovers a few feet away from us girls and Blake. Her long brunette hair is pulled back into a perfect ponytail, the red streaks splashed throughout still visible.
“Hi, Blake,” she greets. “Hey, Tori. Savannah.” She looks at me and her immaculate brows pinch together, seemingly unsure of who I am, and then she realizes. “Mila? You went. . . pink.”
“Only two hours ago,” I say, attempting a breezy laugh.
I have only been around Lacey a couple times and we have never really spoken to each other, but somehow she puts me on edge. It’s weird. I have never felt intimidated by other girls before, because I have always only ever viewed them as friends rather than competition, but Lacey. . .I just have this strange certainty that she is someone to watch out for, a gut feeling that I have trouble on my hands. “It suits you,” Lacey states with a smile that, bizarrely, seems sincere. She averts her gaze back to Blake, which is clearly no hardship for her. “Are you guys leaving?”
“Yeah, we’re done here,” Blake replies amiably. “Myles has been left on dog duty for too long.”
“Ha – he’s on Cindy duty now,” Lacey jokes in a low voice, giving Cindy and Myles a pointed glance.
I take a very conscious step closer to Blake and nudge my hand against the back of his. “Hey, where are we headed next? Lunch?”
“Oh, and Mila,” Lacey jumps in quickly before Blake can reply. It’s so minuscule, I almost miss the way she narrows her eyes at my hand near Blake’s. “How are you doing, by the way? You know. . . with everything going on?” Her tone is convincing enough, but the pursing of her lips gives away her faux sympathy.
“Hey, give me the keys to the truck so I can get out of this heat and crank up some AC,” Tori interrupts, stepping between Lacey and me. She holds her hand out to Blake, and while he passes her his keys without objection, she shoots me a concerned look as though she’s worried that I’m upset. My expression tells her otherwise. I’m okay, really. “C’mon, Savannah. You don’t wanna get heatstrokeagain,” she insists, spinning around and grabbing Savannah’s arm.“Bye, Lacey. See ya, Cindy.”
“Anyway,” Blake says as Tori and Savannah trek off across the parking lot in search of his truck. “We’re off to grab some food, but just to warn you, it’spackedin there.” He points over his shoulder to the mall’s entrance. “Enjoy your weekend, Lace.”
“Wait, Blake,” she says, then runs her fingertips through her ponytail. “Your mom mentioned getting together for dinner soon. We haven’t done it in a while!”
I keep my expression blank, but inside I am seething because I know exactly what she’s doing right now. But Blake, clearly buying her innocent family-friend performance, is totally oblivious. What if Lacey has dinner with him and LeAnne all the time? How long will it take to make herself a permanent fixture in his life the minute I leave town?
“Yeah, sounds good,” he responds casually.
He moves away to retrieve Bailey from Myles, who’s busy flirting with Cindy, but in the few seconds that I am alone with Lacey, I don’t even look at her. Instead, I shove my hand into one of my shopping bags and fish around for a pair of new sunglasses, breaking off the tag before placing them over my eyes and tilting my face to the sun. Neither Lacey nor I say another word, but I sense her watching me.
“Let’s go, Mila,” Blake says as he steps back by my side with Bailey in tow. “C’mon, Myles!”
Reluctantly, Myles mutters his goodbyes to Cindy while shooting Blake daggers out of the corner of his eye. However, Lacey can’t resist having the last word before we all leave.
“Isn’t it the July tailgate next weekend?” she asks Blake. “I missed last month’s, but I promise I won’t miss this one. You were great at the bonfire, by the way, Blake. You should sing at the tailgates too.”
“Yup, a week today,” Blake confirms, then shyly looks away. “Thanks.”
Together, Lacey and Cindy head into the mall, and I follow Blake and Myles through the parking lot. Bailey pads along beside us, but I can’t even admire how cute his fluffy tail is wagging in the sun right now.
In a quiet voice, I ask, “You call her Lace?”
Blake glances at me. “Huh?”
“Lace,” I repeat, keeping my voice low as Myles strides on ahead of us. “You call her by a nickname?”
“I’ve called her that since grade school,” he says with a laugh, then playfully digs his elbow into my ribs as though it’s not a big deal.
But it is when he’s the only person I’ve heard call her that.
9
The sky is growing dark by the time Blake and I head back to the ranch. We have dropped off the others, and Bailey is splayed out asleep on the backseat. When we drive past the ranch’s main entrance, the crowd from this morning is still there, and I keep my head down and pretend to rifle through the glove box until we safely pass. Off-road we continue through the field along the edge of the stone walls of the ranch, and Blake parks the passenger side of the truck as close to the wall as he can get, leaving no space for me to open my door.
“So,” he starts, putting the truck in park. He lowers the volume of his music until it’s only a quiet hum in the background. “How much trouble do you reckon you’re in?”
“A lot,” I admit. “But it’s been worth it.”
