Page 88 of Coveted Justice

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Amanda and Josh were settled into the seats in the movie theater, a bucket of popcorn between them along with a box of Sno-caps. If Amanda were on her own, she would have sprinkled the candy in with the buttery popcorn because salty-sweet was a favorite combination.

The previews were done and the movie was beginning. It was a popular action series, so it didn’t take long for the story to get going. She was engrossed in the film when she felt Josh place his arm on top of her shoulders, his fingers grazing the bare skin of her arm. The touch sent zings of electricity rocketing through her body. She was completely aware of him now, the warmth of his skin, the scent of his body wash. She had to force herself to breathe in and out like a normal human being. Suddenly the tension between them had ratcheted up about a million notches. She’d been pretty relaxed up until now.

He must have felt her move or shift because he immediately pulled his arm back, leaning forward to whisper in her ear.

“Sorry about that.”

She didn’t want him to be sorry. She wanted him to put his arm back.

I was just surprised because this is all so new with him.

“It’s okay. It was fine.”

Gathering her courage, she placed her hand on top of his on the armrest. Immediately, their fingers tangled together, his much larger hand holding hers. It was dark but she could have sworn she saw him smile.

It might have been my imagination, though.

They held hands throughout the whole movie, only stopping when the credits rolled and the lights came up. He did hold her hand as they walked out of the theater and back to the car. He’d borrowed Uncle Dare’s ancient pickup truck for the summer, but it ran fine despite the dent in the front bumper. Cherish had put it there when she was learning to parallel park.

He’d asked her earlier if pizza was okay and she’d enthusiastically agreed. They were seated at a quiet corner booth at the local pizza parlor which wasn’t too busy on a weeknight. On the weekend, this place would be packed with a line out of the door.

They ordered a sausage with extra cheese and a pitcher of soda. The server brought their drinks and drifted over to the other tables, leaving them alone.

Once again, that pesky tension was back. This time it just felt awkward. She and Josh had talked thousands of times but tonight it felt different. It all felt different. She was seeing him in a whole new light, and she had to admit that she was incredibly attracted to him. He was smart, funny, handsome, and he smelled good. The combination was damn near impossible to resist, and she could understand what made Chloe show up at the office that day. What girl wouldn’t want Josh?

“Did you like the movie?” he asked, taking a sip of his drink. “I think the series might have run its course, to be honest. It was good but not great.”

The movie. Yes, that was a nice, safe topic for the two of them.

“It was good, but I agree that it’s starting to get a bit repetitive. If they make another one, they’re going to need some fresh material, or maybe some new actors.”

Josh nodded as if he agreed. Then there was silence again. That topic hadn’t lasted long. Shit. Now what?

The bell over the door rang and a family entered, parents and two boys who looked under the age of five. They were pretending to be airplanes with their arms stretched out while buzzing loudly around the restaurant. Mom and Dad looked mortified, desperately trying to corral them into a booth across the room.

“That’s exactly how I was when I was a kid,” Josh said with a grin. “I had so much energy the people around me didn’t know what to do. I had one foster family put me on the treadmill just to burn off some of my energy. I sure wish I had that energy now.”

“Those poor parents look exhausted,” Amanda remarked, watching as the mother chased down one of the errant children and brought him back to their table. The dad was trying to interest the other in a coloring book and crayons. “I’m tired just watching them.”

“Do you not want kids?”

There was a strange tone in Josh’s voice when he asked the question. It sounded as if her answer was really important to him.

“I do want kids, actually,” she said, not bothering to pretend or play it cool. She couldn’t do that with him. If they were going to go out on a date, she wanted it to be with the real her and him. “Not when I’m young, though. I’d like to get established a bit before I have kids. I think I’d like two or three.”

“I was thinking two or three of my own and then adopting or fostering. There’s a lot of kids in the system that need a good home.”

Josh would know. He’d spent a good portion of his life in foster care since his mother had been an addict.

“You took care of Sami, didn’t you?”

Sami was his sister Samantha, and Josh was very close to his sibling. He’d been the one to get her to go to bed and brush her teeth. He’d told Amanda all about his childhood.

At least she thought he had. The truth was she didn’t know if he’d told her everything. She’d always assumed that he had, but now that she thought about it, he’d probably kept a great deal to himself.

“Somebody had to,” he replied with a shrug. “My bio mom couldn’t even take care of herself, let alone a child.”

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