Page 46 of Live for Me

“What is this?” I asked, turning back to Utah.

“Once the sun goes down, it’ll be The Princess Bride,” he said and nodded toward the blank wall of the garage. I looked back at the projector on the cart, and then at Indy.

“I tried to tell him to just do one blanket,” Indy said and raised his hands in defeat. “That you guys didn’t need company. That one’s on him.”

The absolute flood of relief that gave me.

Until Utah stepped against the back of my body and put his hands on my upper arms.

“I’m not going to force you to be alone with me,” he said and kissed the top of my head. “Not yet, anyway.” He let go of me just as quickly and walked toward Kyle. “But if you change your mind, I have no problem at all telling these two to get lost. So, you know, keep that in mind.”

I rushed my ass right over to Indy.

“You could’ve warned me about this,” I whispered.

“He deserved to see your actual reaction to this kind of effort, sweets. Come on. Men don’t behave like this in today’s world. Trust me.”

“Then why ishebehaving like this?”

“You really are adorable, you know that?”

“That’s not helpful, Indy.”

“Not for you. But it’s a hell of a lot of fun for me,” he said and patted the top of my head twice.

“You’re the world’s worst friend.”

“Because I helped him pull off this precious gesture?” He asked and laughed.

“Did he tell you what he brought back here for me?” I asked and panicked all over again at the thought of the two of them discussing the absurd amounts of smut packed neatly into the back of Utah’s truck.

“Your books,” he said and nodded.

“That’s all he told you?”

Indy gave me the world’s meanest smile. “That sure as shit sounds like there’s more to it than what I heard. He told mebooks, Memphis, but I absolutely want to know what it is that you’re so embarrassed about right now.”

“Hush,” I said quickly while Utah and Kyle came back toward us. That little bitch laughed instantly.

“Kyle’s going to help me carry the totes in,” Utah said. “You just want them in your room?”

“Yeah,” I said and glared at Indy. “Lock them in there.”

As soon as they were walking away, I turned right back to Indy. “Is this a date?”

“I think the idea of forcing Kyle and I to also sit in on this was his way of letting you decide,” he laughed. Then he motioned to the blankets. “And the fact that he had me put out four blankets. Not even three, which would force two of us to sit right beside each other.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

utah

Icouldn’t prevent the smile that overtook my entire face when Memphis came rushing into her own room right after us while we carried her books inside. I did feel a little guilty that I’d gone through her entire house. I just thought I might find something of that first life she imagined she would miss if she really thought about or remembered it. I hoped I could give her a small piece of it back, but there was nothing. I didn’t find any trace of a family in that house. That left me with almost as many questions about that part of her world as I had about her taste in literature. It took an awful lot of willpower to keep myself in check and only pack them away rather than stopping to try to read several of the more questionable titles.

I watched her fingers drag along the edge of one of the totes as Kyle dropped the last one just inside her door and turned to leave.

“This was really sweet of you,” she said quietly, still without looking at me. “Even if it is also wildly embarrassing and part of me kind of wishes it never happened. Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“Montana tried to carve me like a pumpkin, while you two argued about what I was supposed to be doing as I was doing it. I’m still pretty pissed.”

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