“You’re not even a blood relative,” Pip tells her.
“What?No,” Ginny says.
“Actually true,” Mabel says. “My dad married Aunt Pip’s niece when I was younger than Lav. I’m a step-great-niece.”
“Learn something new every day, don’t we?” Samantha says to Olivia, who nods.
I glance at Heath again. Am I glancing at him too much? Someone will notice if I am.
But he’s watching me too, and his eyes have an intensity that makes a shiver race from my tailbone up and over my scalp. Is it possible to get goosebumps on your face?
I think I have goosebumps on mine.
Is he also thinking about how much we’ve learned about each other nearly every day since I got here?
I don’t want dinner to end.
And at the same time, I want Elizabeth to ask if Lav can have a sleepover here tonight so that Heath and I can rush back to his house without fear of interruption.
“Oh my gosh, I just realized I’ll miss your sister’s wedding,” Elizabeth says to Ginny.
Heath’s eyes shift toward them, the break in eye contact making me shiver all over again.
As I glance down at Ginny and Elizabeth too, I realize Samantha is watching me with a knowing smile.
I blush.
Can’t help it.
“My soda!” Lav shrieks as she sends her cup tumbling and a stream of sticky orange liquid right at me.
I bolt to my feet, napkin in hand to start mopping, sending my chair tumbling backward.
There’s a yowl and a hiss from behind me, and then Pip yelps and drops her margarita.
“Down, cat! Down!” she shrieks.
Heath and I make eye contact again as Mabel springs into action, saving Pip from Fluffy, who once again shouldn’t be in the main house but somehow is.
One corner of Heath’s mouth tilts up, and his eyes soften, and yep.
I am completely, totally, and unconditionally in love with this man.
I want to have breakfast with him every morning.
I want to text him updates about my day and get text updates about his day.
I want him to want to take me out to dinner.
I want him to sneak into my room late at night and talk about our days and laugh together and then strip him naked and invite him into my bed with me.
And I want to live in this glow of the happiest possibilities forever.
28
OOPS, I SAID IT AGAIN
Heath
