Page 58 of There's Pumpkin About You
“Your shoes go on the end of the row,” I tell her.
I keep all of my shoes in a neat row on the shoe shelf underneath the ottoman by the door. Each pair is placed in height order. Since she has knee-high boots on, they go on the end. She pauses and sees the shoe rack, taking a second to compute what I’ve said before picking up her boots and placing them in the correct place.
I breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
“Come on.”
I lead the way into the kitchen, deciding to get us another drink to buy myself some time. I keep a four-pack of beer in the fridge for whenever Bash or Sam come by. I grab two, screw off the cap before passing her one.
“Does this mean I’m in store for more truths?” Wren asks with a mischievous grin.
“You never know, sweetheart. You could be in store for more than that.”
When I see the way her eyes widen, I internally panic. Was that too forward?
I take a step back, nervously scratching at the back of my neck. My shirt feels too tight, my kitchen too small. I’m not usually timid around women so why am I suddenly feeling as if I’m meeting the fucking Queen of England?
An adorable flush of pink winds its way up her neck to her cheeks and across her nose.
“I apologize if that made you uncomfortable.”
She shakes her head. “No, no, you didn’t. I’m just surprised is all. I’m not used to men being so forward with me.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I merely meant that we might end up sharing more than truths.”
She looks up at me with a shy smile.
“Okay, yeah that still sounds bad.”
Her laugh is light and raspy and I’m finding myself wanting to hear it all the goddamn time. “I’m not used to hearing you sound so nervous.”
I move over to the couch, dropping myself down onto it with a sigh. My hand roughly moves itself up my face and into my hair. “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to talking to you in a way that isn’t an argument.”
Timidly, she makes her way over to me, choosing to sit right next to me. A small hand rests on mine. “That night when you introduced me to Mori and the others, you seemed to speak to me just fine, if I remember correctly.”
Shit, I’d completely forgotten about the confidence I felt that night. I simply just went with what felt natural. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation. I didn’t follow the steps then, I just said what I wanted to say to her in the moment. I wanted to see that heart-stopping smile of hers, be close enough to her to breathe in the smell of her. I just did what felt natural.
“August.”
I move my gaze to her.
“If it feels natural for you to argue with me, then argue.”
My expression turns quizzical. “Argue about what?”
“How about the fact that you lied to me about stopping work on the barn?”
I down half my beer. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
A perfectly manicured eyebrow raises. “Why did you lie?”
“I didn’t lie. Technically, I didn’t say anything at all, I just didn’t mention that we weren’t stopping work.”
“August,” she sighs.
“When did we move from Gus to August?”
She leans forward and I instantly smell her. It takes everything in me not to take a deep breath. “When did we move from Wren to sweetheart?”
