Page 48 of Best Kept Secret
I open my eyes, finding nothing but kindness in Millie’s gaze as she peers up at me. I shake my head, swallowing hard, feeling my heartbeat pick up at the thought of telling her every last part of my fucked-up life. “It’s not that I don’ttrustyou, I just… I’m-I’m not ready.”
“Hey.” She stops me by bringing her other hand up to my cheek, cupping my face and steadying me with an earnest look. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything you’re not ready totell me but… please know that I’m here and you can tell me anything whenever you’re ready to talk.”
I press my lips together in the semblance of a smile, nodding once. And when I look down at her dressed in a pale pink hoodie and black leggings, thick white socks covering her feet, it’s only then that I remember it’s Wednesday morning.
“You missed work,” I say, suddenly feeling bad.
Millie looks down at herself. “Oh, yeah. I said I have diarrhea.” She shrugs a shoulder like it’s no big deal.
I bite back a smirk. “For me?”
“I was worried…” She nods, looking up and meeting my eyes, the smallest hint of a smile ghosting her lips.
I stare down at her for a long moment, the energy between us shifting to something almost electric. With another thick swallow, I become momentarily lost within her pale mossy eyes, my hands itching to reach out and touch her.
Suddenly, an idea comes to me, and I stand a little taller, unable to fight my own smile. “Go get ready.”
Millie’s eyebrows bunch together with obvious confusion. “Ready? For what?”
“If you’re gonna play hooky, Red,” I say with a teasing grin, “you’re gonna do it right.”
Still clearly confused, she doesn’t move because of course she doesn’t; she’s a natural born brat. I roll my eyes. “Sneakers and a jacket. Stat.” I arch a warning brow.
With a huff, she spins around, walking out of the kitchen and, glancing over her shoulder at me, she flashes me a sweet smile, dimples popping in the most adorable way before hurrying off toward her room.
As the cab pulls up right in front of Pier 83, I hop out and wait for Millie. She’s hesitant, big eyes looking around as she climbs out after me, glancing dubiously at the terminal behind me.
“Where are we and what are we doing?” She shoves her hands in the pockets of her coat, shivering against the cold air blowing across the Hudson.
“Come on,” I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her with me toward the line of tourists waiting at the ticket booth. “We have to hurry.”
“Circle Line,” Millie reads the signage out loud, and then she gasps, her whole face lighting up as realization finally dawns. I mean, it took her long enough, but better late than never, right?
“Oh, my God, are we going on the Circle Line?” She’s practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
“Nah, I just thought I’d bring you here, show you the ticket line and take you back home,” I joke with a wry chuckle, tugging my wallet from the back pocket of my jeans when we reach the front of the line.
Once we make it through security and onto the boat, I look for a seat.
“Can we please go up onto the top deck?” Millie pleads.
“I mean, we can,” I say doubtfully. “But it’s cold as fuck up there.”
“Please?”
I look down at her. The last thing I want is for her to catch a chill. But she’s wearing her hoodie and a coat, along with a wool hat with a cute pompom on top. And I guess, if the wind picks up too much, I could always use it as an excuse to wrap my arms around her.
“Okay,” I relent. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Oh, spare me—” She waves a hand in the air, playfully dismissing me. “I was raised in Texas. We’re built strong down south.”
Well, that’s anI-told-you-sowaiting to happen. But I say nothing, shaking my head with a smile as I follow her up the stairs to the top deck.
As expected, not even fifteen minutes later, anI-told-you-sois burning the tip of my tongue as Millie sits next to me, teeth chattering, knees bouncing in an attempt to keep herself warm.
I bite back mytold-you-sosmirk. “You know we can go inside if you want.”
She looks at me like I just told her I kill cats in my spare time. “I amnotgoing inside until I see the Statue of motherfucking Liberty.”
