Lincoln: Need me to come pick you up?
My chest squeezes. And just like that, those confusing feelings are back.
I shake them off of me and look up at my surroundings. The street around me is growing dark. Warm lights now flicker from behind living room curtains along the street. I try to wiggle mybusted toes. They respond by aching mercilessly inside my hot ass socks. The mere idea of having to get back on foot makes me want to fall back on the lawn and give up on life.
Having Lincoln pick me up right now would be lovely. But my pride won’t let me accept the offer.
I reply to his texts.
Me: I’m good.
Me: I’ll be home in a minute.
I hit ‘send’ without thinking. Then I cringe from head to toe with embarrassment.
Home?
Lincoln’s house is not my home. It’s our temporary base of operations while we execute our strategic mission. That’s all it is, and I can’t let myself forget that.
That nosy neighbor peeks through her curtains again at the weirdo who’s been sitting on the curb for the past five minutes. I peel my ass off the concrete and start walking. I’d rather not have to explain my loitering to local law enforcement.
But by the time I step through the front door, into the warmth of the bungalow-style house, my heart is wishing this could be more than just a business deal. It sure is nice to have somewhere to belong, someone who notices that I’m not home when they get there, someone who worries about me.
The smell of some sort of stew greets me as I carefully extract my sore feet from my boots. My stomach grumbles. It smells damn good.
Sucking in a breath and running a hand over my tummy to quiet it, I pad toward the kitchen.
Through the doorway, I see Lincoln and Cameron laughing and talking as they eat dinner. Cameron is telling his dad about some new video game he and Jagger have been playing. It warms my heart.
They glance up and see me. They both fall silent and I immediately feel out of place. But I straighten my spine and step into the cozy room.
“Hey, Cameron.” I give him a big grin. “How was school today?”
He flashes a quick, subdued smile but I can see the reservation in his eyes. “Good.” His eyes fall back to his plate.
Shit. My presence is already cramping his style.
“You hungry?” Lincoln speaks up in his deep, raspy voice, causing my stomach to clench for a whole different reason.
My eyes scan over the layout on the table. Some gourmet-looking flat-bread to go along with a hearty stew. And there’s a third place setting.
For me.
“Nah, I’m good.” I wave the offer away.
But my stomach decides to betray me, growling and bubbling like a captive animal.
Finally, Cameron looks up and cracks a genuine smile. A little giggle even manages to escape him.
I grin, too. “Sorry. I guess I am a tiny bit hungry.”
Lincoln nudges the empty plate toward me. “Then, sit,” he says, his expression unreadable.
With a nod, I join them at the table. But as I’m taking my second bite, Cameron is pushing his empty plate away.
“All done, Bud?” Lincoln asks him and he nods adorably. Lincoln glances my way. “Sorry. We should have waited for you. But we weren’t sure when you’d get back and Cameron has school tomorrow.”
“Sorry about that,” I say, “I should have checked in with you about the schedule for the night.”
