I can almost hear the wink in her voice.
“Me too,” I say, smiling despite myself. “You’re a catch, Camila.”
“When everybody seems to think so, why would I deny it?”
Now it’s my turn to throw my head back and laugh.
The day has started out nicely, after all.
12
Lizzie
“Lizzie! Phone for you!” Mom calls from the kitchen.
I’ve been sitting out on the back porch for the last couple of hours, curled into the hammock with the book I borrowed from Nate—This Present Darkness. The hammock sways lazily back and forth, the warm breeze brushing against my bare ankles.
After my conversation with Dad this morning, I dove into the book with full commitment.
I’m already at chapter ten and I’m hooked.
“Coming!” I call back, marking my page carefully.
I swing my legs over the side of the hammock and stand, the wooden porch boards warm under my feet, and head towards the kitchen.
I reach the kitchen doorway and mouth to Mom,Who is it?
“Nate!” she mouths back immediately, her smile stretching into something deeply mischievous.
Oh, fantastic. So the entire house is going to treat this like a spectator sport.
I take the phone from her, narrowing my eyes as she very deliberately leans against the counter to eavesdrop.
“Hello?” I say.
“Hi, Lizzie. I hear you got the breakfast basket okay?”
His voice is warm and deep. I lean my hip against the counter, trying not to look at Mom.
“I did. Thank you so much. It was a really special gift,” I say, meaning it. “I dug into it like crazy, but I had to share with my family too. There was no way I was finishing all that on my own.”
Mom beams.
“It was for you to enjoy,” he replies, “but I threw in the coffee especially for your dad. I thought he might appreciate it too.”
I glance over at Mom, impressed despite myself.
“I did, too. There was a touch of caramel to it and it was—” I pause, mimicking a chef’s kiss in the air, “chef’s kiss. Thank you.”
He chuckles, and the sound does something entirely unfair to my insides.
“I was wondering,” he continues, “if maybe you’d like to go out later today? Do you have any plans?”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I actually don’t have any plans for today, surprisingly. I’ve just been digging into breakfast and reading.”
“Well, how about I pick you up around 2 p.m.? I’ve got a fun idea for us if you’re up for it.”
