Page 35 of Asher's Assignment
She fixed her gaze on him for several long moments. “You know, Edie said you were smart—a genius—and I’ve sort of seen that in action, but until now I never really thought about what that meant. Or just how smart you really are.”
He lifted a shoulder, a red flush creeping up his neck. “It’s not a big deal. I am who I am. I’ve always felt that way.”
His words pulled a smile from her. “That’s a great outlook to have. I wish more kids were like that. More accepting of themselves, you know?”
“Yeah. But it takes some mental toughness and a family to support it. I probably would have been more self-conscious about it if not for my dad and my grandparents. They helped me accept my intelligence by being vocal about loving me for me.”
A sharp pang went through Esther’s heart. He was right. Not every child had that.
Clearing her throat, she looked down at the pictures, quickly flipping through them to find the ones she wanted. “This one is from senior night.” She handed him a picture of Edie and their parents at the homecoming game. They smiled at the camera, Edie holding a single red rose and all decked out in her cheerleading uniform.
“Oh my goodness.” Asher let out a soft laugh. “That’s priceless.”
She handed him another one. It was the same picture, but now she was in it too.
“You two looked alike even then. Almost like twins.”
“We’ve been mistaken for twins. More than once.” With the right makeup, they looked nearly identical. They’d fooled a couple teachers before as a prank.
Esther flipped through more photographs, finding several more images of Edie and herself in their cheerleading garb.
“Mom and Dad have video of our routines. And from tumbling classes when we were really young. I’m sure they’re saving it to use to embarrass us with our children sometime down the line.”
Asher gave a soft chuckle. “No doubt.”
Esther opened another pack and shuffled through the pictures. These were from prom.
Asher let out a low whistle. “Wow.”
“What?” She glanced at him.
He nodded to the pictures in her hands. “You looked great.”
She pulled the photo from the envelope and held it up, smiling at the memories that assailed her. “That was a fun night. It was Edie’s senior prom, my junior, so we both got to go. We danced until they shut it down, then went to the after-prom and danced some more. My feet hurt so much the next day—for several days, really—but I’d have done it all over again.”
“Sounds like fun. I never went to prom.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “I was too young. My birthday is in mid-May, so I was only fifteen when we had our senior prom. What girl wants to go with a guy who can’t even drive?”
“Then they were dumb. I bet you were cute even at fifteen.” She blushed as she realized what her words implied.
His wolfish grin confirmed it. “You think I’m cute?”
Esther rolled her eyes. “Don’t even act like you don’t know. It’s not attractive. I doubt there’s a living, straight woman on the planet who wouldn’t find you gorgeous.”
“Maybe, but I’m not with any of them, am I? And I asked you.”
The heat in her face climbed higher. What was he getting at? “Why does it matter?”
He put the pictures on the bed behind them and leaned closer. “Maybe because I find you cute too.” His dark eyes captured her gaze and held it. “Not just cute. Beautiful.” He lifted a hand to smooth a tendril of hair off her temple. “You’re beautiful, Esther.”
Ooooh, Lord. What on earth was he doing? “Asher…” Her forehead wrinkled as she frowned, confused.
His fingers trailed over her cheek to skim the edge of her bottom lip. “Would you stop me if I kissed you?”
Would she—what? Esther blinked several times, attempting to process what he said. Was he serious?
