Page 35 of Yours, Always

“Gabe, can you think of a time in our decades long friendship, and all of the plots and schemes Annabelle has cooked up, where one has failed?”

“I took four bottles. Bye, boys.”

“Have fun and be responsible,” Gabe called.

“Always.” And Annabelle was out of the door.

“Not one. Point taken,” Gabe admitted.

Greyson started in on the rest of his sandwich. He needed to trust his friend, that the right time and place would present itself. If push came to shove, he’d see Prudence at the maze on Monday and would be damn sure that he told her exactly how he felt.

Chapter Seventeen

Prudence sat on her front porch that evening waiting for Chuck to pick her up for their bowling date. She thought about her conversation at lunch yesterday with Annabelle and her insistence that bowling as a date night was something to be frowned upon. She supposed that, after a year of dating, it was only normal to get into a comfortable routine. She was happy with the direction her and Chuck’s relationship was heading…right? Wasn’t that most people’s relationship goals—to be with someone long enough that a comfortable routine formed?

She scuffed the toe of her shoe on the ground and sighed. Maybe she did want more. But was it with Greyson? Greyson would upend her life. She’d have to move—to do what? Live by herself in L.A. while he was God knows where doing God knows what with God knows whom? She shook her head. No, she trusted him. The gossip rags always got that part wrong. Greyson was loyal to a fault and had never cheated on a girl as far back as she remembered him dating. She wouldn’t expect anything different with her. Even though there wasn’t a ‘her’.

Then there was what had happened with Greyson after his concussion. As much as she’d thought about it, gone over the details in her head, she couldn’t bring herself to feel any regret over it. There was guilt, sure, but no regret. She couldn’t change the fact that she felt alive, like her nerve endings were on fire, when she let her mind wander back to that night. Despite Annabelle’s belief that Greyson was her soulmate, Prudence was cautious, hesitant in thinking it would be a good idea to jump into something with Greyson.

Didn’t Chuck deserve better? She shook her head. No, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—base any of her decisions on what she thought someone else deserved. Plus, the only thing she’d heard from Greyson since that night were a few texts on how he was doing. There was no acknowledgment that he remembered anything about the most perfect kiss of her life.

Chuck squealed into her driveway in the newest Ford model he was selling at the dealership. He bounded out of the car and up her porch steps with the kind of enthusiasm reserved only for car salesmen.

“Hey, babe,” Chuck greeted Prudence along with a peck on the cheek.

She gritted her teeth at the pet name she’d never liked. Prudence had told Chuck more than once that the term ‘babe’ was not an endearment to her—rather it made her think of a talking pig. It didn’t matter to Chuck. He just told her she was cuter than a talking pig and continued on.

“You ready?”

“I’m always ready to bowl.” Prudence swung her purse as she walked to Chuck’s car.

“I thought we could do something else tonight. Maybe dinner and a movie?”

“Really?” Prudence stopped, her hand on the door. “We always bowl on Friday.”

“Well, tonight we dine, babe,” Chuck said, coming around to the passenger side to open her door.

“Thank you.” Prudence slid into her seat, deposited her purse on the floor and clicked her seatbelt, waiting for Chuck to get into the car. “Can we cool it on ‘babe’, though?” she asked. “You know I prefer not to be called that.”

“Hey,” Chuck whined, causing Prudence’s left eye to twitch, “I’m trying to be romantic here. Dinner and a movie!”

“Yes, I know.” Prudence sat for a moment in silence while Chuck pulled out of her driveway. She thought that dinner and a movie were probably the least effort someone could make, but she just said, “I appreciate the effort.”

“I hope so. I may not be a great action star, but I can pull off some stunts of my own.”

Prudence’s heart started to pound with a dreadful rhythm. “I’m sorry…I’m…not sure what you mean by that?” He couldn’t possibly know what had happened between her and Greyson. Couldn’t possibly. Not that anything happened. Really. Nothing much had happened.

Chuck laughed and pulled into the restaurant parking lot. The most cookie cutter Americana place in town and just around the corner from her house.

“You know—Greyson. Comes flying back to town, all Hollywooded out, expecting everyone to bow to him like they did in college.”

“I don’t think that’s what he expects at all, Chuck, and you know that.” Prudence let his words sink in. “Wait, you’re only doing this because Greyson’s back? You wouldn’t have wanted to have a romantic date night otherwise?” She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him. “We’re only here because I stayed with him after his concussion,” she stated, shaking her head in disbelief, pushing down the guilt trying to rise.

“I mean, partly?” Chuck was oddly seeming to question his own judgment. “I mean, no. I really wanted to do this. Why are you getting so mad? We’re at a nice place to eat and are going to see the new Samantha Crane movie after.”

Prudence cringed at that, considering Greyson had just gone to the awards ceremony with her. Did Chuck know this and was getting in a slight dig at her? No, he wasn’t that clever, unfortunately.Maybe I’m not giving him enough credit. It could be entirely possible that he just needed this little push to liven up their love life a bit. She noted that they were the only people in the parking lot that she could see.Let’s spice it up a bit—prove to herself that it was Chuck she wanted and the incident with Greyson was just a fluke, coincidences brought on by close proximity after a prolonged absence.Let’s see if Chuck can set my nerves on fire.

She leaned over and pulled him closer by his tie. “I’m not mad, Chuck. In fact I’m pretty damn hot right now.” Prudence turned Chuck’s head toward her and kissed him.

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