be amazing. I love this place. But I’m a twenty-two-year-old girl with a disconnected cell phone and unpaid medical bills. Not exactly a candidate for a massive loan.” She exhales, her bright smile fading fast.
“I wasn’t trying to upset you,” I say, stepping toward her, not wanting her to leave without knowing that I want to know all her ups and downs, dreams and fears. I’ve wanted that for a long ass time. It’s time she understands I’m not full of hot air. “But I wish I’d known about the phone and bills. I could help.”
She shakes her head. “I would never.” She closes her eyes. “I wouldn’t want the guy I’ve been in love with to know what a mess I am.”
My eyes widen. “In love with?”
She covers her face. “Oh, God. I’ve really done it now.”
I pull her hands down, needing to see her gorgeous eyes. “You sure have.”
We stand face-to-face, a foot apart, and I pull her to me, needing this kiss more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.
Valerie
There are kisses you see in the movies. Kisses you read about. Dream about, even. And then there are the kisses you get in real life.
The kind that melt you and make you all at once.
Undo you and put you back together.
A kiss born from hope. A kiss filled with longing. A kiss that says I accept you, I see you. I want you.
Vance doesn’t pull away.
His lips press against mine and our mouths part. The kiss intensifies and every single bone in my body tingles. All the feels, right here, on the sidewalk — I’m flooded with them.
I want more. More. All of it. All of him.
I feel dizzy as Vance’s arm wraps around me, drawing me close, and I whimper — actually whimper — as his tongue runs over mine. And anything that I thought about love before has been wiped away. This is a fresh slate, a new start. The beginning of us.
When a customer leaves the diner and claps for us, we pull apart, not embarrassed exactly, but remembering ourselves.
“I don’t want to walk away,” he tells me.
“You’ll see me tonight,” I say, on my tiptoes.
“I’ll pick you up at six,” he says.
I swallow, thinking about him at my place. “Georgie will be home then,” I say, only just remembering the fact that Vance is my best friend’s big brother. My face falls. “Crap. She’s gonna kill me.”
“Kill you?” Vance chuckles. “It’s me that should worry.”
“She’s not gonna like this.”
“But she loves you,” he says. “And she loves me. I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
“How can you be so sure?” I ask, thinking about how she has been there for me so many times. “She’s my best friend — she is like family to me. I don’t want to lose her.”
“You won’t lose her over this,” Vance says with confidence. “Trust me.”
But I just think about how distant she’s been acting lately. What if this pushes us apart even more? Vance must read the worry in my eyes.
“Let me talk to her,” he offers.
I shake my head. “We don’t need to say anything yet. It’s not like we’re doing anything more than going on a date.”
Vance’s eyes narrow. He takes both my hands in his. “I don’t think you understand. I know what you said. Everything changes now.”
I’ve been in love with him forever.
“But after this date, you might not want this,” I say, looking for a way to protect myself.
“I’ve wanted this since the day we met, Valerie. I’ve wanted you. It’s time to face the truth.”
“The truth?” I lick my lips.
He nods. “Yes. The truth.”
“And what is that, Vance?”
“The truth is Georgie is going to be more than like family soon enough.”
I search his eyes. “What do you mean?”
He leans down, kisses my lips softly. “Just wait until tonight, okay?”
“You better be on time,” I say with a smile, not wanting this spell to break.
“And you better not go bacon my heart.”
Chapter Five
Vance
The day passes in a blur — I’m on duty, but on my lunch break I’m fielding phone calls, stopping at the bank, swinging by a notary office. I told Valerie she needed to let me show her how I want to love her… and I am hoping to do just that tonight.
I call Georgie. It takes four tries, but finally she answers.