Page 48 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating
“Rebecca?” he mumbled to the girl.
“What? You never told meyourname.”
“What are you doing here?” Piper asked, coming over and putting herself between Josh and Rebecca. A purposeful and tactical move. There was an urgency to her voice and a sadness in her eyes that told Josh she knew exactly what kind of night, and what kind of life, Rebecca had endured. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t reach out to touch Rebecca’s cheek, and she didn’t step toward her. In fact, she looked the girl square in the eye and curved her shoulders to make herself appear smaller.
“Heading to Skye’s and wanted to tell you I can’t do the art show thing.”
“But you’re so good.” She turned to Josh. “She’s so good. You should see the piece she spray painted on Skye’s garage door.”
Josh wasn’t sure how Skye felt about someone spray painting her garage, but his mom would have freaked. And called the cops. Just like Josh threatened to do. And here he thought his mom was out of touch. Maybe the apple didn’t fall very far from his paranoid, loveable, entitled mom’s tree.
“I can imagine. She has a vivid imagination,” Josh said, and Rebecca shot him a glare.
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “See ya.”
“No way. I have like three pounds of pasta and garlic bread in the house, and I need someone to help me eat it.” Josh opened his mouth, but Piper gave him a small head shake.
She handed Rebecca the keys and when the teen didn’t immediately take them, Piper shoved them in her hand. “I’ll be in in a second.
Rebecca evil eyed Josh then, to his utter surprise, went inside and shut the door behind her.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know she was coming,” she said. “I was going to cook you a homemade dinner to say thanks for everything.” She paused. “I’m hoping it’s the kind of ‘thank you’ news, but if it’s not, then tell me. Not right now.” She covered her ears. “I just convinced that poor girl to enter into a show that won’t happen if that permit didn’t come through . . .” She looked at him, her eyes a little too glassy for his liking. “Did it? Come through?” she whispered.
Transparency will get you laid.
Not tonight. Not after the five-foot tall date block with a mean kick. But Josh was playing the long game.
“There was an issue with the permit,” he began. “We’d need off duty cops, traffic direction, and that all takes more time than a few weeks.”
Her whole body seemed to cave in on itself. “I figured,” she said then plastered on a big, bright smile. “But thank you for trying. Not many people would even do that, so I’m grateful.”
“I’m not done.” He took her hand. “I called the mayor’s wife, and she’s on board with merging the girls’ art show in with the auction at Bid for the Cause.”
“Are you for real?” She dropped his hands and threw her arms around his neck in a hug that was so sweet and genuine it brought on a strange kind of chest pain. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He let her hold on for a moment longer, because she seemed to need it and he seemed to need her up against him. Maybe it was the little scare with Rebecca, or maybe it was the way Piper looked at her as if she’d once been in the teen’s shoes that twisted a knot deep in his gut.
Transparency. Don’t blow your chance now.
“It’s not a done deal. We still have to convince my mom,” he said, and her smile vanished. “Hang on, that’s the easy part. I know that I can get her to agree, I prom—”
She covered his mouth. “Please don’t say that word.”
He wanted to argue, but his heart hurt too much for the breathtaking woman with the sad smile. He knew she didn’t ask for a lot from the people in her life, but she was asking him for patience and understanding. Those were two things he had in spades.
He took her hands away but held them in his clasp. “I won’t. But only because you asked me not to.”
She went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “You’re a good man, Josh Easton.”
14
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Piper watchedJosh pull away from the curb and walked into her house. Rebecca was at the kitchen table. Her back was straight, her backpack was in her lap, and she looked closed off and scared.
Piper didn’t blame her. She wasn’t sure what had transpired, but based on her scraped knee and cheek, it had been a crappy night. And that wasn’t taking into account what had gone down between her and Josh.
