“It’s hard not to think the current circumstances are driving our relationship rightnow.”
Bree raised her eyebrows. “So you admit you have arelationship?”
“We have…something. It’s not like we can do normal relationshipstuff.”
“Likewhat?”
“Like go on a date,” shesaid.
“Do you want to go on adate?”
“Kind of,” sheadmitted.
“Then ask him on a date,” Breesaid.
“Just likethat?”
“Sure. Whynot?”
“I don’t think it’s the right time with everything going on at themoment.”
Bree raised her head and rested her chin in her hand. “That’s just an excuse. Kimber and Kaden are with your parents until tomorrow night. Now’s the perfect time to go on a date. You don’t have to worry about a sitter, which I would totally be willing to do, by the way, and you can pick what youdo.”
Denise rose onto her elbows and picked the cuticle of her thumb. He had already kind of asked her out. Hell, he’d even asked her dad for permission to date her. All she was really doing was setting thedate.
But that meant putting herself out there and opening herself up to the possibility of being rejected and hurt. Maybe not immediately, but a few weeks or months down the road when he left again. Could she deal with that? The twisting feeling in the center of her chest told her she’d have a really, really hard time with it. This thing with Chris, whatever it was, felt big. Important. It loomed around the edges of her life and she knew if she let down her walls it would overwhelm and consumeher.
What she really had to decide was whether that would be the worst thing in theworld.
She nodded a couple of times. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
She looked at Bree. “Why do you sound sosurprised?”
“I thought for sure it was going to take more convincing than that. I didn’t even have to pull out any Disney quotes. I’m kind ofbummed.”
Denise grinned. “You’re adork.”
“You loveme.”
They heard an engine coming down the hard-packed dirt lane and they both turned tolook.
“Speak of the devil,” Breesaid.
Denise shifted her weight and picked up the rifle, holding it out to Bree. “Here. There’s five rounds left. May as well shoot them while we have the last bit oflight.”
She took the binoculars and adjusted the focus as she stared through them at the target. Bree shot the last few rounds in quick succession, forming a small grouping below the main target. She lowered the binoculars andsmirked.
“You mad at Jase aboutsomething?”
Bree grinned. “No. I just like to keep him on his toes.” She rose to her knees and cleared the rifle before handing it back toDenise.
Denise pushed up to her knees as well. “I don’t think it’s his toes Jase is going to worryabout.”
Bree raised her eyebrows and smirked, then headed toward the truck andJase.
Even without the crunch of footsteps, Denise would have known Chris was close behind her. It was the cheesiest thing in the world but she could feel hispresence.
