I reach up and run a finger down her cheek. “Yep.”
“You didn’t have to hang up on my account,” she says, playing with the bedspread.
“Really? Because if I told her why I hadn’t called yet, what I was doing … well, she’d want to talk to you,” I reply with a smirk.
She shrugs lightly. “I mean, if you wanted me to talk to her, I’d be okay with that.” She looks away, and it hits me. She thinks I don’t want to tell my mom about her.
I settle on the bed in front of her, taking her chin in my hand and turning her face until she meets my gaze.
“I’d love for you to meet her and my dad sometime,” I say in the most reassuring tone I can. “Just maybe the first time you two talk will be when we’re not both naked in my bedroom.” I stroke my thumb over her cheek again and give her a smile.
She folds her hand over mine and smiles back. “Fair enough,” she admits. “So you’re pretty close with them, huh?”
“Sure,” I reply. “Hazards of being an only child. But they live a few hours’ drive away, so I don’t see them a lot. It’s why I try to call every week.”
“That’s great,” she says with a note of sadness in her voice. “It must be really nice to have that connection, even if you don’t see each other all the time.” She ducks her head down so her hair falls in her face. Her sorrow seeps into my bones, and I decide to go ahead and ask the question that’s been on my mind since she told me she and her brother were orphaned when they were little.
“Your parents …” I start softly. She looks up sharply and catches my eye. But there’s no warning there, just sadness. “How did they die?”
She blinks hard and I almost retract the question.
But instead, I decide to wait. And if she tells me it’s none of my goddamn business, that’s okay too.
“Car accident,” she finally says. “Drunk driver. They all died.”
I can’t help it, my jaw drops, and I have to resist reaching out to pull her into my arms.
“Oh my god, CJ, I’m so sorry,” I breathe.
She sniffs deeply and her eyes are glassy when she looks back at me. “My aunt and uncle were visiting, so they went out to get us all ice cream. I was only four. I barely remember any of it.”
A few tears spill over that she quickly wipes away.
“It was so long ago, but I don’t talk about it much. So you know, it still hits me hard every time I do.” She shrugs, like it’s just something she’s got to learn to not get worked up over.
“Oh, baby,” I say, scooting into her, touching her. “I’d be worried if it didn’t. I can’t even imagine what losing both of your parents must feel like.”
She sniffs again and gives me a small smile. “Thank you. We moved in with my aunt and uncle after that, and they’ve been like parents to us since. And most of the time I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything. Just sometimes …” She trails off, shaking her head.
“What?” I prompt.
“It’s silly,” she insists. I give her a stern look and she laughs. “Okay, okay. You just … when you answered the phone, you just had this look on your face. Even though you were obviously annoyed, I could still see your affection for her, hear it, feel it, in every word. There’s just a … uniqueness to a parental bond that I only miss when I see it with someone else.”
“That’s fair,” I admit. “But for what it’s worth, I’m sure they miss you too.”
She squints at me. “Believer in the afterlife, are you?” Her tone is cynical.
“You’re not?”
Her lips purse as she considers that. “I haven’t seen anything that makes me think there’s anything beyond this world. But I guess it’s a nice outcome to hope for.”
“Well, think what you want, but I can’t help feeling like there’s something more that connects us all. Especially with those few who affect us deeply.”
That gets an eyebrow raise from her. “Yeah? What kind of something?”
I smile faintly and reach up to touch her cheek. Waves of sensation ripple over my skin. “I feel it when I touch you. Something more. And I think I missed you before I even knew you,” I admit. I close my eyes and wrinkle my nose. Way to sound like a complete cheeseball, you asshat, I can’t help thinking to myself.
The air shifts and I feel her lips against mine.
“I think I did too,” she murmurs against my mouth before she kisses me, sliding into my lap. “And I think there’s still time for me to be at your mercy once more before we have to go.”
Chapter Eleven
CJ
“I don’t know what you and Drew did yesterday — and please, god, don’t tell me — but I’ve never seen him be so nice to everybody. The kitchen staff sends their deepest gratitude and cheesecake whenever you want it,” Anna jokes after we’ve sat down with our burgers.
I smile around my first bite. “Get your mind out of the gutter,” I tease back. Even though she’s not wrong — there was quite a lot of that, and as good as it was, I have a feeling what happened later is what really set his mood for the day. “We hung out at his place for a while then went to a pop-up Mexican-Korean barbecue restaurant one of Drew’s buddies from culinary school was doing. They got all chef-y and started creating dishes on the fly, and I’ve never seen Drew happier.” I pause, realizing that’s not saying much, as I’ve only known the man for a few weeks. “Anyway, we stayed all night. It was actually a lot of fun.”
Anna raises a brow. “Well, I’m glad you had fun,” she remarks. “I would’ve been bored to tears.”
“Really? You’re a waitress at one of the hottest restaurants in the city.”
She shrugs. “Not really a foodie.” She looks down meaningfully at the burger in her hands. “Take this, for instance. I mean, it’s good, but I don’t get all the fuss about local, sustainable, and all that. As long as it tastes good, what do I care?” She sighs happily.
“Been needing to get that off your chest?” I ask with a smirk.
Her pealing laugh echoes around the restaurant. “You have no idea. I mean, does food have to be pretentious all the time? Ugh. A girl gets kind of sick of it.”
I set down my mini burger as I approach fullness, dusting the crumbs off my hands. “I can see it both ways, I guess. Whatever makes you happy. So if you’re not a foodie, what does make you happy?”
Anna contemplates that as she chews. “Shopping. Definitely shopping. Which I need to do this weekend. I have a wedding to go to in a couple of weeks. Wanna come?”
“To the wedding?” I ask, pulling a face.
“You’re hilarious,” Anna teases. “No. Shopping, silly.”
“Oh,” I reply, my mouth forming the shape of the sound. “Sorry, I guess I’ve never had anyone ask me to go shopping with them before. Um, sure, that sounds fun.” I try to inject more enthusiasm into my voice than I feel. Since I’ve never really had “girlfriends,” I’ve never really thought of shopping as a joint activity. But what the hell, why not?