Page 121 of Whispers and Wildfire
She didn’t stir as I tugged my T-shirt and jeans back on. I slipped out and shut the door softly behind me.
It was a Saturday, and I didn’t have anywhere to be, so I went to her kitchen and made some coffee. I hung out for a while, scrolling through random stuff on my phone, until I heard her stirring in her bedroom.
A few minutes later, she came out, still blinking sleep from her eyes. She’d pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and still had on the tank top and pajama pants she’d slept in.
“Sorry,” she said. “Have you been up for a long time?”
“Not long. Did you get some rest?”
Reaching out, I took her hand and drew her onto my lap, straddling me.
“Mm hmm. Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
That made me smile. I rubbed her thighs. “Good.”
She hesitated for a moment and when she spoke, her voice was quiet. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How’s your dad?”
“He’s good. He’s been working on redoing the pantry for my mom.”
“Are your ribs okay?” She ran a hand along my midsection.
“Yeah. There wasn’t much lifting involved. He mostly just needed an extra set of hands.”
“That’s good. I’m glad you’re healing.”
“Me too. Pain sucks.”
“Do you need to go back up there to help again today?”
“Nope. We got him all taken care of. What about you? Any plans?”
“Not a one.”
“That’s good news for me.”
“Why? Do you think I want to hang out with you all day?”
“I think that’s exactly what you want,” I said. “And then you want me to sleep over again so you can almost push me off the bed.”
“I didn’t almost push you off the bed.”
“Yes, you did,” I said with a soft laugh. “I woke up on the verge of rolling off.”
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s all right.”
“Fine, you’re right. I want you to myself all day.”
“Done. You know what we should do?”
“What?”
“Go to the lake.”
