Page 104 of Let It Breathe
June sighed again. “Let’s just sleep on it, honey. Maybe something will come to us.”
“Sleep. That sounds nice. I didn’t get much last night.”
“Right, the fire.”
“The fire, the drama with Larissa—” Reese trailed off, feeling the heat creep into her cheeks. There was more than one reason for her sleepless night. One of those reasons had made her mindless with his hands stroking her hips, his mouth on her breasts, his body pressing against her, hot and hard and?—
“Something on your mind, sweetie?” her mom asked.
Reese opened her eyes and bit her lip. “Just thinking about Larissa.”
Which was true, in a way. Is that what Clay had been thinking about last night? In bed with Reese, had Clay been comparing her to her cousin? Remembering his night with Larissa?
“You think ’Riss is in trouble?” her mother asked. “She does go out a lot. I don’t remember you being like that at her age.”
“I wasn’t,” Reese said. “I don’t know if she’s in trouble, honestly. She’s always been wild, but I thought she might have settled down by now.”
“Maybe Clay could talk to her,” June suggested. “He’s been down that road, after all. The binge drinking, the irresponsible behavior. Maybe it would help Larissa to talk with someone who’s learned the hard lessons.”
“Hard lessons,” Reese muttered, her mind wheeling down a dangerous path. “I’m sure Clay would be happy to talk to Larissa about hard lessons.”
June glanced over with a worried look, and Reese realized her voice had taken on a dark tone. She softened it and tried again. “I’ll mention it to him the next time I see him.”
June nodded and glued her eyes back to the road. “How did your date with the veterinarian go last night?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“He’s a nice man?”
Reese shrugged. “He’s very nice. Held the door for me, laughed at my jokes, helped subdue Grandpa’s jealous girlfriend, and picked up my drunk cousin at the police station. Typical first-date stuff.”
June smiled. “How about fireworks? Chemistry? That wonderful spark between two people who are just made for each other?”
“I don’t even know what that means.”
Yes, you do, chided the voice in her head.
Shut up.
“What’s that, dear?” June asked.
Reese bit her lip. “Nothing.”
They both fell silent, the sound of wet pavement sloshing beneath the tires. Reese stared past the trees and rolling green hills and tried not to think about Clay.
She’d really thought there might be something there, which was stupid. He was the worst possible match for her. A recovering alcoholic who was best friends with her ex and fuck buddies with her cousin?
But still, she’d felt something between them. She always had. Something that hadn’t been there with Eric, or with any other man she’d dated in the last decade.
Her parents talked about being soulmates. It was a stupid concept, one Reese refused to believe in. Relationships were about hard work and solid friendship and the ability to be patient with the other person’s shortcomings, and even then, there were no guarantees. There was no magical formula, no woo-woo chemistry that kept two people together. Some people just had the ability to make relationships work, and some people didn’t.
Reese sure as hell didn’t. It was as simple as that.
Still. Maybe she was missing something. Wouldn’t be the first time. She glanced over at her mother, then down at her mom’s wedding ring.
I call dibs . . .
“Mom?”
