Page 88 of You've Got Male

Jonah was an hour late by the time he got home but he was on cloud nine, riding the high of the interview. He had it. He knew it in his gut. He could come up with the perfect hypothetical, he knew it.

He opened the door and walked inside whistling. The shoes by the door were in a straight line, jackets hung on their respective hooks. Even the rug had been vacuumed and not a single toy littered the entry.

Huh.

Jonah kicked off his loafers and walked into the family room,which had a direct line of sight to the kitchen that, save for the two pizza boxes on the counter, was as immaculate as the rest of the house.

Sitting on the couch was Ryan. And instead of being engrossed in a video game, he was watching some kind of rom-com on the flatscreen. Jonah had a strong inkling that the reason for his shift in hobbies was the petite brunette snuggled up next to him.

Camila was pressed against his side and they were sharing a blanket—strange, since it was over eighty degrees today. Jonah held back a chuckle and, instead, in his best dad voice said, “Hands where I can see them.”

The two teens parted faster than a set of repelling magnets. Camila straightened her hair, using it as a blanket to cover her bright red face. Ryan’s face was red, too, but not for the same reason.

“We were just watching a movie,” Ryan defended.

“Waverly was the product of just watching a movie.”

“Gross, Dad.” Ryan stood and walked toward Jonah, pulling him by the arm into the kitchen. In a low voice he said, “I’m going to ask Camila to homecoming and you’re totally blowing the vibe. Can you go someplace else?”

He took in the spotless house. “The vibe I’m getting goes way past a homecoming invite.”

“Seriously, how much trouble can we get into while babysitting the lil’ monster?”

He looked at Waverly, who was sitting on the floor in her big-girl underwear, and felt a lightness that he hadn’t felt since the diagnosis.

“Can’t you just go next door? I promise we won’t do anything.”

Jonah didn’t have a problem going next door buthedid have a problem promising not to do anything. But he said, “One hour and then I’m back. Lights stay on, bedroom is off-limits, and be sure this isn’t a Netflix and Chill moment.”

Ryan gave him a scout’s salute. Not that it made Jonah any less hesitant to leave them alone. Ryan was never a scout.

Jonah ran upstairs to change and then whistled as he walked across the lawn to next door.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Evie

If Evie could sum up her day in one word, it would be glorious. Sun shining, birds singing glorious.

Julie had offered to cover her shift at the shop. Moira was on a date. Her dad had gone to his bridge game at the senior center. And Camila had gone to Ryan’s for dinner—after they’d had a chat and ground rules were set.

What had Evie done? Absolutely nothing. She’d spent her day lounging in the sun, while reading a romance book she’d been dying to get to. Okay, she did put in a few hours of studying for her upcoming placement exam, but even that had been fun. Exciting.

Now it was nearing dinnertime and she was still sitting on the lounger on her back porch sipping wine from the good glasses when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and groaned. It was Mateo.

Normally, Evie would drop whatever she was doing to answer his call, in case it had something to do with Camila. But tonightshe was empowered to do things that had to do with her happiness.

“Tonight is all about me,” she said and sent him to voicemail.

“You must be reading my mind.”

At the sound of Jonah’s voice, Evie’s head spun around, and her heart leaped into her throat. Jonah stood at the base of her back deck.

Dressed in a pair of low-slung jeans, a light gray T-shirt, and a well-worn ballcap, along with a blast of easy confidence, he was a sight to behold. He was also,Lord bless him, holding a pizza box.

For a woman who’d propositioned him just a few nights ago, she was suddenly frozen in place. Tongue-tied and,whoops,staring at his lips. Then his other parts, parts that had a zing shooting right through her.

She ripped her gaze up. “I was wondering if you were going to come.” With a barely there smile, he lifted an amused brow. “Over. I was wondering if you were going to come over.”

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