Shock - Marie Johnston Page 0,52

after.

Chapter 14

Lia

I get out of Ford’s car and skim my fingers under the hem of my sundress to make sure it’s not caught in my underwear. I’ve been out of the dating game for a while, but I wasn’t this nervous when I met Samuel at the country club.

Ford and I are on a date—out in public. We aren’t pretending and we’re no longer friends with benefits. We flew through those stages straight to dating. Each time I think about that quick decision on the side of a dusty road, my insides warm until I glow. We are into each other.

Ford comes around and offers his arm. His white polo hugs his muscles and his khakis adore his ass. I keep trying to walk a step or two behind him to check him out. I’ve seen that ass naked, but I can always look.

The parking lot behind McClintock’s is half full, but I doubt Tuesdays are a big date night. Ford and I work this weekend and he picked up a shift for Jada on Friday. Green vineyards stretch out behind the restaurant. This is the first time I’ve been on this side of them, not just hiking down the trails crisscrossing this area.

Ford opens the door for me. A hostess greets us with a wide smile and takes us to a table overlooking the vineyard. He orders a bottle of wine after we’re seated.

“I’ve heard this place is nice.”

He’s about to answer when a woman says, “Ford?”

We both look over. It takes me a moment to recognize Karoline. She’s not in a wedding dress, but long, wide-legged pants and a loose shirt. Sergei stands next to her, his arm around her waist.

“Karoline.” Ford’s tone is neutral.

Karoline smiles and she looks at me. “Hi, Lia. We never got a chance to officially meet at the wedding.”

I nod and glance at Ford. The evening started so pleasantly. I hope it ends the same way.

“Sergei,” he says evenly. “Nice to see you again.”

Sergei nods and awkward silence descends. I call on my old skills of idle small talk. “How was the honeymoon?”

Karoline’s face lights up and her smile widens. “Oh, it was wonderful. We’ve decided to keep the magic alive with weekly date nights.”

“We figured we’d better before we start having kids,” Sergei said. “I heard it gets busy then.”

A server nears the table with the wine and hesitates. Karoline glances over. “Oh, I’m sorry. We’re interrupting.”

“Would you like to join us?” The words leave my mouth before I can think about my invite. My gaze pops to Ford. His jaw is tight, but I’m probably the only one who notices.

“Oh…do you mind?” Karoline’s so innocently hopeful, I know it’s the right decision. The girl Ford grew up with has matured. She looks at Ford, waiting for his final approval.

“Not at all,” he says and rises. The hostess and the server arrange for two more settings.

After we’re all settled, Karoline fiddles with the edges of her black cloth napkin folded into a swan. “I’m glad we saw you before we were seated. I keep chickening out of calling. I figured you didn’t want to hear from me.”

I’m relieved she’s addressed the elephant sitting on our table. None of us wants our date night to be filled with uncomfortable chatter. If it’s going to go south, it might as well tank right away.

“I…” Ford’s brow crinkles as he figures out what he wants to say. “I’m trying to forgive and forget, but forgetting’s not easy.”

“It’s impossible for you to forget. Just know that looking back as an adult, I’m ashamed of the way I acted. Ryan feels the same. I want to keep apologizing, but I’m determined to prove myself through actions. We are not our father.”

Ford gives her a begrudging smile. “I’m sure I did some hurtful things too.”

“I think you were a saint given the situation. But you did try to diagnose every sniffle we had. Remember when I refused to go to school because you said my infected bug bite could be the plague?”

Ford’s grin is instant. “I’m a little better at that now. I’m sure it was only a flesh-eating bacteria.” Before the laughter settles down, I’m brainstorming topics to avoid more awkward silence, but Ford is there first. “Lia and I were at Mom’s and she brought out the picture albums.”

Karoline covers her face. “Oh no. I’ve managed to keep Mom from showing Sergei my unfortunate denim phase in high school.”

Ford chuckles. “I think your mom almost hugged