Page 10 of Secrets, Scandals and Baby Shoes

“Wow, you offer a full statistics tutoring service, don’t you?” Lucy joked. “You even follow up after class to see how it went.”

“How did it go?”

“Great. We don’t have our grades back yet, but the professor showed us an example of what the reports should look like, and mine was on point. Thanks again.”

“No problem.” Elliot hesitated, then threw caution to the wind. “Do you have lunch plans? I know a great Thai place off campus, although it’s a bit of a drive.”

“You have a car?”

“I do.” Elliot had almost forgotten that most freshmen didn’t — and Dominic never had, so Lucy probably wouldn’t either. “I can drive us.”

Lucy glanced up at him, her eyes dancing. “I think I could make a little time for that.”

“Wonderful. This way.” Elliot led them both toward the campus parking lot. In the car, Lucy put on the radio and flipped through stations until she found one playing classical music. She then hummed along as though the decades-old composers were modern pop stars, her hands conducting invisible orchestras in the air in front of her. Elliot grinned. The more time he spent with Lucy, the more he liked her. It took all his willpower not to stop the car and kiss her again.

They arrived at the Thai restaurant after about fifteen minutes. It was nestled into the small main street of a nearby city, and Lucy immediately spotted a park across the street.

“Do you want to walk a little before we eat?”

“Sure.”

So, they got out of the car and went to the park.

“There isn’t much here,” Elliot said. It was true: the park was small, with just a few trees, a little fountain, and a modest collection of seesaws for children to play on.

“You’re right.” Lucy shook her head as she stopped and turned to Elliot. “No gazebos here.”

“Are you looking for one?” Elliot asked, his voice dropping.

“Maybe.” Lucy shrugged, then looked shyly up at Elliot. “Are you?”

“Well, we don’t need a gazebo to experience the wonders of a gazebo,” Elliot pointed out.

Looking back, he wasn’t sure who had made the first move, but in a heartbeat, they were kissing again. This wasn’t a soft, tentative kiss like yesterday; it was more intense than that. Lucywrapped her arms around Elliot’s shoulders as he drew her closer, both tilting their heads to deepen the kiss. Elliot didn’t care that they were in a public park. He only cared about Lucy, in his arms, smelling faintly like roses and tasting like mint.

Warmth rushed through him as he drew her closer, feeling her soft curves against his firm chest. Her lips were soft, too, and her soft gasp as he deepened the kiss made Elliot gather her even closer. It took all his resolve to end the kiss after a few minutes, and even then, when he looked down at Lucy with her flushed cheeks and reddened lips, it was all he could do not to kiss her again.

“We can’t tell Dominic,” Lucy said. The mention of her brother brought Elliot back into the real world, and he nodded.

“You’re right. Although, for there to be a question ofwhetherwe tell Dominic, there must besomethingto tell.”

Lucy smiled slightly. “Is there something?”

By way of reply, Elliot bent his head and kissed her again, thoroughly and sweetly. Then he smiled at Lucy. “I think there is.”

They spent lunch smiling at each other across the table, followed by a short walk around the nearby town punctuated by plenty of kisses.

“Would you like to play a game?” Lucy asked as they strolled, hand in hand.

Elliot chuckled. “What do you have in mind?”

“It’s one of the Winter family classics,” Lucy explained. “I tell you something — an animal, a class, an activity, a place, anything— and you rate it from one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best.”

“All right.” It didn’t sound like the world’s most interesting game to Elliot, but he would happily have done anything Lucy suggested at that point.

“First up…” Lucy seemed to consider. “Statistics.”

“Ten,” Elliot replied immediately.

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