Page 30 of The Young & the Sinner

I rolled my eyes. “Lame dad-joke alert.”

He chuckled and teasingly tugged on my hair. “I have more up my sleeve. I’m just waiting for the perfect opportunity to use them.”

“Ha-ha,” I said sarcastically. “Did you want to talk to me about something? Lorenzo?”

He moved back slightly, and his playful expression turned serious. “Kind of. I just want to know how you feel about the boy.”

“How I feel about him?”

“Yeah. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I got the impression that you didn’t like him all that much at the restaurant. And when you came home a few days after and told me you cancelled your date with him, I assumed I was right. But now I find out from his dad that you’ve been dating him? Why didn’t you tell me, Olive?”

I sighed. “I was going to tell you tonight at dinner. That’s why I cooked today.”

“But?”

“Mason was there.”

His eyebrows pulled together in a small frown. “Yeah?”

“It’s awkward enough having to tell you. But telling you and Mason is just downright weird.”

“I don’t see how that can be weird. Does Mason make you uncomfortable?”

“No, of course he doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable.” At least, not in the way Max was thinking. “I think he’s really nice.”

Max lips twitched. “Nice. Don’t let him hear you say that. He has a reputation to uphold.”

“But he is nice.”

His smile softened. “I’m glad to hear you think so.”

“But I don’t really know him. I think it’ll be a while before I can get comfortable with Mason like I am with you.”

“Sounds fair. But we’re getting off topic.”

“You want to know how I feel about Lorenzo?”

“Yes.”

“He’s… interesting.”

“Yeah? Interesting, how?”

“I don’t know. This is my first relationship. I’m still trying to figure out the correct way to do this.”

“Oh, there is no correct way to date. There’s only the way you feel most comfortable with. And know that no one, and I mean absolutely no one, can make you do anything you’re not ready for. Do you understand?”

I cringed, seeing where he was going with this. “Yes, I understand.”

I looked down at the bedding. Oh, God. Please tell me he isn’t here to talk to me about what I think he wants to talk to me about.

“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about.” My eyes widened as I took at him, pleading with him not to say it. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here. I knew the feeling. “I know your school probably covered the anatomy of sex with its students already—”

“We don’t have to talk about this, I already know everything I need to know,” I blurted out, my face flaming.

“Yes, I’m sure you know the basics, but there’s more to sex than biology. And it’s not like Grace had ever talked to you about this stuff.”

I was utterly horrified. There was only one reason for him to know I never had the sex talk with my mom. “You and Mom talked about me?”

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