We make our way to the front, where he opens the door without a word.
Stepping over the threshold, I stop myself from racing to my car and locking myself inside, no matter how awkward the current air is around us.
I scoot my backpack strap a little higher onto my shoulder, forcing myself to look him in the eye.“Thank you,” I murmur.“Seriously.I don’t know what else to say.”
“Make sure you read the rest of the chapter,” he warns.“You have a good foundation, but that last part’s a bitch.”
My mouth lifts.“I’ll keep that in mind.”
6
JUNE
“So?”Lexie asks.Cradled against her chest is a warm mug of coffee as she pulls her long brown hair over one shoulder with her free hand.After my date with Bryan, Lexie insisted we meet up at The Bean Scene the next morning so I could fill her and Violet in on every detail during Violet’s break.“How’d it go with Fireman Bryan?”
I stab my straw through the top of my iced latte.“You know, you don’t have to call him Fireman Bryan.Just Bryan is okay.”
“Nah, Fireman Bryan has a better ring to it.”She grins shamelessly.“So?”
I knew this would happen.The playful, yet unavoidable interrogation that would follow after I told my friends about my plans with Bryan.But even knowing they’d expect a replay of the entire evening, I’m afraid they’ll only be disappointed by how uneventful it really was.Good, yes.Memorable?It should be.And yet, the main highlight anytime I replay yesterday’s events is the stupid sandwich Ford made me, and just how smart the guy is.
“June?”Lexie prods.
“It went well?”Hesitating, I play back my date with Bryan.“I mean, yeah.Yeah, it went well.”
Lexie hides her amusement behind her coffee, but I don’t miss the mirth dancing in her pretty brown eyes.“You sound super sure about that.”
She makes a good point.Why am I so on the fence with Bryan?Twirling my straw, I admit, “I don’t know.I’ve only really been on a few dates, so I don’t have a ton of experience to compare it to.”
“Did he open your door?”she prods.
I nod.
“Did he pay for dinner?”
My head bobs again.
“Did he kiss you goodnight?”
My cheeks flame, but I nod once more.
“Did he let you touch his firehose?”
“Lexie!”I toss the paper straw wrapper at her.
With a laugh, she bats it away.“Just trying to get the full picture is all?—”
“I know,” Violet groans as she collapses into the chair across from mine.“I know I screwed up.I’m so sorry.”
“Sorry about what?”Lexie asks.
Violet winces as if the betrayal is so grave that the idea of voicing it aloud is almost painful.“I was supposed to tutor June before her date, but I totally spaced on it.”
“Ouch.”Lexie grimaces and turns to me.“To be fair, Violet’s bailed on me before, too.Bless her soul.”She tacks on a pointed look at Violet that would make a lesser woman cower.
“Don’t worry about it, Vi,” I say, coming to her defense.“Ford actually helped?—”
“Ford helped you?”Violet nearly chokes on her coffee.
