“Yeah,” I said, leaning one hand on the fence post. “You can wander in anytime you feel like it.”
She blinked. Then she rolled her eyes so hard I half expected her pupils to file a complaint, but she smiled.
It was small, but the smile was enough.
Selene’s frustrated exhale was quiet. “You’re impossible.”
I nodded. “I can be.”
She crossed her arms, but her voice was lighter than it had been all week. “About the coffee ...”
My eyes narrowed, genuine curiosity getting the best of me. “Did I get your order right?”
“No.” Her voice was all business, and a hearty laugh escaped me. I liked the challenge.
Selene bit her bottom lip, then let it go. “It was funny. The note.”
I relaxed into my stance. “I meant what I said too. I was ... enchanted.”
Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a split second everything got quiet.
Really quiet.
“Well ... don’t read into it,” she said, her tone flat but her voice softer. “That night. It was nothing.”
I chuckled and grinned. “Okay.”
Her brows furrowed. “I mean it.”
“I believe you.” I leaned in slightly, just enough for my voice to drop. “But I still remember every second of it, and that was notnothing.”
She inhaled, sharp and shallow.
“Okay, well, I should go.” Her words ran fast, like they were chasing her heartbeat. “Winnie needs a bath.”
Selene turned toward her yard when insanity took hold of me. “Oh, hey,” I called out, and she turned, shading her eyes from the sun. “Brody was right. I could help you out before and after school. It wouldn’t be a problem. So if you ever change your mind about needing help ...”
“I won’t.” Her chin lifted, muscles tense.
My grin spread wide. “I know.”
She turned, calling out for Winnie, who was now chasing a butterfly into my side of the yard. The little girl bounded over and took her mother’s hand, dandelions still tangled in her curls.
Selene led her back inside, and I watched the door shut behind them.
The chain-link creaked, the sun dipped low, and I leaned back against the fence like it could steady me.
This pull between us?
I had a feeling it was just getting started.
SIX
SELENE
There were exactlythree sips of coffee left in my mug when Winnie’s pink plastic unicorn cup went flying.
I tried to catch it and a splash of lukewarm caffeine hit my neck. My shirt. The counter. The floor. Winnie—oblivious as ever—giggled, her curls bouncing as she chased the runaway cup like we were starring in some deranged slapstick comedy.
