Not that it didn’t look good.
It did. Too good.
Fuck.
“He set me up with some jerk in Creek Hill. I went on a date with him at the diner halfway between here and there.”
Genius. I was close to the edge of town and only ten minutes away from that diner.
“The guy got stupid drunk and accidentally spilled half his beer on my shirt.” The lies rolled off her tongue easily as she towel-dried her still-wet hair over her right shoulder. “I called Josh from the car but he didn’t answer, so I showed up here to yell at him since I was passing anyway.”
“That was fun,” I drawled.
“You deserved it.” She shot me a dark look before turning her attention back to Colton. “I was wet, smelled like beer, and my shirt was ruined. He told me to take a shower and gave me this shirt so I didn’t have to drive the rest of the way home smelling like a brewery.”
“Oh,” Colton said after a moment. “Makes sense. Are you sure he should be setting you up anymore? I thought you liked Elliott?”
“We went on one date, Colt. I’m free to see whoever I like.” She finished drying her hair—something she could have done half an hour ago, but what did I know?—and folded the towel in two. “What are you doing here?”
He faltered for a moment, as if he’d expected the question to come from me and not her. “I left Amber’s and thought I’d drive by the house down the street. I’m going to call the realtor tomorrow.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You’re actually doing it?”
Colton nodded. “She’s not going to change her mind, but neither am I, so I’m just doing it. I only stopped because I saw your car, Kins.”
“Oh.” She folded the towel over her arm. “Well, sorry to disappoint you with a boring story.”
Colton grunted and turned around. “Gotta get a better matchmaker, sis.”
“Totally agree!” she called after him as he headed for his car.
“Aren’t you leaving?”
“Yeah, I’m just waiting for my phone to charge. And he has pizza.” She shrugged. “I didn’t get to eat thanks to drunk smurf at the diner, and you’re not letting me eat either, so bye.” She swung the door shut as soon as she was done talking.
I stared at her. “What are you doing?” I hissed.
“Getting rid of him,” she whispered back, clutching the towel to her chest. “I almost shit my pants when I saw his car out there!”
“You weren’t wearing any pants.”
“Exactly!” She clapped her hand over her mouth as a car door opened. When it closed, she dropped it. “Now aren’t you glad I didn’t?”
I did my best to glare at her, but it wasn’t possible. I rubbed my hand down my face and turned away as I choked back a laugh.
“That was so fucking close,” I muttered after a moment.
Kinsley blew out a long breath. “No kidding.”
“That was some quick thinking.” I met her eyes. “And thanks for making me look bad.”
“Well, it was either you set me up on a bad date or you bent me over the end of your bed,” she said dryly. “You didn’t come out looking good either way, but you’re pretty, and I didn’t want to see you get a right hook tonight.” She patted my jaw and turned away.
“Where did you come up with that story?”
“Oh, I read books.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
She looked over her shoulder at me with her hand on the banister. “I’m smart. Duh.”
Laughing, I followed her up the stairs and back into the bedroom. “I’d like to repeat my last question.”
“Joshua.” She stood in the middle of my bedroom, wearing my fucking t-shirt still, and put her hands on her hips, fixing her bright blue eyes on me. “I’m a reader. Not only have I lived more lives than you can begin to imagine, but I’ve been in thousands of fictional relationships that I have judged to high heavens. I’m smart, I’m quick-witted, I have tons of absolutely not-real life experience, and—”
“You’re good in bed?”
“I wasn’t going to say that, but thank you.” She bounced on the balls of her feet with a grin. “And I know what to do in almost any circumstance.”
My lips twitched. “Dead body in the backyard?”
“Call the police and examine the scene before they get here.”
“Burned cake?”
“Go to Walmart and get another one.”
“There’s a vampire at the window.”
“Throw you at him and run.”
I laughed and perched on the edge of the bed. “What the hell are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.” Her smile dropped, and she toyed with the hem of the shirt she was wearing. “But I know I have to go now in case he gets suspicious. I’m already not entirely sure he bought my story.”
I sighed. “You’re right. Fuck. This sucks.”
“We’ll figure it out,” she said in a tone that belied her uncertainty.
Forcing a smile on my face, I got up and wrapped my arms around her. “Sure we will, book girl.”
“Book girl?”
I grimaced. “Sounded cuter in my head.”
“It’s not the worst thing I’ve been called.” She let out a little chuckle and nestled into my embrace, pressing her cheek against my bare chest. Her eyelashes tickled my skin every time she blinked, and I touched my lips to the top of her head.
I reveled in the moment for a little longer, just appreciating the way it felt to finally hold her like this. Even though I knew the hardest part was ahead of us, maybe if we just figured it out between us, we could handle the rest together.
“Josh?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you’re never getting this t-shirt back, don’t you?”
I smiled, hugging her a little tighter. “I figured as much.”
***
The next morning brought little to no relief from my guilt.
It was unseasonably warm today, so after I had coffee, I went to the backyard and pulled my mower from the shed. The weather was definitely turning as
