She sounded defensive, but I didn’t see the issue. “Okay then.”
“I always say I got all the emotions, and Dean didn’t get any. Something weird went on in the womb or something because the imbalance is not fair.” She used the end of her sweatshirt to wipe under her eyes. “Ah man, my mascara! I can’t be a raccoon when I meet her.”
“Oh, she won’t care.”
“I care, Monroe. I have to seem put together.”
“You look beautiful,” I said, my face immediately warming up. “For this. Fine. I mean, you look fine.”
“Settle down over there. You already told me I’m a goddess, so there’s no going back.”
“I do regret that,” I grumbled.
“I know.” She giggled and pulled down the mirror. Wiping her eyes, she let out something between a sigh and a snort. “Don’t worry. I won’t let it go to my head.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “So, what’s on your agenda?”
“Ah! Well, so glad you asked.” She crossed one leg over the over, her bare ankle on display.
It was just an inch or two between the end of her tight pants and her socks, but the tanned skin there seemed smooth. I wanted to drag my fingers over it, see if she liked being touched there.Focus on the road.
Fuck. Not hooking up with anyone the last two Fridays was getting to me. I was worked up. Really tense and it wasn’therfault I was so damn drawn to her. It put me in a miserable situation because did I want her? God, yes. But could I do that? No. Never.
“I have a meeting set up with the owner, Patrick. He’ll provide an overview of their marketing efforts, but when they had to fire people, the marketing specialist was the first to go five years ago. They are quite behind in terms of presence and seem really excited about this idea. Depending on how that goes, I’ll talk to their outreach director. Then, I’m chowing down with you and your grandma, and I’ll ask all sorts of embarrassing questions about you. I’m very persuasive and usually get my way when I want something.”
“No, my grandma won’t spill anything. She’s a vault. She wouldn’t do that to me.
“Mm, we’ll see. Remember, I’m competitive ateverything.”
I arched a brow and got her to smile at me again. I loved seeing her grin. It made me feel normal, like I was just some guy hanging out with a girl who liked me formeand not a ticket to the NFL. I enjoyed my time with those women, for sure, but it filled a basic need and nothing more. Weird, how it had never bothered me until this second. I scratched my chest, ignoring the buildup of pressure and handed Lorelei my phone. “You can choose the episode. It’s calledLost Killers.”
“How nice of you, allowing me to pick. And trusting me with your phone! An honor. The things I could do right now.”
I sighed, mentally going through anything embarrassing on the device. Nothing came to mind. “You’re a handful, Lorelei.”
“I’m aware.” She crossed the other leg now, hiding her ankle to my disappointment. “Ah, the lost sister? This seems dark.”
“It is.”
“Wait, you’ve already heard this one? Let’s do another. What about… the neighbor?”
“What’s the summary?”
“A man leaves his house one day and never comes home, leaving a wife and a child alone. Four years go by, and they declare him dead but then one day he shows up like nothing happened without any memory.”
“Shit.” My eyes widened. “Sick.”
“Look, I love Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday, and I even love horror films. But those are fiction. Not. Real. This stuff freaks me out.”
“Oh, we don’t have to—I’m sorry. Here, put something else on.” I reached for the phone, but she slapped my hand. “What?”
“You’re driving, but no, now I have to listen. Where did he go? What happened? Like, I need answers now. That’s one of my flaws. Like some people can stop reading a book at some point because they don’t like it. I can’t do that. I’m a finisher. I finish things all the way through, regardless of if it’s a good use of time. Wow,” she said, sitting back. “This explains a lot about me.”
“Nothing like true crime to have a mini-identity crisis.”
“Ha.” She snickered. “You’re more fun that I thought. I like it.”
My ears heated. “Thanks, I think?”
