Page 14 of Hoax and Kisses
“You remember which one it is, right?” I wink, and her cheeks turn pink.
After she’s stepped out and the door has closed behind her, Lola gently pushes me. “Behave.”
“It’s just a little fun teasing.” I press a kiss to her hair and back away. “Thank you for the pep talk. You should stop by to say hi to Daph before school starts.”
“Will do.”
I head out to my truck. “Sorry for keeping you waiting,” I say to Zoey as I approach. She’s standing next to the passenger door, watching me.
Why didn’t she get in? It’s warm and dry, and she wouldn’t look so… puppy-like.
“Are you?” she volleys back.
“Not really.” I load her suitcases in the bed, then climb in and crank the heat for her. As I shift into reverse, my finger grazes her thigh, and the cool softness of her skin sparks a tingling sensation that works all the way up my arm.
“Sorry.” Despite my best effort, the word still came out strangled.
I back out, a hand behind her headrest. “So, what are you in town for?”
“Ah, you know… I needed to get away from the city and connect with nature.”
Her tone is detached, her expression flat. There’s no way that’s why she’s here. It’s none of my business, though. I’m just trying to make polite conversation.
“If you want to connect with nature,” I glance down at her shoes, “maybe you should lose the heels for the rest of your stay.”
I shift into fourth, and my finger brushes against her thigh again. And for a split second, I swear she presses her leg further into my touch.
I release the stick and grip the steering wheel.
“Noted,” Zoey says, her voice tight. “I’ll buy some more appropriate footwear tomorrow.”
A handful of minutes later, we approach Oliver’s cabin, and I slow.
Zoey leans closer to the windshield, and for the first time since I met her, her eyes sparkle, her whole face lighting up with it.
“Oh, I can work with that,” she says as the log cabin comes into view, snugged between the forest and a lake.
I hum. “Wait until you see inside. The place is gorgeous. Oliver and his grandpa built it. They used trees from this forest and spent hours in the woodshed putting it together.” I point to the small outbuilding just visible behind the house, then drag my finger over to the dock. “Oli added this later. Great diving into the lake from there.”
“It’s like I’m cutting myself off from civilization,” she says, inspecting the pointed roof.
With a huff of a laugh, I park next to Charlee’s car, twigs snapping under the tires. I slide out and pull her suitcases from the bed, and as I round the truck with her luggage, I spot her still struggling to climb out of the passenger side.
I smirk and hold my hand out. “Would it be mean if I said I wish I could follow you around just to witness how you ‘connect with nature’?”
Groaning, she swats it away. And without help, she jumps down, though not without almost twisting her ankle when her heels make contact with the uneven ground.
“I may be from the city, but that doesn’t mean I can’t handle myself in Sticksville.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Sticksville? Really?” I scoff, stalking toward the cabin. “Unbelievable.”
“Hey! Wait!”
Without slowing, I climb the couple of stairs that lead to the front porch and drop the suitcases onto the wooden decking.
This is why I stay in my small town, surrounded by people I know and trust. It’s why I don’t mingle with the city folks. I can do without their judgments and arrogant attitudes. I’ve alreadyhad a go at it once. Been there, done that. Four years later, I still think about the time in my life that took so much from me. It was nothing but a blip inhers, I’m sure. I should have known better.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my thirty years of existence, but that one taught me more than any other in the last decade.
