Page 34 of Every Little Kiss
That got a small smile out of her, but the sparkle in her eyes told him she wasn’t falling for it. “It’s been so long I don’t even know.”
“Okay, how about start by answering a few simple questions.”
“What? Like favorite color, favorite food, favorite number?” She laughed. “There’s more to connecting with someone than how they answered the latest Facebook quiz.”
“I was thinking something a little deeper, like, ‘Are you willing to have open conversations in order to connect with others?’ But we can start with yours. In fact, I’ll go first.” Ford looked at her top. “At the moment, red, Popsicles, and no one really has a favorite number. Everyone knows the real question is favorite kiss,” he said, and the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
Liv froze, which was the exact opposite of what was happening in his chest. Because Sam had just entered the room. That was a lie—Sam had always been there. From day one. Ford had just vocalized what they’d both been ignoring.
“Liv, I—”
“No, go on, tell me how these questions will help me figure everything out.” She folded her arms in a stance that was so far from warm and friendly Ford was afraid his nuts would get frostbite.
“Not everything,” he said softly, apologetically. “But it might be a good starting point to talk about the kinds of things that pique your interest. For me it would be smart, sassy, and someone who can rock a pair of cupcake scrubs like nobody’s business,” he said jokingly, trying to get the lightness back. “In case you were wondering.”
“I wasn’t. But now that you mention it, I guess I like honest, easy to read, someone who doesn’t have to rely on beef-rib bouquets or charming one-liners. It should just happen naturally.”
Well, that went smoothly,he thought, looking down at the challenging spark in her eyes. Hating himself when he saw the raw ache behind it.
“Message received loud and clear,” he said. “But you’ve got to start somewhere. I get that it won’t be with me, but you need to put yourself out there.”
