Page 84 of Dear Pink

It’s my turn to cock an eyebrow.

“No.” She lightly punches my arm, laughing louder. “Not like that, you perv.”

“Should we wave goodbye?”

“Either wave or . . .” She licks her lips again, and damn if electricity doesn’t course through my body. My heart almost bursts open. She still cares for me.

Hannah and I wave at the window, and my family ducks, cracking us up.

“Want to grab your shoes?” I point at her painted toes separated by bright purple rubber.

“I’ll get them later.” She jerks playfully at the collar of my shirt. “If we go inside, they won’t let us leave.”

She’s absolutely correct. “So, my house? Take out and a movie?”

“Yes, and no serious talk. Let’s just have fun,” she says in a firm voice.

I’m eager to get our issues out in the open, but tonight might be the wrong time. There's already been enough drama. Maybe that’s what scares her.

“Okay, yeah.”

“Great. We can play a game. Are you decent at trivia?” she asks, squeezing my arm. “A casual evening, okay? Let’s slow our roll.”

Slow our roll?Gloria was right. I did come on too strong.

“I didn’t mean to pressure you, Pink,” I say too quickly. “At the diner . . . I thought we were on the same page. Did I run you off by saying something stupid? We can slow down.”

I don’t want to slow down our relationship. I’m desperate to speed things up, get the cards out on the table, but I have to agree to her parameters in order to continue dating her. Hannah’s past betrayal scarred her. Hell, I understand. Being cheated on is the worst. She’ll run away from me forever if I don't give her more space.

She squeezes my hand. “Can you handle some fun tonight?”

Hell, yeah. Now we’re talking.

“Let’s go to my house, and I promise, no serious talk.” Her shoulders relax, and I exhale in relief.

“Perfect. I expect to kick your ass in checkers,” she says, her eyes cheery, and I glimpse the lighthearted woman I desire return.

“Checkers, huh?”

“I’m the Bobby Fischer of checkers.”

I love this side of her.

“And I’ll get to visit with Lolly,” she says, clapping her hands.

“Oh, she’s at the clinic. Her favorite dog friend boards on the weekends, so she occasionally stays with her for the night.”

“A doggie sleepover. Fun. But bummer for me.”

Maybe shedoeslike the dog more than me?

She tugs at my sleeve. “A sleepover with you sounds better.”

I smile, unable to hide my excitement.

“So, you ran into my family at Target?”

“Yeah. Oh, and I bought Homer a travel carrier. Figured he’d join me out in the world. He should dig it, right?”

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