“Okay, I’ll take you home, and you can walk around the yard.”
She turns her gaze away from me and stares at the passenger window. Something isn’t matching up.
“Harrison, please don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“I promise I’m not trying to be a jerk, but a lot of people take these curves too fast. Tonight is the best night I’ve had in about two months. I’m not going to ruin it by letting you get hit by a car or abducted by some trucker passing through.”
She whips her head to the side, facing me. “Has that happened? The trucker thing, I mean?”
“No, but it could. You’re not going to be the first.”
She pushes me in the shoulder and chuckles.
“You’re ridiculous. Do you know that?” I grin and shrug in response.
I rest my head on the back of my seat, keeping it turned toward her, and she does the same. We sit in silence for a fewminutes except for the summer sounds of the katydids and tree frogs floating in the air and through our open windows.
“What happened two months ago?” she whispers.
I can’t stop myself from reaching up and tucking a stray hair behind her ear. She sucks in a deep breath as I do, and I’m struck once more by how beautiful she is.
“You know what happened two months ago, Bets.Wehappened.” I make sure she’s looking right into my eyes when I say it because I don’t want there to be any doubt about what I mean.
“I hoped that’s what you meant. Thatwasa good night,” she says.
“It was. Amazing actually. I met a woman that night who I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since.”
“Makes sense, I heard she’s spectacular in bed,” she says. The most gorgeous grin graces her face.
“Oh, she is. Mind-blowing, really. But that’s not the main reason I can’t forget her. Spending time with her brought me more peace in just a few hours than I’ve felt in years. I have a feeling she has no idea how incredible she is.”
She frowns and looks downward. “I don’t know about that.”
I put a few fingers under her chin and gently lift it until her eyes meet mine again. “Please tell me what’s going on in here.” I tap lightly on her head with my index finger.
She diverts her gaze to the side.
“I don’t want you to see where I live.” She says the words so quietly I can barely hear her.
“Can you tell me why? Help me understand.”
“I just don’t. I’m… I’m private.” She’s closed off again.
When I don’t give in and agree to let her walk, she huffs.
“Fine. Take the path off to the left in about five hundred feet.” She’s back to refusing to look at me.
A couple of minutes later, I’m traveling on a dirt road that’s leading quite a way back into the woods. She makes one last attempt—and fails— to get me to drop her off where there’s no house in sight.
“Nope, I’m letting out at your door. In fact, I’mwalkingyou to your door.” My voice leaves no room to argue.
“Oh, my God. Fine. Up there, where the driveway curves, there’s a little path and a parking spot. Stop there.”
I follow her instructions, expecting to see a little house in the woods. Instead, there are two trailers, about a hundred feet apart.
“Okay, this is it.” Her words come out clipped.
Delaney undoes her seatbelt, grabs her bag, and jumps out of the car before I even have a chance to unbuckle. I fumble to free myself from the strap and practically jump out of the car to get to her. It’s clear she’s heading towards the trailer on the left even before she steps up onto the small porch. I catch up to her and wrap my hand loosely around her upper arm.
