One More Time (Ruby Falls #2) - Aurora Rose Reynolds Page 0,15
garland that probably should have been tossed out. “I might not have been the best at organizing when the movers came.” She blows a thick strand of hair out of her face as she drops the ball to the floor, then she digs deeper into the box before closing the lid and opening another one. When she starts to move that box to the floor, I stop her by placing my hand on top of it.
“We can just use the oven. For all you know, the toaster is in your bedroom.”
“You might be right.” She smiles, and that piece of hair she’s been fighting with falls in her face. Without thinking, I reach out and touch her cheek, then slide the hair back behind her ear, hearing her inhale a sharp breath. My eyes drop to her very tempting mouth, and she steps back quickly, not realizing the arm of the couch is behind her.
“Shit.” I reach out to catch her before she can tumble over it, but I’m too late. I don’t know what I expect to happen, but I don’t expect to hear her start to laugh. Chuckling, I move to the side of the couch and look down at her smiling face. “You okay?”
“I’m okay, but I really do need to get the couch out of the kitchen.” She takes my hand when I hold it out to her to help her up, and she ducks her head as she adjusts her tank and shorts. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” She looks up at me, and I watch in amazement as her cheeks turn pink. I don’t know that I’ve seen a woman blush since I was a kid, and there is something enduring and seriously attractive about the innocent reaction. Not wanting her uncomfortable, I take a step back, turn toward the stove, flip it on, then ask, “How did it go with your parents last night?”
“My dad was drunk, and my mom was her normal, judgmental self, so it went about as good as you’d think it would,” she says, and I raise a brow as I look over my shoulder at her. “You’ve lived here a long time. I’m sure you’ve had the unpleasant experience of coming into contact with my parents before.” She chews her bottom lip as I start to cut one of the bagels in half. “That’s the only reason I didn’t ask you to come in last night.” She spits out the words so quickly they spin together.
“I figured that much out once I had time to think about it.”
“You did? But….”
“My reaction was shit, and you’re right. I know your parents, so even though it shouldn’t matter—”
“You thought I was embarrassed of you,” she cuts me off, and I jerk up my chin in an affirmative. “I was actually saving you.” She sighs while picking up her cup of coffee. “I don’t even want to spend time with my parents, so I wouldn’t want to subject anyone else to them.”
“You don’t get along?”
“I’m indifferent to them. I wish I wasn’t, but the reality is they are not people I would choose to have a relationship with, but DNA didn’t leave that option up to me.”
“That sucks, babe.” It’s an understatement and something I can’t even relate to. I’m close with my family. My dad and I are tight, and my mom is still as doting as she’s always been. Then there’s my sister, who is one of my best friends even as she lives on the other side of the country.
“It is what it is.”
“Why’d you move back here then, if you guys aren’t close?”
“This was the only place that felt right when I started looking for places to move to after I decided to leave San Francisco.” She turns her back to the counter, then hops up to sit on it. “I mean, I knew I would have to see my parents at least every three months after running out of excuses to keep avoiding them, but that’s about how often I saw them when I was in California, and I survived those visits,” she says, making me chuckle. “Honestly, I probably shot myself in the foot. I’m sure, now that I’m home, they’re going to expect me to show up for their parties and whatnot, but I promised myself that I would only do things I want to do from here on out, and I refuse to break a promise to myself.”