She shoves my shoulder playfully. “Shut up.”
I chuckle softly.
This is nice, being with her again like nothing ever happened. It makes me realize how much time we’ve missed, how much time Cole took. I know she has some responsibility in that, but I know he played a bigger role.
There’s still so much to uncover between us, pieces and parts of ourselves that are different than before. Like the scar that runs along her neck. I’m not going to push her about it, but I hope she opens up to me soon. I’m dying to know what happened.
I pull into the McDonald’s parking lot that’s right down the road from The Penalty Box, the one I’ve stopped at many times before after a few drinks with the team.
We order our food, pay, and pick it up at the window before we head to Lainey’s place.
She types her address into her maps, giving me directions through the speaker that I follow for the short ten-minute drive.
Using her key fob, she scans us into the parking garage, and I pull into her empty spot. “You didn’t bring your car?”
Her voice is quiet, and she looks out the window. “I don’t have a car.”
My stomach sinks. “What happened to Carl?” That car was her baby for years.
She grabs our drinks, and I grab the bags of food before following her.
“Since Cole and I moved so much, I sold it. It was too much stress for us to try to move around, and I was in school online, not working. I didn’t really need it.”
“But that was Carl. You never wanted to sell him, even when your parents offered to get you a newer one. I remember it being your pride and joy,” I argue with her, trying to get to the bottom of it.
“It was just a damn car, Jensen,” she snaps, her voice angry and mean.
I resign. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just … talking about that makes me think about Cole, and if I could, I would prefer to never think or talk about him ever again.”
Well, that’s not healthy, but I can understand it, me more than most people. “You got it.”
She leads us inside and into the elevator. This place is really nice.
Silence consumes us as we ride up to her floor, echoing in my ears until we stop outside of her unit.
“I haven’t really had a chance to fully unpack and settle in. Just a warning,” she says nervously.
“It’s okay.” I chuckle, not concerned in the slightest that she might still be living out of suitcases. She just moved here and immediately started a new job. I don’t blame her. “I can help if you want.”
Unlocking her door, she flashes me a fiery look. “Trust me, the last thing I want to do tonight is unpack.”
Her gaze holds mine for a moment longer … long enough to have me guessing if that fiery stare had a flirty meaning.
Fuck. I don’t know if I can handle Lainey making a move on me tonight.
I mean, shit, I would love to handle a flirty Lainey with both of my hands and every part of my body, but tonight should definitely not be that night. Not after sheliterallyjust broke up with Cole.
As much as I want to do everything with Lain, I don’t want her to regret it, and I sure as fuck don’t want to be a quick rebound for her to get some anger out on. There won’t be anything short about the relationship between us.
She was not kidding about not unpacking. Four suitcases are open and rifled through, her clothes strewn out on her living room floor in disarray.
I push the door shut behind me. A haughty laugh slips past her lips, the kind that instantly has me worried about the state of her sanity.
Two seconds later, the giggle turns into full-blown hysterical laughter as she drops her purse and phone straight to the ground before covering her face with her hands.
I hastily set the food and drinks on the counter. Circling around to face her, I step toward her, unsure of what she needs right now. “Lainey?”
