Page 78 of Crush
“Technically, you haven't asked me out on a date first.”
“Right.” He broke away from me. “I better go talk to Chloe before she falls asleep.”
“I'll be waiting here,” I said, burying my nose in the velvet-soft roses.
And then, once I've told you my piece, we'll see if you still truly want to date me …
Chapter 29
Shea
After I had the talk with Chloe and tucked her into bed, I went downstairs and found Brynn still waiting at the table.
“That's that,” I said, dusting off my hands.
“How'd it go?”
“Good, I think.” I held up my car keys and jangled them. “Want to take a quick ride with me to the store? Chloe said she's out of tampons. And apparently, every time I buy tampons, I come back with the kind she hates.”
Brynn's eyes filled with doubt. “I could've sworn I just bought her a box the other day.”
“Maybeyoubought the wrong kind, too?”
“No, I actually know what she likes.” A look of concern spread across her face. “But do you really think it's okay to leave her home alone this late at night?”
“Yeah, that's what I was worried about, too. But she got all huffy and reminded me that we hadjustgotten done talking about how she's more mature now, and that her friends' parents will leave them home alone for days at a time, etc., etc. Oh, andif she doesn't have tampons before school tomorrow, she'll freak out all day and it'll all be my fault.”
Brynn gave a laugh. “Sounds like her, alright. Sure, let's go.”
We climbed into the Bentley, buckled up, and backed out of the driveway.
“So tell me how the talk went,” Brynn said.
“It went fine. She felt—hm—I guess the word isvindicated.”
She patted my shoulder. “Oh, look at you. Hockey player with a vocab. Hot.”
“Ha ha. Anyway. She got all excited at first, saying 'I knew it,' and 'ItoldBrynn, but she wouldn't believe it,' blah blah. I made it seem like you truly had no idea all along.”
“Thanks,” she said. “But how'd it go when you told her that you werefiringme?”
“I'd say she was shocked and confused at first. But once I explained it to her, she seemed to understand. She ended up saying that it wasn't fair to expect you to be a nannyanda love interest at the same time. She even used the phrase, 'conflict of interest.'”
Brynn's eyes lit up, and she teasingly backhanded my pec. “Well, well! Ya hear that, Shea?”
“Ha,” I grumbled, growing warm under the collar. “Yeah, she's a little faster on the uptake than her old man.”
She smiled at me and gave my shoulder a squeeze. “I'm just teasing you.”
“I know. I deserve it.”
“How'd she react to being told you wanted her in therapy?”
“She wasn't wild about that, no. But after it was all said and done, she reluctantly agreed to give it a try. She said it might help with the problems she's been having with her mom.”
“Very good. Very, very good.” She patted my thigh. “Sounds like you did good.”
We pulled up to a stop sign on Boylston. The car's turn signal wenttik-tok-tik-tokas I searched for a seam in the traffic. When a Bentley-sized pocket emerged, I stomped on the accelerator, and the car quietly growled as we charged up to speed without ever breaking a sweat.
