She’s returning my playful mood with one of her own that I like way better.
“It’ll do more than surprise you,” I growl, and May blushes, looking embarrassed for a second before giggling and tickling my ribs.
“I guess we can’t do this sort of thing around my Dad, huh?” she finally asks once I’m holding her close again.
Her head rests on my chest as I stroke her hair.
I’m still pinching myself that this has happened so easily. So perfectly.
I didn’t need to spell out how I felt about her because she already knew.
She felt the same way I did that day at her graduation… If only I’d known sooner.
“Probably not a good idea. Not yet,” I tell her, and feeling her nod in agreement, I can’t help thinking how hard that’s gonna be.
And that’s if Steve doesn’t read me like a book over lunch anyway.
May’s fine with me borrowing her car, and after assuring me she’ll be fine on her own for a few hours, I can’t help feeling a knot in my stomach as I pull out of her driveway.
Catching a glimpse of myself in the rearview as I watch May go back inside, I may as well have what I’m thinking about May written all over my face.
Not touching her in front of Steve’s gonna be one thing.
But I’m going to work on my poker face and fast if I don’t want Steve to know about me and May before I put my real surprise on them both tonight.
CHAPTERNINE
May
I didn’t think I was being so obvious about being hurt that dad wanted to have lunch with just Brandon and him.
I try to remind myself about that third wheel scenario I already thought about. But after Brandon just kissed me and made it crystal clear that he wanted me but needed to know I wanted him just as much, it’s hard for me to feel great about him going out.
I mean, we just connected, and now he’s having lunch with my dad.
I guess this is the part of ‘adult’ where I have to act my age a little more, but Brandon’s quick to comfort me.
He also confuses me with more talk about his ‘big surprise.’
I thought we’d just done that part, playing tonsil hockey and having my hands all over what really is a big surprise in his pants.
I suggest he takes my car, but dad’s already offered it.
“What are you gonna do?” Brandon asks. “For the next few hours, I mean,” he adds, keeping his arm hooked around my waist for as long as he can before he goes.
I can tell Brandon feels just as weird about taking off for lunch with my dad as I do sitting at home without him, but if we’re gonna keep our little secret an actual secret, we can’t be with each other every second of every day.
Not yet.
“I dunno. I’ve got a ton of tutoring papers to go over,” I sigh, knowing already that’s the last thing I’ll be able to focus on right now.
“Tutoring?” Brandon asks. “I thought you were done with college.”
“I am, I mean…it’s tutoring for students who struggle with a subject. I work part-time at the college,” I explain, noting his frown.
“You need the money?” he asks, and I feel a little embarrassed.
“Well, yeah, I guess. I pay my way here, and the tutoring’s only until I can find a permanent job.”