Page 39 of Tasting Innocence
Chapter Fifteen
“Sorry,”I say instantly. “I’ll be telling a few people that things have changed.”
“A few people?”
I exhale. “Yeah, I’ve been talking to a few girls. Nothing serious, but people reach out from time to time.”
She flinches. “For hookups?”
I suddenly feel hot, and not in a good way— in a sweaty, nervous way. “Yeah.”
“Oh,” she says, breaking off a chunk of the crust of her pizza.
“Vi, I’m telling them I’m seeing someone now. I don’t have any intentions of talking to these people while I’m with you.” Her eyebrows shoot up and I realize how that sounds, so I quickly try to amend. “I mean, not that I’m waiting for us to fall apart to talk to them again, I just mean…” I sigh. “I’m not talking to anyone else. Only you.”
She turns in her chair, facing me. “Okay. I believe you. I’m sorry if I came off all jealous and insecure.”
I take her hand in mine. “You have no reason to be.”
I can almost see her thoughts scrolling across her forehead, but she doesn’t say anything, she simply nods and smiles.
Luckily, things don’t stay awkward or uncomfortable. We finish our food and put everything away, and then I ask, “Do you want the grand tour?”
She purses her lips. “I’ve been here before.”
“But you haven’t seen all the rooms, just down here.”
She grins. “Let me guess, your room will conveniently be the last spot on the tour.”
I tuck my hands in my back pockets and shrug, giving her my best boyish grin. “No.”
She rolls her eyes and laughs. “Right.”
“We can start with my room if you prefer.”
Violet playfully smacks my arm. “I can just wander around and ask questions.”
“I’m down for that.”
She heads for the stairs, and once we’re at the top, she turns to the right and peeks into the first room we come across. “Your dad’s?”
“Yeah, this is his office. His room is connected via a jack-and-jill bathroom.”
“He leaves a lot?” she asks, skipping past the door that would lead to his bedroom.
“Yeah, at least two weeks out of the month. Not all at once, but it adds up to about that.”
“And you’re gonna work for him after college?”
I lift a shoulder. “Probably. He wants me to take over when he’s no longer able to run things.”
She pushes open another door. “Spare bedroom?”
“To be honest, most of them are. We have seven rooms in this house. One bedroom for each of us, then we have three spares that have bedroom sets, and two offices. Plus, he has another room that he entertains his business buddies in. It’s basically a bar with leather couches and a TV. Not to mention your basic living areas.”
“And a gym,” she says, gently hitting my stomach.
“Right, and a gym,” I answer with a grin.