Page 49 of Coming for You


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He responds by turning on the water and pretending he can’t hear me. A jerk move except he’s doing the dishes, so I let it slide and focus on getting the dogs settled before we all head out for the afternoon.

By the time he’s done in the kitchen, I have just enough time to prep Sloan’s thermos and yes, more snacks, before we take off for dance.

Having bonded more in their cooking adventures together, Sloan and Knox wind up chatting for the bulk of the drive. Mostly, Sloan is busy giving him the breakdown of who’s who at dance and what to expect from their performance on Tuesday.

“Oh, and there’s another girl, Leslie. We’re the same height and we kind of start to look the same on stage because we both have dark hair and wear the same type of makeup and, anyway, my dad always ends up thinking I’m her at some point. We have loads of videos of Leslie dancing to prove it. So, make extra sure, when you’re watching, that you’re actually watching me.”

“Noted.” He casts a subtle glance in my direction, and I catch it even while I’m driving. He’s wondering how hard it really is to tell them apart. I give a small shake of my head letting him know it won’t be an issue for him.

“Ma!” She suddenly pulls me into the conversation. “I was supposed to tell you that backstage moms are having a quick meeting after rehearsals tonight.”

“When did you find out about this?”

“Last Monday.”

Of course. “Well, thanks for letting me know.” I don’t withhold the sarcasm. “I’ll be there.”

Speaking of being there. We are.

I’m barely into my parking spot when Sloan is swinging her door open, eager to jump out. “See you guys in a little bit.”

“Love you,” I call out just as the door is swinging shut.

I can make out an ‘I love you too’, but only based on my lip-reading skills. Then she’s running for the door to the studio and disappearing inside a second later.

“So,” I start, realizing we’ve reached the part of the afternoon where I stop knowing what’s going on. “Where to next?”

“Nah.” He shakes his head, getting out as well. Next thing, he’s at my side, opening my door. “I’ll drive. Keep the element of surprise alive for a bit longer.”

I scrunch up my nose, internally considering putting up a fight. “I don’t really care for those.”

“You’ll care for this one.” He waves for me to get moving. “Come on. Out ya go. We don’t wanna be late.”

“I might be more motivated to be on time if I know what I’m trying to be punctual for,” I point out as I vacate my spot in the driver’s seat and crawl over the center console to land in the passenger one. Knox looks temporarily thrown, like he wasn’t expecting me to do that, but then he gets over my uncivilized ways and gets back in the truck as well.

“I’m not telling you anything.” He grins. “Consider it an exercise of trust.”

I make a face.

“Exactly.” He laughs. “We both know you need the practice.”

I’m still not impressed but then he takes my hand, squeezes, and says, “I’ll deliver. Promise.”

And I think maybe, having a little more faith won’t be a bad thing. Maybe, if I keep putting my faith in him, someday, I’ll even be good at it.

I notice we go right when he hit the main drag. Away from the ocean and toward more civilization. I usually try to go left,for obvious reasons, but I don’t voice my apprehensions about his choice to go inland. He has a reason. And I can roll with that. Well, I’m going to try anyway.

“How far away is this mystery destination?” I ask, trying to sound casual, though I’m secretly calculating driving time.

“We won’t be late picking up Sloan,” he says, apparently reading my mind.

“I wasn’t worried about that.”

“Liar.” But he laughs, so I think he forgives me.

“Fine. I’ll do the thing,” I submit to his request. “I’ll give trust a shot.” My mouth quirks at the corner while I try to fight off a smile. “I mean, you kind of continue to give me every reason to.”

“Oh, look who’s finally catching on.” He winks. “New topic. Coffee?”