Page 27 of Replay
I hurry around to the driver’s side, feeling Mac’s eyes on me the entire time. As I pull away, I glance over at Tilly. “You sure your brother is okay with this?”
“Too late to turn back now, Sonny. Just drive.” Her voice wavers at the end like she’s nervous.
“You doing okay there?”
“Yep,” she quips as she peeks at me out of the corner of her eye. “You?”
“I’m better now that your brother isn’t growling at me anymore.” I glance back, halfway expecting Mac to be tailing me. My eyes notice Tilly frowning thoughtfully. “Something on your mind there, Trouble?”
“Yes.”
“Care to share?”
“I think we should have rules,” she blurts out as she teases the frayed edge of a hole in her jeans.
“Rules for what?”
“Rules for this ‘business meeting’.” I can’t help but fight back a laugh at the weird tone she uses to say business meeting.
“Why don’t we just call this a couple of friends going to eat food?” I suggest, my body resisting this idea because I want this time to be different. I want her to just be herself and let her guard down a bit with me. However, if Tilly wants rules, maybe it’s because she’s nervous.
I like that I make Tilly nervous.
“Considering we’ve both seen each other naked, we need rules,” Tilly rushes out, and I nearly choke on my own shock.
I glance over to see her chewing nervously on her lower lip as I ask, “What did you have in mind?”
“Rule number one…”
I press my lips together because she’s adorably flustered right now but clearly has given this some thought.
“No talking about the past. Only the present or future. But the fact that we have history is off the table now. Okay?”
“Okay…” I reply slowly, wishing I could pull this car over to take a walk down memory lane right bloody now.
“Number two,” she continues. “No flirting or over-friendly compliments. And no chivalry. Don’t open doors for me or be a gentleman. Just treat me like one of the guys.”
My hands tighten around the steering wheel because just having Tilly in my car, invading my nose with her familiar honeysuckle scent that she had five years ago, will make that rule an almost definite impossibility. “I’ll do my best.”
“Please do,” she quips. “Also, we pay for our own food.”
“I can’t give you that one,” I argue, staring at the road. “This is a business meeting, so I’ll pay.”
“You said you’re not charging me for your services, though.”
“So?”
“So, at the very least then, I should buy your dinner.”
“What happened to paying for our own food?” I ask, holding back a teasing smile.
“I don’t care. I’m buying dinner. End of discussion.” Hearing her resigned tone, I can’t help but feel like I’ve already won.
“Anything else you want to add to this list?”
“Nothing I can think of for now. Do you have anything you want to add?”
I exhale heavily. I could think of many things I want to add, but I’m almost certain she wouldn’t agree with them.
