He confidently walks away, and I sneak a glance at his ass. I’ve caught myself checking him out more than I’d like to admit lately. We’ve been different since he held me after my nightmare.I’vebeen different. We spend almost all our free time together—cooking or going out to eat, reading, and watching TV. He even tried to teach me how to play his dumb video game. We argue, then argue some more. Sometimes, I swear he’s disagreeable on purpose, but then he cracks some stupid joke, and I can’t help but laugh.
He isn’t the immature playboy I thought he was. Yeah, he never takes anything too seriously, and he’s so full of life, he’s almost like a little kid. But he cares about the people around him deeply, and he shows it with his actions.
I love the way he views life—always looking on the bright side and seeing the world as one big, happy playground. I wish I could see the world like that and forget all the hungry, sleepless nights, the overdue bills stacking up in the kitchen drawer, threats from my father, and dreams that are exactly that. Just dreams.
I’m secretly relieved Trey doesn’t seem to be going on dates or having hook-ups. He’s home every night, and even though I see his phone light up like a Christmas tree, he pays them no mind—at least when we’re together.
I pull out a blue paint chip and try to imagine my cabinets this color with the new tile floor.
“What do you think of this?” Trey asks from the other side of the paint desk.
I turn but don’t see him. “Think of what? I can’t see you.”
“That’s weird, I have light gray, medium gray, dark gray.” He’s cracking himself up by the end of his impression fromThe Hangover, sounding nothing like Ken Jeong.
The dude next to me chuckles.
I decide it’s too good not to play along. “You do?”
There’s a pause, like he didn’t think I’d get it or go with his bit. “Man, I forgot. My bad, I’m color blind.” He laughs the entire time.
The guy next to me is laughing so hard he might give himself a hernia.
I don’t know if it’s the guy next to me, the confused old woman behind the paint desk, or the quote itself, but I can’t hold it together any longer. I slap my hand over my mouth, muffling my laugh.
Trey appears with the biggest lopsided grin on his face. His blue eyes shine like he may have laughed so hard his eyes watered. “We aresohaving a movie night.” He throws an arm over my shoulders. “We have to watchThe Hangoverand eat junk food.”
“Alright, alright, after you get back from your big, fancy photoshoot.” His eyes roam my face as I hold up the steel blue paint chip. “This one.”
He smiles down at me. “I love it. Let’s do it.” His eyes never leave mine.
An hour later, we have all our supplies and paint. The smell of coffee beans and baked goods hits me as we walk into The Plot Twist for a coffee before starting our project. Trey is going on about some bull Knox rode last night as we reach the counter.
Lainey and her boyfriend are toward the back of the coffee bar canoodling, but she steps away to greet us. “Hey, you two. Need a caffeine fix?”
“Yeah, our usuals, please. Did you get that new release?”
“Yep, it’s right here. I already finished it. It’ssogood, you’ll love it.” I’m lucky my sweet friend lets me borrow all the new releases she keeps for herself. I could never afford to purchase every single book I read. Lainey is pretty much my personal library.
She passes me the book and taps our order into the computer. I move down the counter to wait for our coffee as Trey wanders, aimlessly browsing the bookshelves.
“Hey,” I say, loud enough he’ll hear.
He faces me.
I point to the other side of the shelves. “Picture books are that way.”
“Like you would know. All you read iscliterature.” He gives me a flirty grin.
Lainey comes over with one coffee and whispers, “So, I have to ask: how are things living with the world’s hottest bachelor bull rider?”
“Shh, don’t let him hear you. His head is big enough as it is.” We both snicker. “It’s shockingly good. He talked me into painting the kitchen cabinets. We picked up the paint today.”
“Aw, Jessie, that’s so exciting. You’ve been wanting to work on that house since you bought it. I’m happy for you.” She smiles. “You work so much, you deserve it.”
Ding!
The bell above the door signals the arrival of a new customer.
