Page 41 of Healing You
Ronnie's face flushed and she pressed her lips together so hard that they blanched of color. “She wrote that horrible note—”
“Ronnie, he hasn't had a date in a long time. Let the guy have a little fun,” Callie interrupted.
But Ronnie didn't stop. “She's the reason you drowned in guilt for years—”
“Enough!” Though he spoke quietly, Steve's tone had a firmness to it. “I love you, Ronnie. But seriously, I don't need a guard dog.”
With that, Ronnie's face softened, the anger melting into concern. She hiked her bag higher onto her shoulder, turning her attention to Lydia. “Any specific type of dessert I should ask Lex about?”
“Lemon meringue pie,” she answered. Ronnie gave a nod and bolted out of Elsa's cafe, shouldering past Yvonne. A moment passed between the two ex-friends; for all of a second, he saw just as much anger in Yvonne's face as Ronnie had in hers. They circled each other like two dogs looking for a fight.
Luckily, the moment was fleeting and Ronnie broke eye contact first, pushing through the door and exiting the diner.
“Hey, Yvonne,” Lydia called, waving her over. “I've got a question for you.”
Yvonne bounced over, the brief flash of anger all but gone, and gave Steve's hand a quick squeeze in lieu of a hello. “What's up?”
“Marty mentioned that we should talk. Cam and I already have all the stuff we need and so instead of gifts, we're going to feature local non-profits that we want people to donate to. I would really love to include the Maple Grove Animal Rescue in that.”
Yvonne's hazel eyes went glossy. “Really? That would be amazing.”
Lydia waved her sentiments off. “We're also running in your race. I'm slower than a turtle trudging through molasses, but I'm determined to finish.”
Steve nudged Yvonne. “Compared to this one, I'm slow as hell, too.”
“But you always finish, don't you, Steve?” Callie joked, wiggling her eyebrows at her brother.
Steve cringed while Lydia hid a snicker from behind her hand. “You're my baby sister. You're so not supposed to be joking like that.”
Yvonne dipped her gaze to the floor. One finger pushed between her lips, and she nibbled her nail as the tops of her ears flushed pink. “It's gonna be a really fun day. And hopefully we'll get these animals into homes. That's what it's really about.” She reached into her purse, pulled out a business card and handed it to Lydia. “Here, call me next week and we'll talk.”
Lydia packed up her magazines and binders, tucking them into a canvas bag. “Well, I should run. Gotta pick Maddie up from Girl Scouts.”
“And I have a date with an Adirondack chair and the lake before the sun goes down.” Callie grabbed her purse and pulled her sunglasses onto her nose.
“Easy there,” Steve said, gesturing to her tan. “Don't forget sunblock.”
He couldn't see her eyes behind the shades, but he was certain she was rolling them at him. “Okay, Mom.”
“Seriously, Cal. Once you're a raisin, you can never be a grape again.”
“God, I promise.” She lifted onto her toes, giving him a hug. He curled an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. When their dad died, Steve had missed a lot of his younger siblings’ milestones. Through middle and high school, he was usually drunk or stoned as a way of coping with their dad's motorcycle accident. It wasn't pretty. And he hated that he'd missed so much of their lives. Hell, of his own life.
He watched, waiting as his siblings cleared out of the cafe before looking to Yvonne—really looking at her. Her jeans hugged her muscular legs and the soft cotton shirt draped over her full, lush breasts. Her blond hair was twisted on top of her head in a messy bun that left wisps falling out around her face, and sunglasses acted as a headband. Holy hell, she was stunning. She was always stunning... but today especially, her cheeks were flushed, her lips plump and swollen. And he couldn't help but wonder if that extra glow was a result of him—of them. God, he hoped so.
“Hey, you,” he said finally as a greeting, looking her dead in the eye and careful to give nothing away about the freaking bees nest buzzing around in his stomach.
“Hey yourself,” she responded playfully. With a tilt of her head, her eyes brightened. What was that about being careful to give nothing away? Yeah. That was out the fucking window with that one look from her. She stole the breath right from him. Because those eyes? That gaze? Nothing was hidden within her. And if she wasn't going to play coy, then he sure as hell wouldn't either. “What do you wanna do tonight?” she asked.
A rush of heat surged through his body, tightening his cock with that one simple question. He inwardly growled... or at least he thought it was inwardly. Until Yvonne's eyes widened, her full lips forming into a circular 'O'. “Control yourself, Tripp.”
“Around you? Almost impossible. What do you say we get food to go, grab the dogs, and eat at my place?”
“I say why waste any time? You get the food, I'll get the dogs and meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
“I like the way you think.”
“And I really want to kiss you right now,” she whispered, dropping her gaze to her feet.
