Page 175 of Be My First

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Bode

Ifinish the bookcasebefore she arrives home, so I start on a coffee table. When she walks into the living room, her eyes fall on a vase of flowers I’ve put on one of the tables and then she scans the room.

“You got a lot finished,” she says.

“I did.”

She holds up a bag. “I have more food.”

“Perfect. I’m starving.”

As she’s warming up the food, she says, “So tell me the secret for today.”

“You want it already?” I ask.

She looks at me over her shoulder. “Yes. I do.”

She carries a pot over to the kitchen table and starts ladling soup into bowls. When she’s finished, she slides one in front of me.

“I go to Sterling family events for you and only you, and I always have.”

Her eyes jerk up to meet mine.

“Honestly, it was torture, because I knew you couldn’t be mine, but I couldn’t stay away from you. I needed to see you. I needed to learn more about you. It was my favorite and least favorite times of the year.”

Her spoon is frozen midair as she listens.

I dig mine into my soup and then raise it to my mouth. After eating a bite, I say, “This is delicious.”

She doesn’t answer. She doesn’t even speak to me for the rest of the meal. When we’re cleaning up, I say, “What can I do tomorrow?”

She points to a bunch of boxes. “Those books go on the bookshelf.”

“Good deal. See you tomorrow.”

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