Page 18 of Catch
I doubted anyone would go knocking on my mom’s door. They barely knew she existed. My mama said from the moment she saw me she knew I’d be a star. And she pushed me to follow that dream when it became my own. But as I got more into the spotlight, my mama had quietly backed away, trusting me to handle myself as the adult I was.
Trying to shift the focus off myself, I glanced over at Miles. “How often doyoutalk to your mama?” I teased. “Bet you’re a mama’s boy.”
He snorted but didn’t look up from the counter. The silence stretched just long enough to make me think I’d overstepped. I opened my mouth to apologize, but then he spoke, and his words took me by surprise.
“I talk to my mom when it’s my week to mow the lawn,” he said, a small, fond smile pulling at his lips. “In fact, I gotta do that next Wednesday.”
Something in the way he said it made my heart plummet.
“What about your dad?” My voice had lost its playful edge.
“Dad’s there too.” His smile didn’t falter, but his eyes held something deeper. “Watching me, making sure I edge the driveway.”
Miles didn’t say anymore. Instead, he handed me a pork chop, and I took it wordlessly, seasoning it as he pulled a pan from the cabinet and heated the oil. He checked his phone a few more times, cross-referencing whatever his grandma had texted him, then finally leaned back against the counter, arms crossed over his chest.
“Just gotta wait for this to heat up,” he said. “Then when they go in the oven, we have to make sure we don’t forget about them.”
“Between the two of us, surely we can manage that, right?”
“As long as we don’t getdistracted.”
The way he saiddistractedmade my toes curl. Heknew. He knew I was attracted to him, and he was teasing me, stretching out the moment just enough to make me fidgety. I turned my attention back to the pork chops, pretending not to notice the heat creeping up my neck.
“So, next Wednesday, you have to mow your parents’ lawn.” I cleared my throat. “Is that your next day off?”
“Yeah, and honestly, it’ll probably take me all day.” He exhaled, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “They’ve got twenty acres up off the main highway, headed more toward Atlanta. But that just means you’ll have the house to yourself again.”
“Yay.” I shook my hands in mock excitement. Itshouldhave been a good thing, but I liked when Miles was around.
He was easy to talk to. He was funny. And he made me feel like I had a friend in this world. Someone who didn’t seeLoxley the country singer, butLoxley the girl who needed to breathe.
The one he’d plucked off the roadside and tucked away just long enough for her to find herself again.
And I appreciated that more than he would ever know.
Chapter Ten
MILES
“Success!”I cheered, setting my fork down with a satisfied sigh.
“Very good job,” Loxley applauded. “Other than forgetting the sides, I’d say that was dang near perfect.”
“Hey, we had the sideslast night,” I pointed my empty fork at her before placing it down. “Between last night and tonight, that was a complete meal.”
She threw her head back in laughter, the sound free and full, like I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. It wasn’t that I wasthatfunny, she was justthatcarefree at that moment. And I liked seeing her like that.
We made quick work of the dishes, then wandered into the living room, each with a glass of wine in hand. As I sank into the couch, my gaze landed on the notebook sitting on the end table, next to the pens I’d gotten her.
“Come up with some lyrics today?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She tilted her head and smiled. Then, without warning, she started singing."I was walkin’ down the street, lookin’ for a bite, when I saw a pork chop, and it felt so right."
I nearly choked on my wine. “Did you just make that up?”
“No!” she squealed indignantly. “I thought about pork chopsall day. It was all I could think about.”
“Right!” I shook my head, still laughing at how ridiculous she was.
