Page 88 of Hang the Moon
BRENDON (7:52 P.M.):So I can make you come.
Her teeth scraped her bottom lip.
She didn’t regret sleeping with him, not in the slightest. She’d be remiss to say it had been solely due to the heat of the moment, but that had been a big part of it. This tension between them had been simmering and last night it had boiled over.
Planning ahead felt different. Deliberate. Like it meant more than just... scratching an itch. Like if she agreed, she’d be acknowledging she wanted him, not just for one night, but longer. Like she wanted to keep doing this. Keephim.
BRENDON (7:54 P.M.):And we can watch more of that show. With the French farmers?
Her chest clenched. She was so screwed.
ANNIE (7:55 P.M.):Don’t you have to work tomorrow?
BRENDON (7:56 P.M.):Tomorrow evening, then. We can go out to eat first.
BRENDON (7:57 P.M.):Then we can go back to my place and I can eat you out.
She wet her lips, breathing heavily.
ANNIE (7:59 P.M.):Yes.
Chapter Seventeen
Monday, June 7
Through the window of the car, Brendon gestured to Annie that he was going to duck inside the gas station. He’d just filled his tank, but the machine was out of receipt paper.
“Need anything?” he mouthed.
She shook her head and smiled before returning to her phone.
Inside, he quickly retrieved his receipt. Beside the register sat a Lucite tray of potted plants. Miniature succulents in palm-sized terra-cotta planters. He laughed under his breath and selected one with chunky, pale blue-green leaves that curled into a tight rosette atop the small mound of dirt. He set it beside the register and passed the cashier his credit card.
“We’ve got a five-dollar minimum,” the guy said.
Brendon grabbed a Snickers and waved off a plastic bag.
Annie looked up when he slid inside the car and graced him with a smile. “All set?”
He nodded and opened his hand, revealing the plant. “I got you a present.”
A furrow appeared between her brows for a split second before her eyes widened with glee. “Is that—”
“A succulent.” He nodded, letting her take it from him. “You said you wanted a houseplant, so...”
He’d buy her a million tiny succulents if they made her smile like she was now.
“Brendon,” she simpered, and held the plant aloft between them. “You bought me alove fern.”
He palmed his face and laughed. “Try not to kill it?”
She stroked the buttery-soft leaves with a finger and murmured nonsense to it under her breath, in turn making him chuckle. “I’ll do my best.”
He started the car. “Can you, uh, take plants on a plane?”
From the corner of his eye, Annie frowned, still stroking the succulent with her fingers. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll have to check.”
He hummed and pulled out of the parking lot.
