I brace myself.Here it comes.The once-over.The assessment.You’ve put on weight, dear.Have you tried...Or worse, the fake concern:Are you taking care of yourself?
I feel like I’m back in school all over again—in her class with Ben Hartly and his stupid taunts, adults either joining in or pretending not to notice.
Miss Mullins looks me up and down.
“You look so happy.You’re practically glowing.”
I blink.That’s...not what I expected.
She squeezes my hands, her eyes genuinely warm.“Whatever you’re doing, Bailey, keep doing it.”Then she glances over at Silas ever so briefly and whispers, “It’s working.”
“We ran into each other at Sweet Persuasions,” I blurt out.
“Yeah,” Silas adds.“And I wanted to show her the, uh...book club pick for this month.”
We’re standing in front of Chapter & Song, the book-and-music store that’s been around for ages.And right there in the window is a display featuring the monthly book club’s upcoming pick.
It’s titledCome On In: A Look at Gender and Sex Inside—and Outside—of the Bedroom.
My head slowly turns to face Silas, who has squeezed his eyes shut.“I wanted to show herlast month’sbook.”
Janet’s eyes light up.“Oh yes, I so enjoyedThe Dinner Party.Bailey, are you interested in twentieth-century feminist artists?”
“Of course,” I say.I couldn’t name a twentieth-century feminist artist if they whacked me on the head with a paintbrush.
“Well maybe next time you’re in town we can discuss it.Silas, good to see you out for a stroll, not that I don’t mind seeing you out running too.You and the rest of the Buffed & Polished boys sure do give the ladies in town something to look at.”
And with that, Miss Mullins drops my hands, pats Silas’s shoulder, and waves goodbye.A few seconds later I hear her singing Todrick Hall’s “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels.”Complete with dance moves.
“So.”Silas blows out a breath.
“Book club, huh?”I turn back to the display and read the title out loud.“Looking for a fresh perspective on gender and sex?”
Silas stands beside me, and I can see his reflection in the glass.“Hey, I’m not one to turn down learning something new, especially when it’s relevant to the bedroom.”
Our gazes connect through the window’s reflection, and I can tell we’re both thinking about last night.His hands on my thighs.My nails in his shoulders.The way he?—
With his coffee to-go cup in his right hand, the hand closest to me is free, and he gently touches my thigh, slipping his fingers discreetly up to my waistband before tugging my belt loop.
The same way he did last night when he pulled me against him at the dartboard.
Heat floods through me, and I have to bite my lip to keep from making a sound on Main Street in broad daylight.
Then, in the window I see him grin.“Besides,The Dinner Partywas really good.”
I laugh, and he drops his hand.We both turn and continue our walk down the street.“Do you attend the book club?”
“Nah, just read the books.They meet on Saturday afternoons and that usually doesn’t work with my schedule.But Whitney does a great job picking out books since her parents handed Chapter & Song over to her.”
We walk silently for a moment, nearing the other end of Main Street already.Up ahead, the trail veers off toward the ski resort.The mountain is stunning in winter, all white slopes and dark evergreens, but it comes at a cost.It’s popular and touristy.
I prefer spring.It’s underrated, with most coming for the fall foliage or the ice and snow, but I’ve always loved the blooms coming up and the ease of the cold.
“Okay, since you seem to know everything that’s happening around town, a walking, talking tour guide of Here, doesn’t it bother you to see the town dry up after the ski season is over?Like, when it’s just the Herevians, doesn’t it feel like something’s missing?”
Silas drains his to-go cup and gazes at the mountain.
“No,” he says, tossing the cup into a nearby trash can.
