Page 88 of How You See Me
Me too. If Jordan hadn’t set this up, we might never have connected.
Hayes points through the windshield, interrupting my thoughts, but my eyes stay on him. Whateverhe’s pointing at, I’m all in if it will keep that easy smile on his handsome face. It makes me all gooey inside.
“One sec.” I wave my phone. “Almost done.”
Me:Stop worrying. I’m in good hands.
Whoops. Probably shouldn’t have said it like that. With Hayes’ rare smile and the resulting gooeyness going on inside me, I typed before I used my puddle brain. Heat travels up my neck and settles in my cheeks at the memory of Hayes’ hands on my skin.
At least Jordan doesn’t react.
Jordan:Can’t help it.
Me:I’m the one who’s supposed to do all the worrying, remember?
Jordan:You ARE the best at it. Love you.
Chapter 19
Hayes
Up for doing something adventurous today?” I ask as Josie tucks her phone away. Her fingers pause mid-reach, head snapping toward me like I lit a match and tossed it into the back.
”She’s quiet, her lashes unmoving. “How adventurous? Are you talking about a cliff diving level of adventure or something less . . .I’m too young to die?”
“It’s safer than it looks. But . . .” I continue quickly to cut off her forming rebuttal. Her eyes were already narrowing. “Less death-defying.”
I take the exit, pointing to a sign on her side of the road.
“An adventure park? What do they have there?”
“The billboard said something about fossil digging.”
Her hands clap together, folding under her chin. She’s glowing again in the way that yanks wordsright out of my brain. “How cute is that? Did you like dinosaurs growing up?”
“Doesn’t everyone?”
“True. Jordan was obsessed. Every book he checked out from the library for years had to have dinosaurs. He even loved the boring educational ones.” Her nose wrinkles, making me chuckle. “I hated school so much I wanted to set those on fire. It was too structured.”
“That’s what I liked about it.”
She laughs. “Of course you did. Does your sister like dinosaurs, too?”
The question hits me like the first blow starting a pillow fight—soft but unexpected. Enough to knock me off balance. I hadn’t planned on talking about Ava, even though she’s why I picked the fossil dig.
“When she was five, she fell in love with a dinosaur comforter she saw at the store. Mom caved, and soon, the dolls were gone, and every flat surface was covered with plastic dinosaur figurines. That was also whenThe Land Before Timestayed on an endless loop. I thought it was cute, but I only got to experience it sporadically. Mom wasn’t upset when she switched to another obsession.”
“Your mom doesn’t like dinosaurs?”
“I think it was more she already lived through the dino phase with her four other kids, and when Ava likes something she goes all-in.”
“Your sister sounds like my kind of kid.”
“Yeah,” I say, voice rougher now. “Mine, too.”
Josie beams at me. “Sounds like Ava and I have a lot in common. Is that why you like me, Hayes Montgomery?”
“Fortunately,” I begin with a smirk, “when I look at you, I don’t think about my little sister.”
