Page 36 of Take Me
“I’m glad you did.”I’m really not.Because now, in addition to my awkward thoughts about Erika’s girl parts, I’ve got that mental picture in mind.
Combing my brain for another non-sexual one, I come up with an oldie.
“Knock knock.”
“Who’s there?”
“Disguise.”I’m not sure I’ve ever done this one with Erika.
“Disguise who?”
I unleash my best gangster accent.“Disguise is your boyfriend?You can do better.”
The second I say it, I wince.“Shit.”
“What?”
“I didn’t mean to make you think about Neil.”
“You didn’t.”Her forehead furrows.“I honestly haven’t given him much thought lately.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep.”She gets an odd look on her face.“He texted again this morning, wanting to meet up.”
“He’s not coming to the wedding, is he?”
“No, I didn’t mean that.He just wants to see me, I guess.Get closure or whatever.”She shrugs in the corner of my eye.“Maybe I’ll meet him for a beer or something.Let him see I’m totally over him.”
“Are you?”
“I think so.”She doesn’t sound certain, but it’s better than how she seemed only a month ago.
“How about you?”
“Me?”
“How are you doing getting over Annabelle?”
“It’s a work in progress.”
Seeing her this morning stirred something inside me, though I’m not entirely sure what.Fondness?Of course, she’s a very kind person.Desire?Sure, she’s pretty, and it was only last week we were still sleeping together.A longing to get back together?
For the first time, I might be ready to admit we were never truly together.Not the way I wanted to be.I always hoped I could change that.That she’d grow to adore me like I adored her and we’d both?—
“Is that our turnoff?”
“Shit, yeah.”I hit my turn signal and swoop into the parking lot of Sunridge Vineyards.It’s less than two miles from Sam’s wildlife sanctuary, but it feels like a whole different world.“This place looks cool.”
“Doesn’t it?”She peers out the window at endless rows of grapevines and rolling green fields.A herd of shaggy alpacas stands grazing near a bank of brightly painted cabins.“Lucy says their wine is fantastic.”
“My sister knows everything,” I mutter.“By the way, she knows about us.”
“Us?”Erika turns back to face me.“What do you mean,us?”
“That we’re not really dating.No one else knows, but I can’t keep secrets from my twin, so?—”
“Gotcha, yeah, I get it.”She stuffs one last chip in her mouth, then seals up the can.“I told my dad, too.He thinks it’s hilarious.”
