“You’re all children,” Valerie says, rolling her eyes.
“Children raising money for a pretty decent cause,” Oliver says with a grin.
Valerie sighs, shrugging off her cardigan. “Forty-nine pizzas and counting,” she says. “Oliver, you’re up again.”
The fans roar as Oliver bows, but it’s just background noise.
I’m chopping basil and thinking about Erin’s sweet dimple like a pathetic lovesick idiot.
I glance up at the clock. 11:54 p.m. It’s almost midnight.
Thank God.
Normally, I’d be having a blast. The teasing, fans, and madness is usually right up my alley. But not tonight. Not when my mind has been in disarray for five straight days.
I don’t care about pizza.
I care about Erin.
“Pretty Boy, last one’s yours,” Valerie calls, marking her clipboard. “Make it count.”
I sigh and drag myself up to the counter to get this over with. And time stands still.
“Erin?” I breathe, a mixture of shock and relief coursing through me as she stands on the opposite side.
“Valerie drives a hard bargain,” she says, smiling just a little. “But she said if I paid double we could skip the pizza making and talk. Will you walk me home?”
I’m already pulling off my apron and hairnet.
We slip out the fire exit and into the quiet alley. The night sky blankets the town in darkness. The midnight breeze is cool against my skin. I take her hand and lead her down Main Street, streetlights radiating a mellow glow across the sidewalk.
It takes five minutes to get back to her place. The second we step inside, it’s as if I’ve come home. We move to her sofa, sitting close, and facing each other.
I drink her in every detail I’ve been craving since the last time I saw her.
She lets out a shaky breath and meets my gaze. Her eyes are clear, not haunted anymore.
“Do you remember when I told you I sometimes hear my mother’s voice?” she asks quietly.
“I do.”
“It’s been there for as long as I can remember,” she says, looking away. “Our instant connection scared me. I let my guard down with you. The night you kissed me…” She pauses, exhaling. “I heard it again.”
“That’s why you spiraled,” I say, putting it together. “You heard your mom.”
“No.” Her eyes meet mine. “I heard me.”
I blink. “What?”
“When I froze after you kissed me, everything I once believed to be true cracked wide open. My mother’s voice wasn’t the problem. I am.”
“Erin,” I shake my head, “you didn’t have to carry that alone, sweetheart.”
“I know,” she says. “I made an appointment with my therapist. I think I want to start my sessions again to work on these new developments.”
“That sounds good for you.”
Her lips tilt up slightly. “Youare what’s good for me, Chase Harper.”
