She laughs bitterly. “In the modeling world, I’m ancient.” She looks around the room and leans in. “I’m twenty-four.”
I gasp like she just said something outrageous. In a stage whisper, I say. “Oh my God, twenty-four, you’ll be ready for a walker soon.”
She laughs and smacks my arm. “Whatever. I know it sounds crazy.”
I nod. “It does. So what do you want to do?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Growing up, I always loved working with my dad. I like working with my hands. I’ll figure it out. I’ll have to soon, for sure.”
I’m just about to ask her what her dad does when our food arrives. “Mmm, that smells good,” she says, pointedly looking at my food.
I hold my plate out to her. “Here, I got double fries so I could share.”
She shakes her head. “I shouldn’t.”
“Are you sure? I won’t eat them all.”
She picks up her fork and pierces a piece of lettuce. “No, I’m good.” She takes a bite and chews. “Plus, I’m holding out for that piece of cake.”
Chapter6
Lakelyn
Ihave three bites of the cake instead of one, and each one is better than the last. When I’m finished, I’m holding my stomach I’m so full. “That should come with a warning label. It was so good.”
“Yeah, Violet’s well known for her cake.”
I lean forward. “So I need to work off some of this food. Is there a dance club or something here?”
He smirks. “In Whiskey Run? No, there’s quite a few in Jasper but not here.”
“A bar that plays music? Anything?”
He reaches for his wallet, and I reach for my purse. “I’m buying dinner,” he says rather gruffly. I don’t argue with him, and he lays the money on the table. “Well, there’s a bar... it’s called The Whiskey Whistler, but you can’t go there by yourself.”
I should be offended that he obviously thinks I can’t take care of myself, but I’m not. Goosebumps shoot up my arm at his possessive tone. “Well, I thought you’d go with me.”
I wait for him to tell me no, but he surprises me. “Okay... on one condition... make that two.”
I shrug. “Anything.” And I mean what I say; I would literally agree to anything with him right now.
“You don’t leave my side, and you only dance with me.”
I cross my arms over my chest as if weighing my options. “Are you a good dancer?”
He shakes his head instantly. “Not at all. Two left feet actually, but those are the conditions.”
I lift my head defiantly. “You know I could just go by myself.”
He takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. “Yeah, you could... and it’s probably crazy for me to admit this, but I’d probably just follow you anyway. So do you agree?”
I want to laugh and make light of it because I can tell he’s troubled and doesn’t want to feel anything toward me. He’s fighting it, and I don’t exactly know why. “Sure, I agree.” Like it’s no big deal when in fact it is. He’s pretty much claiming me and doesn’t even realize it.
“You ready?” I ask him.
He nods and stands up, waiting for me to slide out of the booth. We walk out, me in front of him, and I do my best to ignore the people staring at us.
“So do we walk there? Or...”