She paused. "Uh, yeah. That's what I said."
She had. Hadn't she?
Good.At least we agreed onthat.I returned my gaze to the driveway. "Right."
She said, "I think he's in his thirties."
Funny,Iwas in my thirties – thirty-one, to be exact, which meant that I was also too old for her, not that it mattered. Still, it was something to remember. "So what are you?" I said. "Twenty?"
She gave a hard scoff. "No."
Obviously, I'd hit a nerve. "So…what? Younger?"
Now she laughed. "No. But I know why you'd think that."
I knew why, too. She looked too innocent by half. Still, I asked, "Oh yeah? Why?"
"Because I haven't yet graduated from college, so I can see why you'd think I'm a lot younger."
A lotyounger?
While I was chewing onthat, she added, "But I'm in my third year, so I'm not too far off – from getting my degree, I mean."
"Right. English lit."
"You remembered?"
I did.But that wasn't the point. "So, you never said. How oldareyou?"
"First, how old areyou? Thirty-one, right?" She cleared her throat. "I read it in your bio."
My bio.Some of it was true. Some of it wasn't. With a low scoff, I said, "Don't believe everything you read."
She hesitated. "So you'renotthirty-one?'
"I am," I said. "But it still puts me in my thirties." Looking to drive the point home, I added, "Like Randy."
"Funny, you look younger. Not just younger than Randy. I mean, younger than thirty-one."
I got that a lot, especially when I spoke on college campuses. The truth was, I hadn't changed a lot over the last decade, except for my financials, that is.
I looked to Becka and said, "Your turn."
"Me? I'm twenty-four." She rolled her eyes. "Going on a hundred."
Not the wayIsaw it. She looked too sweet and too innocent.Too damned tempting, too.
But I declined to comment. We'd just reached the front of the house, and I pulled the car to a stop. "You wanna go in while I unload the stuff?"
She glanced toward the house. "Why wouldyouunload it? I mean, it'smystuff."
I might be a dick, but I wasn't so big a dick that I'd let her do the heavy lifting while I sat on my ass. "Don't worry. I could use the workout."
She turned her head and gave me good, long look. As she did, her lips parted before she quickly shut them again. The motion, as subtle as it was, sent my thoughts drifting where they didn't belong.
This wasn't good.
It was time to toss some cold water on both of us – and fast.
