Cole
Lexie was late.
And she was hiding something.What, I didn't know. But something was off.
It was an hour past dark, and I was standing outside Luigi's waiting for Lexie to show. Sure, I could've waited inside the restaurant, but chivalry – and yeah, maybe some curiosity – had me doing the opposite.
Through the falling snow, I kept an eye out, wondering if she would arrive by car or on foot.
I didn't know.
And this bothered me.
She and I had been going out for exactly two weeks. This wasn't a long time, but it was long enough for me to know that things weren't adding up.
I had never seen her house – insideorout – because she refused to let me pick her up. And she'd never come to my place.Her choice, not mine.
Whether for safety or because she wanted to take it slow, she always found a reason for us to meet somewhere else. So far, we had met at the candy store, at the park, at the mall, and at several restaurants.
I still had no idea what she drove or if she owned a vehicle at all.
I liked her.Maybe I more than liked her. Still, I had been holding back for a reason.There was something she wasn't telling me.
Whatever it was, I needed to find out. And because I was a straight-shooter, I was planning to do it the old-fashioned way – by asking Lexie directly.
I was still considering my questions when I spotted her two blocks away. She was walking quickly toward the restaurant with her head down and her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her long, wool coat.
When she looked up, she was frowning. The frown lingered until she saw me waiting outside the restaurant, at which point she gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
I felt my eyebrows furrow.Something was wrong.
I didn't know what, but I was going to find out.
Chapter 17
Lexie
After the waitress left with our drink orders, Cole gave me a long, careful look before asking, "So, how was your day?"
Lousy.
That's how it was.
Today, the candy store had been extra-busy, which had made it impossible for me to get out on time. And then, I'd opted to walk here straight from work.
By car, the distance would've been nothing. On foot, it had turned out to be a lot longer than I'd anticipated. Plus, it was snowing like crazy.
Normally I loved the snow.
Not today.
Today I'd been unprepared for a long snowy walk because while getting dressed this morning, I'd rejected my warm winter boots in favor of sassy red pumps with little black buckles that reminded me of Santa's belt.
Impractical?
Probably.
But I'd been feeling festive and hadn't stopped to question what I was doing. Now, ten hours later, my feet were soggy and cold while the rest of me was still sweating from the effort of hustling to get here.
