Page 106 of When We Were Reckless
Oh my God. Why had I just lied to my mom? The lie had slid right off my tongue like it was the most natural thing in the world. I’d never been a liar. So why would I lie about something so stupid? I could have just said, “It’s Jesse’s T-shirt.” But then what? How would I explain why I was wearing Jesse’s T-shirt?
“Huh. And why are you wearing Declan’s T-shirt?”
“Just wanted something comfortable.”
My mom gave me a funny look. Before she could see the lie on my face, I opened the cupboard and grabbed two glasses, filling them with ice and water.
A few minutes later, when we were seated across from each other, the food on our plates, she said, “Do you have anything you want to tell me? Anything you want to talk about?”
I shoveled a bite of salad into my mouth to buy myself some time. “Nope. Nothing’s going on with me. Except for my housing assignment.” Which we’d already texted about in our family group chat.
“I feel like I haven’t been around much this summer.” Mom took a sip of her wine and watched me a little too closely. “I feel like I missed a lot.”
“Nope. You haven’t missed much. Same old, same old.”
“If there’s anything on your mind, I hope you know you can talk to me. Aboutanything.”
“I know.” I smiled and took a sip of water. My mom was cool, but there was no way I could tell her everything and anything. My mom liked Jesse, always had, but I didn’t know how she’d feel if she found out about us. Not that there was an us. But still. If she found out I was having sex with Jesseandriding on the back of his motorcycle all summer, she would probably freak out.
I mean, maybe she’d be cool about the motorcycle. When she forbade me to ride on the back of Jesse’s bike, I’d been a kid. Eleven or twelve. But I wasn’t willing to risk it. Which was why my helmet and jacket were hidden in the trunk of my car.
What my mom didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Jesse
“We’re goingto pick up my friend first,” I informed Noah and Levi, who were sitting in the back seat of my truck. I wanted to spend time with them before I left for California, so I told Lila I’d take them for the afternoon. When Quinn found out, she asked to join us.
“She loves ice cream,” I told my nephews.
“Everyone loves ice cream,” Noah said confidently as I pulled into Quinn’s driveway. She was waiting on the front steps and gave me a big smile as she walked toward my truck in cut-offs and a faded orange T-shirt that said Life is Good. Sunglasses shielded her eyes, and her long blonde hair hung loose, framing her pretty face.
Quinn always looked like summertime.
And it suddenly struck me that in just a few weeks, she’d be out in California living her dreams. She wanted to learn how to surf, she’d told me. I could see her doing it, too. That determined look on her face as she paddled out for a wave. The joy on her face when she caught it.
I entertained other visions of Quinn in California too. Kissing guys who weren’t me. College guys who wouldn’t fully appreciate just how fucking amazing she was. Or maybe they would. Maybe she would find someone who treated her like a queen, and she would fall in love. Bring him home to meet her parents. Travel the world with him. Make him the hero of every story she wrote.
The fuck?Why was I thinking about this? I scrubbed my hand over my face to erase the vision of my sunshine girl with another guy.
“Hey, hot stuff.” I gave her a wink and squeezed her thigh as she fastened her seat belt. She blushed a pretty pink. I loved that about her. How she could get dirty in the bedroom but still retain that sweetness and innocence.
As I pulled onto the road, she turned in her seat and greeted my nephews. “Hi, guys. Who’s excited about ice cream and a nature walk?”
“Me!” they shouted in unison.
To show his enthusiasm, Levi kicked the back of my seat. He hadn’t stopped kicking it since I’d picked him up fifteen minutes ago.
“I’m Noah, and this is Levi.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Quinn.”
“Are you Uncle Jesse’s new girlfriend?” Noah asked.
“Um, no… we’re….” Quinn glanced at me as if she wasn’t sure how to answer.
“We’re just friends.” Guaranteed this would get back to my family and be the discussion at the next Sunday dinner. Good thing I was leaving on Sunday morning, so I’d miss it.
