Inside, Larke sat across from Chase and flipped through the menu. It took less than five seconds to know what she wanted. Double Chocolate Sundae with whipped cream topping.
“That was fast.” He glanced up at her from his menu. “You recommend anything?”
Larke showed him some of her favorite flavors and was glad when he settled on the Peanut Vanilla and Chocolate Sundae after the waiter came to take their order.
Chase leaned forward in his chair and gave her a lazy grin that made her heart flip.I love him so much.
And she would tell him soon. When she did, it would be so perfect because he wouldn’t think she was repeating the words to make him feel good. Chase would understand andknowhow much she loved him and how proud she was of the changes he’d made. Changes Larke wasn’t sure he even realized he’d made.
“Would you really wanna see my house?”
She blinked and frowned. “The lake house?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Where I live, angel. Lee’s Fortress.”
Oh. She forced herself to sound calmer than she felt. “I’d like to at some point. But I know how complicated that would be. I don’t want you to have any problems because of me. I can wait until…”
He nodded. Understanding what her silence meant. Until he left the group. Until he turned his back on the life of a white supremacist. But even then, her going to his home would be iffy. The people living there wouldstillhate her, even more so for encouraging him to leave. Larke sighed as Chase gazed back at her, his eyes troubled.
She was grateful when the waiter suddenly appeared with their ice cream, breaking the heavy moment.
Watching him push back the sleeve of his shirt and dip the long spoon into the sundae, Larke became curious, asking, “Was it just you or were all the kids who grew up in your community restricted from doing.” Air quotes. “Normal stuff. Television watching, going out to eat, fun kid stuff?”
Chase pressed his thumb to his lips, thoughtful. “I can’t speak for everyone. But most of the kids I knew didn’t have a TV in their house. That’s normal. Lots of fear of brainwashing. Truthfully, since I started watching television, I can see where the fear comes from. Not saying it’s right, just that I get it. Iunderstandwhy they thought we’d be influenced.” He shrugged. “How it is.”
“I’ve thought about something else,” she said. “You mentioned that you were homeschooled. But what happened after your mother left? Did you end up going to a regular school?”
He shook his head. “Most of the other kids were homeschooled and the everyone always tried to keep it as legit as possible so the state wouldn’t come snooping around. I taught myself and did most of the work I needed to get done. I gotta admit though, after a while I got tired of school and stopped altogether. Figured I’d be better off working; then I wouldn’t ever have to depend on anyone for anything.
“When did you stop?”
“Sixteen. I probably could have stopped earlier cause it didn’t look like anyone was checking up on us, anyway.” He stared at her and arched a brow. “Just because I’m not educated like you, doesn’t mean I’m nothing. I mean, it’s not that bad talking to me, right?”
Larke swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away a tear before he could see it. “Ineverthought that. Not once. Chase, if anyone ever said that to you, then they’re obviously wrong. Being book smart doesn’t tell the whole story of a person. And it’s also not a standard for intelligence. Plus, none of that matters to me. You’re all that matters. You mean more to me than anyone else and I love talking to you.”
He gave her a boyish grin. “Could it also be that you like talking to me because you do most of the talking anyway?”
She laughed and took a scoop of ice cream. “Could be. But… if you don’t like me talking so much, you could always kiss me to shut me up.”
Before Larke could react Chase leaned across the table and did just that; covered her mouth with his.
“I didn’t mean now,” she whispered afterward.
He relaxed in his chair. “You’re my girl, Larke. I can kiss you whenever I want. That ain’t something you should forget anytime soon.”
