Page 76 of Freshmeet
“So, you’re taking out our Sarah.” Mona had finally gotten her breathing under control and was doing her best maternal impression.
“Yes.”
Mona arched her eyebrow, her lips twitching. “I don’t think we need to tell you how special she is.”
“No, ma’am.” If they wanted to recreate meeting the parents, who was I to not play along?
“Good. Look, we want to like you, Connor, we really do.” Rae leaned back, throwing an arm along the back of the couch. “But that’s our little girl.” All three girls looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Oh man, our little girl?” Kat gasped, slapping Rae’s thigh. “Pulling out the big guns, huh?”
“My dad said that to my prom date. That plus my three big brothers all lurking in the background made sure the guy kept room for Jesus when we danced.” Rae rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips.
“I can only imagine.” Mona shook her head, standing up. “Now that that’s done, I’ve got a date with Panhellenic to discuss changes to this year’s rush.”
“Now that’s a sexy Friday night,” Rae said, lying down on the couch. She threw her feet onto Kat’s lap, and Kat pushed them off with a grimace.
“Come on, Kat! My feet are killing me.”
“So go get a massage. I don’t do feet.” Kat glanced at me and tilted her head. I got nervous as she stared at my chest. “You pick out that shirt?”
Damn it, Jamie.
Before I could respond, a throat cleared, and we all turned to Sarah standing in the doorway looking a-fucking-mazing.
Her blonde hair was down in a riot of big curls, her ruby red lips were shiny, and, holy hell, her dress was the stuff of dreams. It was some kind of sparkly gold miracle that hugged her curves while also showing off her arms and legs. Gone was the careful girl next door, and in her place stood a golden goddess.
Sarah popped her hip out, staring at me until I realized I hadn’t stood up or even said anything. Jumping off the couch, I stood close enough to hold her hand, but far enough to still be able to see all of her. “You look unbelievable.”
When my gaze made it back to her face, it was like a shot to the heart. Of course, she was gorgeous, but there, in her eyes, was something more. Or maybe it’s that I wanted more. I wanted everything from this girl.
“You too. I like your shirt.”
Glancing down at my black shirt with what Jamie called a “tasteful” gold pattern, I shook my head. “Jamie picked it out. I should’ve known.”
“Am I a loser if I like the fact we match?”
“Yes,” Kat interrupted, reminding us we weren’t alone.
Sarah stuck her tongue out at her roommate and tugged my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
I held the door open and followed her down the rickety steps, noting the spots to fix when I had an afternoon free. If this place were anything like mine, the landlords would never do the work. At the bottom of the stairs, she flipped the hair away from her neck, stirring up the scent of her pretty perfume. The light floral scent had been driving me crazy since the night I met her.
I glanced down at her feet and then at the gravel alley. “You okay walking in those?”
She held out her foot, showing off her heel. “Oh yeah, the magic of the platform. It’s all an illusion.”
“If you say so.”
I wrapped my arm around her and pointed us toward the sushi place on the square. It was a weird thing for a small town like Kirksville to have, but it was a pretty good restaurant.
“So how was your week?” She fiddled with the cuff of my rolled-up button-up, her fingertips grazing the skin on the inside of my forearm. I loved the ease of her tiny touches, as if they were natural and no big deal.
To me, they were a very big deal.
“Busy. Family, work, the usual. What about you?”
“A lot of the same, but it was nice to have this to look forward to.”
