Page 68

As if I conjured him.

I blink rapidly. Is he really here?

Nora jerks up out of her chair as if she’s been shocked, and Andi chokes on the drink of lemonade she just took.

“Lawson!” Nora says, starting toward him. “Hi. What are you doing here? We’re closed. Sorry, it’s our lunch break.”

Yep. Guess he’s really here.

I feel my face immediately flush, and then the rest of my body heats up further.

I already react that way when I see him, but now, knowing he read my journal page, and with a very graphic image in my mind from Everly’s comment, this might be the worst moment for him to suddenly appear.

He’s grinning, and his eyes go from Nora immediately past her shoulder to me. I feel the impact of his gaze as if someone just punched me in the chest. I have a hard time taking a deep breath for a moment.

“Yeah, sorry. I came because it was your lunch break and I knew you all were getting together. Sorry to interrupt, but I have a surprise for Sutton, and it can’t really wait.”

“You have a surprise for Sutton?” Nora turns back to look at me, her eyes round.

My heart flips over and starts pounding.

“What kind of surprise?” Andi asks, reaching under the table and pinching my leg.

I swat her hand away and give him a smile. “What’s going on?”

“Well, the gang showed up at Brewser’s house to dance. They didn’t realize today was a day off.”

I laugh. “Oh no. Did they go ahead and practice anyway?”

“They did not. They actually sat around and ate pumpkin scones.”

Now I know my cheeks are flaming red.

He knows it’s me. There’s no way he doesn’t. The last time we were together, he called me Pumpkin. He has to know, right?

But if he does…that means he knows the journal page is mine…

Oh. God.

I try to swallow but can’t. I just nod stupidly instead.

“But they couldn’t practice because there were eleven of them. We don’t have enough room for that no matter how much furniture I move.”

His grin is so big and bright that I have to blink.

I love his smile, but it’s just unusual to see so much of it so often.

Then what he said fully sinks in. “Eleven? Does Brewser have eleven friends?”

“No. But Patty has a couple, and Harley has a bunch, and Leo and Ellie showed up this time.”

I get up from the table and cross the room to stand in front of him. “That’s crazy. There’s no way I can teach that many people to dance.”

“Of course you can,” he says. “You now officially have a dance class. Oh, and they’re going to start paying you too, by the way.” He digs into his pocket and withdraws a roll of bills. “There are two checks in there, but they won’t bounce. I told them to bring cash next time though. Checks are a pain in the ass. And Ellie is going to use the banking app to just send it direct. And next time Patty and Wilson want to do that too.”

I’m staring at the wad of money.

“Sutton?” he asks.