Page 58 of The Enemy Plot
“Does that mean you’re all in this time?” she asks, her deep brown eyes boring into mine. I notice a tiny flicker of doubt there, and I hate it.
“I am.” I kiss her forehead. “All in. I wasn’t thinking straight last time, when I said otherwise. The truth is, I’ve been dying to kiss you since the first time I met you.”
She blushes, biting her lip.
“And every time you do that,” I add.
“What are you talking about?” she teases, doing it again.
Taking the bait, I kiss her. On both cheeks, her nose, her forehead, her chin, and her lips, again and again and again.
“How’s the bump on your head?” I ask, wincing as I catch sight of it. The bruise has turned yellow, and the swelling seems to be going down, but it still looks painful.
“Oh, it’s fine,” she says, shaking her head. “I’ve been icing it, and that seems to do the trick.”
We both turn when the front door opens and a customer ventures in. Alice begins to greet her, but Hayley quickly takes over, giving Alice and me the chance to slip outside.
“I’m sorry, I have to work,” she says, a hand on my chest. “I wish I could hang out today, but Emma’s been covering for me and Hayley a lot lately. We have to catch up on some hours.”
“Of course.” I place a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I understand. Maybe you could come over for dinner tonight? I’ll be closing the bar.” I’ve been thinking of closing one Sunday a month so I can spend more time with Lola. Plus, the Raptors are on an away trip with no game tonight. Considering they and their friends are a big part of my clientele, it won’t be a huge loss.
Her smile widens. “Of course. We close at six, so I’ll come after that.”
“Perfect.” I kiss her again before letting her go back in. As I stand on the sidewalk, I can’t help but think how lucky I am to be dating this amazing girl. It feels weird to say that. I’ve never even wanted to date, and I never imagined Alice would ever be interested in someone like me. But she is, and my life is suddenly a lot fuller.
23
Better
Deacon
At ten past six, the doorbell rings, and I hurry to open it. But Lola beats me to it. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s eager to see Alice.
She steps into the kitchen, and I try to go for a soft kiss on the lips. But she was going for a hug, so our foreheads bump. She chuckles, then plants a single kiss on my lips.
I guess we have to discuss how we’ll act in front of Lola, because that probably looked a lot like two awkward teenagers about to head to prom, their parents watching.
Thankfully, we all start to relax, and Lola monopolizes most of the conversation with school and book talk.
I whip up a simple mac and cheese with a side of romaine salad, and we dig in.
“Oh,” Alice says, swallowing her bite. “We got an email from SilverScreen Studios in Hollywood. They want to rent the bookstore for a movie. How crazy is that?”
“That’s so cool!” Lola exclaims.
“Wow,” I say, truly impressed. “When is that happening?”
“This summer. But we haven’t accepted the deal yet. We have a few concerns and questions before we commit, so we’re going to try and set up a call.”
I nod, eating a bite of my mac and cheese.
After that, Lola and Alice start talking books again. Or so I thought, because the word “boyfriend” is thrown around, and it isn’t preceded by the usual “book.”
“What’s that?” I ask, not sure I heard properly.
Alice grins. “Lola found her first real life boyfriend.”
“Absolutely not,” I say, putting my glass down a little too strongly, spilling water all over.