Nope.
This was the way she would take charge over somethingshewanted. And she wanted to enjoy the time she spent with Tripp while she could.
Tripp moved to lean against the door at her side. They rested there, shoulder to shoulder as they stared out at the rest of the street. There weren’t many people coming and going. It was nice to revel in each other’s company. “So. That typewriter…”
She grinned, not meeting his eyes. “You never know when to let it go, do you?”
He shrugged. “I think you knew that already.”
Just like when he promised her one day she’d fall in love with him. She wanted to laugh. “Yeah, I suppose I did.”
“You should get one.”
Wendy scoffed. “Maybe one day.”
“Why not today?” He turned his head to face her.
She kept her eyes trained on the building across the street. “Because it has to be earned.”
Tripp snorted, drawing her focus. His eyes pierced into hers, catching her off guard. “Something like that doesn’t need to be earned, sweetness. Something like that is more like…” He looked skyward briefly then his gaze bounced back to her. “Inspiration.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
“You want me to… what?”
Tripp groaned, turning away from the open door and resting his back against Hallie’s house. “You heard me. Don’t play dumb.”
Hallie tapped her chin thoughtfully. “A bonfire…” she drawled. “What’s the occasion?”
He should have known better than to enlist Hallie for this particular activity. The problem was he didn’t know any of Wendy’s friends other than Serenity and it wasn’t like Serenity would be interested in planning and hosting a bonfire. She had two kids of her own and he had a quiet suspicion that she and her new husband were planning on trying for more.
That meant they’d have little interest in hanging out with the single crowd.
“Come on, Hallie. I know you love doing stuff like this. Why are you giving me a hard time?”
She exited the house and pulled the door shut before facing him with arms crossed. “You never come to my bonfire get-togethers.”
“Yeah, because all your friends ever do is hit on me.”
“And you like that.”
He rolled his eyes. There was once a time when he reveled in that kind of attention. But it had grown old. That was before he’d gotten involved with Olivia and realized just what he’d be missing out on if he couldn’t find someone with substance. And then that relationship had ended, leaving him feeling unbalanced.
“Okay, so you want me to throw a bonfire party this weekend. But you’re still not telling me why. What makes you think that I’ll do something like that for you?” She was goading him. Of course she already knew his reasons. She just found enjoyment in torturing him. That was all this was.
“Fine. I want you to invite Wendy.”
She smirked triumphantly. Did that mean she’d do it? “No.”
He frowned. “What do you mean, no?”
“I mean, I’m not going to put together some activity so you can pester her. Haven’t you put her through enough?”
His scowl deepened and he pushed off from the house. “I’m not pestering her… anymore,” he muttered under his breath.
“But you admit that you were pestering her before.”
“Look, I just want an excuse to hang out with her. I don’t want to seem too eager.”
