Jessie’s lip twitched upward in agreement. “She likes beauty and secrets, that sort of thing.” Jessie shrugged as she scratched at her elbow, brow knitted. “Honestly, grand romantic gestures are always a surefire way to make her happy.”
“What constitutes a ‘grand romantic gesture’?” I asked.
Letting out a puff of air, Jessie gave a half-shrug. “I mean, that depends on the person, I think. What counts for someone isn’t going to count for another, you know?”
I scratched the back of my neck as I frowned, my general discomfort continuing to stir.
“I don’t know if Liv has told you, but I’m not really big on public stunts,” I said. “They come across as cheesy and forced to me. They seem more fake than anything else.”
Jessie smirked, and she looked as though she might have been trying to bite back a laugh.
“‘Grand’ doesn’t have to mean big or public,” she countered. “I think it means it’s more about it being special and thoughtful than anything else. That’s what matters to Liv. She wants to know that you care, that you think about her enough to know what would be special to her. She’d rather something private and intimate that shows you understand her as opposed to something large and bombastic that tells her you don’t have a clue about her at all.”
I let that sink in, nodding as I processed the words. It made sense. It fit with what I knew about Liv, and it gave me somewhere to start.
“Thanks, Jessie,” I said. “This helps a lot.”
Liv gave me a speculative look, head tilted as she considered me, something inscrutable in her gaze as she regarded me.
“You’re welcome,” she finally said. “Liv’s one of my best friends. I want to make sure she’s happy.”
There was a hidden threat there, a cautionary tale:If you hurt Liv, then I will hunt you down and make you wish you’d never been born.The burning intensity in her stare was enough to tell me she would carry out that threat the second she thought I had hurt Liv.
“I want to make sure she’s happy, too,” I said.
She blinked, taken aback. Her head tilted again as she considered me.
“Fair enough,” she said. “I’m glad to hear it.” She checked her phone. “I’ve got to go. Good luck!”
She gave a friendly wave as she turned to walk away.
I walked back down the house, hands stuffed in my pockets as I let my mind wander, mulling over what Jessie hadtold me. Liv liked beauty and secrets. She wanted something that showed I knew her, rather than something anyone could do for someone else. She wanted something that told her I cared about her, that I thought about her.
If someone had told me a year ago I would try this hard to make my mate happy, when I didn’t believe in mates to begin with, I would have laughed. Now, all I could think about was how I wanted to make Liv happy. I wanted her to be comfortable. I wanted her warm smile to be directed at me.
Beauty and secrets. Someplace special.
An idea crept over me. The more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me.
I just had to hope that it would appeal to Liv, too.
Chapter 9 - Liv
I was reading, distracting myself, trying to think about anything but Drake when he appeared in the door, as if summoned by my thoughts. My stomach twisted as I looked into his handsome features.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi.” My heart pounded, and that obnoxious yearning for him resurfaced at the sight of him. I considered getting up and leaving, but before I could, Drake spoke again.
“What are you up to right now?”
“Oh, um…” I couldn’t think of a convincing lie. “Not much. I’m just catching up on the news.”
He nodded, then jerked his head toward the door. “Come on,” he grunted.
I frowned, glancing around. “Sorry? What?”
He shrugged, though that surly expression on his face had a hint of uncertainty or nervousness there. “I was thinking we could do something. Together.”
