Page 66 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating
“I want you to be.”
She looked him in the eye. He wasn’t sure what she was looking for, but she must have found it because she ran her fingers through his hair and delivered a tender kiss. No deflection. No pretense. Just Piper, kicking the door open a small crack and letting him in.
19
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The next day,Piper spent her morning at the farmer’s market, distracting herself from worrying about Rebecca and the afternoon driving around looking for Rebecca. When she was about to start checking shelters, Skye called to let her know that Rebecca had slept there last night.
It was as if a dump truck worth of fear and worry had been lifted, and Piper could finally take a deep breath. Her biggest worry had been solved—she knew where Rebecca was, at least for tonight.
Which brought her to worry number two. The Ladies of Portland. Their monthly board meeting should be coming to a close and, good or bad, Piper would have her answer. If it were good, she’d celebrate with an entire batch of brownies. If the outcome was not in her favor, she’d allow five minutes of feeling sorry for herself, then strategize a new solution. She might even call Jillian and Darcy—or maybe even Josh—for a brainstorming session.
The skill of relying on others wasn’t in her genes, but these past few weeks had shown her that asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness—it was a signal to others that she was open to forging connections, and connections led to some pretty amazing things.
Piper spent the past few days going back over every second of that meeting. The things she’d said, every look and comment the ladies made, and the way Josh had been there for her.
She was a big show don’t tell kind of person—mainly because promises were rarely if ever kept and her policy protected her from further disappointment. Regardless of the outcome, Josh had come through. He’d gone the extra mile, and he’d shown up when she’d needed him most.
For Piper, a family wasn’t in the cards. But friends, romance, and maybe even the chance to make an impact on other people’s lives no longer seemed impossible.
She pulled into her driveway to find someone sitting on her front porch. The sun had turned in for the night, and the air had turned crisp, but Rebecca sat there, in nothing more than battered Converses, ratty jeans, and her thin dark blue hoodie.
Thin clothing was a good way to get around without lugging a suitcase. Piper had survived two winters without a proper coat. It was also a good way to freeze.
She grabbed her emergency raincoat and mittens from the floorboard of the back seat, then hopped out of the car and tossed it to Rebecca.
She caught it. “What’s this?”
“Peace of mind. It’s supposed to get down in the forties tonight.” Piper unlocked the door and stepped inside. She didn’t make a big deal about extending an official invite—girls like Rebecca didn’t do official. Instead, she left the door open behind her. “I’ve got chili going in the slow cooker.”
Relief hit hard when the teen followed her inside. “You pissed at me?”
“For what?” Piper left her purse and camera bag by the door and walked into the kitchen.
“For borrowing your camera.” Rebecca hung the jacket on the rack, and a minute later, she walked to the threshold of the kitchen.
Piper turned and lifted a brow. “Borrowing implies you asked permission.”
“It’s not like I hocked it or anything.” Rebecca rustled through her battered backpack and pulled out the camera. “Here.”
Piper hadn’t known until that second how much the camera meant to her. The shutter button was form fitted to her finger, the sides of the camera smooth from years of use. This camera was the start of her new life, a physical history of her journey. Starting with the day she left Georgia to the moment she sold her first photo and, finally, the moment it had been returned by a girl who could have sold it for a month’s worth of food.
“Thank you.”
“Whatever. It’s yours,” Rebecca said, her expression challenging her, likeGo ahead and yell at me for lifting the camera. Piper didn’t take the bait. When she’d invited the teen into her home, she knew there was a high chance the girl would walk off with something. It was a risk she was willing to take to ensure Rebecca had a safe, warm place to sleep.
“You could have stayed the other day.”
“I figured you wanted me out of your hair.” She was still standing at the threshold of the kitchen.
“How about we make a deal? We’ll both be straight up with each other. If I want you gone, I’ll tell you.”
“What do I have to do?”
Piper aimed the camera at Rebecca and snapped a photo. She was caught off guard with how young the teen looked. Beneath the attitude and anger was a scared sixteen-year-old who was all alone in a big, terrifying world. A girl who should be stressing about homework, not where her next meal would come from.
“Clean up after yourself and maybe help with the laundry. I hate laundry. It’s one of those chores that even when you’re done, it’s never really done.” While that was the truth, she wanted Rebecca to feel comfortable to wash her clothes. Laundromats cost money, and why waste it on cleaning clothes when showers were hard to come by? “You like chili?”
