Audrey takes a call from her brother as I gaze out of the window, wishing that I were with Drake. Because there will come a day, sooner than later, I fear, that I won’t have the choice.
And that’s going to really,reallysuck.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Drake
“Hey, gorgeous,” I say, wrapping my arm around Gianna and hauling her into me. “I missed you.”
She smiles up at me. “I missed you, too.”
I close the door before taking her face in my hands and pressing a kiss to her lips. Her body relaxes the moment we touch, and I can almost see the stress of her day melt away. I love that I can do that to her.
“Where’s the coat tree?” I ask after pulling back. “I need to see this thing.”
“It’s in the living room. Audrey helped me clean it off outside because it had about thirty years of grime on it. It’s not looking too bad now.”
She leads me into the house, our hands locked together.
“Auddie, this is Drake,” Gianna says, stepping to the side. “Drake, this is one of my best friends Audrey.”
A pretty woman with light blond hair and the shyest smile nods. “Hey, Drake.”
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you.” I smile back, hoping it makes her more comfortable. “I take it that’s your truck out there?”
“My dad’s. We took it to get Vern.”
I glance at Gianna. “Vern?”
“That’s what we named the coat tree,” she says, as if naming inanimate objects is typical.God, I love this quirky woman.“Doesn’t it look like a Vern?”
“Sure,” I say.
I take a look at the dark-colored pole with hooks protruding from the top. It’s seen better days, probably in the last century, but it does have a uniqueness about it. Character. Whatever Gianna decides to do with it will be incredible.
Audrey laughs at my reaction. “Vern is the name of Pearl’s dad. We thought it only made sense to name it after him.”
Gianna nods along as if this conversation is sensical.
“Was there another choice?” I ask, playing along. “It had to be Vern.”
Audrey’s eyes sparkle. There’s an innocence in them, an unsullied, potentially naive air about her that raises my curiosity. She seems opposite of Gianna in every way. They’re an interesting pair.
“I’m going to go,” Audrey says, picking up her keys from the coffee table. “Call me later.”
“For sure,” Gianna says.
Audrey tucks her chin, cheeks flushed and leaves quietly. Once the door snaps closed, I exhale—glad to have my girl all to myself.
“You were missed at dinner,” I say, venturing over to her easel. She’s made progress on the painting she’s been working on since I’ve known her. Every time I see it, there’s an adjustment. I don’t know what she’s creating, and I’m not sure she knows either. But the process of watching her make something out of nothing is better than any final product. “Evie was pissed at me for not bringing you along.”
“Did you tell her you invited me?”
“I did. She did not care. In Evie’s world, Evie makes the rules, and all logic and common sense are useless.”
She smiles. “How’s Big Ed?”
