Page 88 of The Matchmaker Club
16
Deer Crossing
We couldn’t find any red inventory stickers, but we bought some white ones and borrowed Lainey’s red paint markers that she used on her pottery to color them in. I figured Lucas would have given up at this point, but he was more focused and driven than I’d ever seen him.
I finished coloring in a sticker and started on the next. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
“Why is that?”
“If you’re going to all this trouble to piss off Frank just for laughing at your poison ivy rash, then I don’t want to know the levels you’d go to get back at someone whoreallypissed you off.”
He started on a new sticker, his hand swinging back and forth. “You forget the promise I made to you.”
“What promise?”
His marker went still, and he looked up at me with a sly grin. “That if I got a rash on any parts I hold dear, you’d better watch it.”
“Oh really? And what do you intend to do? Marker-paint my face in my sleep?”
He shrugged. “Hadn’t thought about it, but thanks for the idea.”
I stopped coloring and glared at him. “You touch any part of my body with that marker, thenyou’llbe the one who has to watch it.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Nope. And you’re not the only one who keeps their promises.”
He squinted his eyes and the muscles in his jaw feathered.
I went back to coloring, thinking the matter was dropped. But then Lucas did the unthinkable. He reached over and drew a long line down my arm.
My mouth fell open as my mind processed what had just happened. I shook my head. “Oh, you are so going to regret doing that.”
His left eyebrow shot up. “What are you going to do about it?”
“My advice? Don’t fall asleep tonight.”
“We’ll see what you got.”
Man. Lucas was going to get it.
My grandmother walked into the kitchen and peeked over at our artwork. “Should I ask?”
“Not unless you want to get arrested for accessory to a crime.”
Lucas snorted out a laugh, and I followed in with him.
She shrugged and grabbed a cookie from her stash. “It wouldn’t be the first time I was arrested.”
“You’ll see the next time you go into town.” Lucas and I smiled at each other without saying a word.
“Good luck.” She shuffled back into the parlor in her slippers.
“Do you think this is enough?” he asked.
“Looks about right.”
He stood up. “Let’s do it.”
