Page 7 of One Little Kiss
She doesn’t owe me anything. Her being here is just as much a gift to me as it is to her. For the first time in years, I don’t dread my parents' trips away, and the echoing silence they leave behind.
“Relax, Leah, I’m just grabbing some coffee. You don’t have to cook for me, you know.”
“I know.” My sweet cousin slides the drawer closed again and sinks back into her seat. “I like taking care of people, that’s all.”
“Ben’s a lucky guy.” Noelle grins around a mouthful of muffin. A few crumbs pop out as she’s talking and she chases them across the marble counter.
Leah beams. She connected with the nerdy yearbook president this past summer and they’ve been making puppy eyes at each other ever since.
Not that I’m complaining. If my sweetheart of a cousin has to date some guy at our school, she could do way worse. Ben clearly adores her and is intimidated by me. I have no doubt he’ll treat her right.
“So…” I slide into the seat beside Noelle. “What did I interrupt before? Any girl talk I need to catch up on?”
Noelle rolls her eyes but then gives into a smile that quickly becomes smug. “We were just talking about how I’m winning the scavenger hunt.”
She’s freakin’ cute when she’s competitive. But she’s not normally. Except for video games, at least.
“I see you’re in a better mood.” I nudge her elbow with mine.
She dips her head and shrugs, but she’s still smiling and that little smile shows off that dimple of hers. “Thanks for letting me crash.”
“Anytime, you know that.”
A silence falls, which wouldn’t be awkward except for the fact that Leah’s watching us in a way that’s…weird. Her gaze is way too intent, and curious, and…is that sheer romantic hopefulness I see in her eyes?
Of course it is.
I know my cousin well, so I can guess exactly what she’s thinking. No matter how many times I try to tell this optimistic little Pollyanna that Noelle and I are just friends, she seems determined to find proof to the contrary.
Honestly, I think she’s just desperate to pair me up with someone. Anyone. Or…anyone who’s not a one night stand or a random hookup.
Just like the rest of our friends who’ve paired up into happy, lovey-dovey couples this year, Leah wants everyone she loves to experience the same bliss she’s found. Which is sweet and all, but totally misguided.
With her muffin quickly devoured, Noelle finishes the last bite of her cereal and hops up out of her seat.
“Need a ride?” I ask. I’m already shifting to stand and throw on some jeans because I’m assuming the answer is yes, but she shakes her head.
“I texted Heath. He’s giving me a ride.”
I frown. “Heath?”
He’s one of our friends, sure, but I’m in the same house.
“I didn’t want to wake you.” She breezes past me, heading toward my room again. “And I knew he’d be up for basketball practice.”
I nod. “Right. Yeah. Of course.”
Leah nudges my arm. “What’s wrong?”
I blink. “What?”
“You’re frowning at your coffee like it just dissed your mama.”
I chuckle and shake my head. “Just a wicked headache, that’s all.”
She lets me drink my java juice in peace as she texts someone—I’d bet my college savings it’s Ben. But my peace doesn’t last long, because soon enough I’m choking on my coffee as Noelle waltzes back into the kitchen wearing…I don’t even know what to call it.
This is not what any girl I know wears. It’s the sort of slinky, form-fitting dress models in New York wear to nightclubs, not what seventeen-year-olds in Upstate New York lake towns wear on a Friday night.
