of my watch and wanted to cry. Somehow it had gotten to be after one in the afternoon when I wasn’t paying attention.
Back in the darkened living area, Jesse was on one of the couches with a newspaper, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants. My whole body went warm at the sight of that.
An extra-hard gust of wind brought my attention back to the windows. It felt like the whole building shook.
“My God, this storm is crazy,” I said. “I wonder if they are getting any of it back home.”
He looked up as I spoke, and I crossed my arms as his eyes slowly panned me. Couldn’t have been worse than the horrific nipple display. When his eyes finally met mine, there was something different there. Something softer, a memory, maybe. I licked my lips as I felt my heart speed up a little.
You have no business going down this path, Andie. None at all.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Much.”
“So, where’s home?” he asked, leaning back.
He slung one arm along the back of the couch and looped one bare foot across his knee. I wondered if he had any idea how sexy he looked. Probably not. The vibes I got from him were all instinctive, like nothing he did was on purpose. I envied him that. Everything I did was on purpose. And it was exhausting sometimes.
“Still Baytown,” I said.
“Your family still there?” he asked.
I sank into the opposite end of the couch, sitting sideways to face him and drawing my knees up. “No,” I said softly. “My parents died a few years back.”
“Sorry.”
I hugged my knees. “It’s hard sometimes. I feel it more now that Lanie—my daughter—left for school. Like I have no roots anymore.”
“So what keeps you there?”
I sighed, struck with the weirdest feeling that I could talk to him. Like another day when I’d spilled my whole life.
“A relationship.”
I saw his eyebrows raise slightly. “A relationship ,” he repeated. I heard the mocking tone. “What does that mean?”
I rolled my eyes, and then felt sixteen doing it. “It means what it always means, Montgomery.”
He held a palm out and let it drop. “A boyfriend?”
“Kinda.”
“Kinda?” he mocked again.
“Quit doing that,” I said, kicking a foot at his thigh.
“Well, there’s no such thing as a kinda boyfriend, Fremont,” he said. “Unless you’re thirteen, and you don’t circle yes or no in the note.”
I laughed at that. “I know.” I covered my face with my hands for a second. “It’s just complicated.”
“How so?” He crossed his arms, and the look almost made me laugh again. It was a weird kind of bizarre. But in a good way.
“Must we?”
“Most definitely.”
I ran fingers through my damp hair. “I live with someone. Sort of.”
He laughed, and it was warm and reminiscent of another time. “There it is again, Fremont. You do or you don’t.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay, I do, but it wasn’t planned—”
“Usually isn’t,” he said. “Whose place was it?”
I frowned. “Well, originally he kind of moved into mine—”
“Kind of.”
I flashed him a look. “Just go with it, will you?” He held up his hands with a grin. “So, he ended up there, but kept his condo, and somewhere along the way—I don’t know. Somehow, we ended up at the condo, and I sold my house.”
“You sold a house to move to a condo?”
“I know,” I said with a frown. “Doesn’t make sense. That’s what I’m saying, nothing was planned, it just sort of evolved.”
“He wanted to be at his place,” Jesse said, his tone matter-of-fact. “And he managed to get you to think that was the best idea, as well.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not liking this game.”
“There’s no game here,” he said, gesturing with one hand. “It’s just easier sometimes for an outsider to see the true colors.” He studied me for a moment. “What were you running from today?”
I physically pulled back. “Running?” I laughed. “I wasn’t running.”
“You’re off on a
Back in the darkened living area, Jesse was on one of the couches with a newspaper, wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants. My whole body went warm at the sight of that.
An extra-hard gust of wind brought my attention back to the windows. It felt like the whole building shook.
“My God, this storm is crazy,” I said. “I wonder if they are getting any of it back home.”
He looked up as I spoke, and I crossed my arms as his eyes slowly panned me. Couldn’t have been worse than the horrific nipple display. When his eyes finally met mine, there was something different there. Something softer, a memory, maybe. I licked my lips as I felt my heart speed up a little.
You have no business going down this path, Andie. None at all.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Much.”
“So, where’s home?” he asked, leaning back.
He slung one arm along the back of the couch and looped one bare foot across his knee. I wondered if he had any idea how sexy he looked. Probably not. The vibes I got from him were all instinctive, like nothing he did was on purpose. I envied him that. Everything I did was on purpose. And it was exhausting sometimes.
“Still Baytown,” I said.
“Your family still there?” he asked.
I sank into the opposite end of the couch, sitting sideways to face him and drawing my knees up. “No,” I said softly. “My parents died a few years back.”
“Sorry.”
I hugged my knees. “It’s hard sometimes. I feel it more now that Lanie—my daughter—left for school. Like I have no roots anymore.”
“So what keeps you there?”
I sighed, struck with the weirdest feeling that I could talk to him. Like another day when I’d spilled my whole life.
“A relationship.”
I saw his eyebrows raise slightly. “A relationship ,” he repeated. I heard the mocking tone. “What does that mean?”
I rolled my eyes, and then felt sixteen doing it. “It means what it always means, Montgomery.”
He held a palm out and let it drop. “A boyfriend?”
“Kinda.”
“Kinda?” he mocked again.
“Quit doing that,” I said, kicking a foot at his thigh.
“Well, there’s no such thing as a kinda boyfriend, Fremont,” he said. “Unless you’re thirteen, and you don’t circle yes or no in the note.”
I laughed at that. “I know.” I covered my face with my hands for a second. “It’s just complicated.”
“How so?” He crossed his arms, and the look almost made me laugh again. It was a weird kind of bizarre. But in a good way.
“Must we?”
“Most definitely.”
I ran fingers through my damp hair. “I live with someone. Sort of.”
He laughed, and it was warm and reminiscent of another time. “There it is again, Fremont. You do or you don’t.”
I blew out a breath. “Okay, I do, but it wasn’t planned—”
“Usually isn’t,” he said. “Whose place was it?”
I frowned. “Well, originally he kind of moved into mine—”
“Kind of.”
I flashed him a look. “Just go with it, will you?” He held up his hands with a grin. “So, he ended up there, but kept his condo, and somewhere along the way—I don’t know. Somehow, we ended up at the condo, and I sold my house.”
“You sold a house to move to a condo?”
“I know,” I said with a frown. “Doesn’t make sense. That’s what I’m saying, nothing was planned, it just sort of evolved.”
“He wanted to be at his place,” Jesse said, his tone matter-of-fact. “And he managed to get you to think that was the best idea, as well.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m not liking this game.”
“There’s no game here,” he said, gesturing with one hand. “It’s just easier sometimes for an outsider to see the true colors.” He studied me for a moment. “What were you running from today?”
I physically pulled back. “Running?” I laughed. “I wasn’t running.”
“You’re off on a
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