AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just water,” Aly replied.
We settled down to have dinner. Gina gave us all empty plates, and Porter dumped the sautéed veggies and chicken into a communal dish. We passed it around, each filling our plate with as much or as little as we wanted. With the chips and dip, we had a feast. It was actually pretty good and, from what I had witnessed, fairly easy.
“I’ve been eating nothing but sandwiches and boiled eggs,” I said.
Porter laughed. “When I got home from rehab, the only things I ate were fruit and nuts.”
“Nuts are good,” I agreed.
“It’s not like we’re making four-course dinners,” Gina said.
“It’s good,” I told her. “Protein and fiber and easy to cook.”
“That’s the goal.” She skewered a crown of broccoli.
Before I knew it, I had signed up for a mini cooking lesson, for which I was going to have to return to Gina’s house. It was okay. I was eager to do anything that might relieve the feeling of betrayal I was sure I had created by avoiding her. I hopped up to do the dishes, ignoring Gina’s protests.
“You’ve got the baby to worry about,” I said, hunting out the soap.
She smiled and relaxed back into her chair. It felt like the walls were coming down, as if we could be a family again. I looked over at Aly to find her watching me. Instead of getting lost in my head, I winked at her, making her blush and turn away. Yeah, I was definitely going to get her alone again, and when I did, all bets were off.
12
ALY
Gina grabbed me and pulled me down the hall as soon as dinner was over. I laughed, astounded that she would be so obvious. What else were we going to talk about but Linc? She dragged me into her bedroom and shut the door.
“When were you going to tell me that you were seeing my brother?” Gina demanded.
“We’re not seeing each other,” I protested.
“Then what was that with the handholding in the doorway?” Gina put her hands on her hips. “And what about all the smiles and winks and looks?”
I laughed. It was clear that Linc and I had a thing for each other, and we were growing more comfortable letting other people see it. I had held back from what I really wanted to do—bury my face in his chest and lick him up and down.
“I had a crush on him in high school,” I admitted, opening up. “Then he came back to town, and I was all weird around him.”
She folded her arms across her chest, waiting to hear the rest of the story.
“A couple nights ago, we both ended up at the park. And we walked a bit and talked. He kissed me right before I got in my car to drive home.” I ended triumphantly, tossing the ball into Gina’s court.
“What do you think he wants?” she asked bluntly, pushing our romantic encounter out of the realm of sweet, insinuating that it had been seedy.
“I don’t know what he wants,” I snapped. I didn’t. Other than the obvious, that we were both attracted to each other, I didn’t know if Linc wanted love or a one-night stand.
“What doyouwant?” Gina asked.
“I don’t know,” I shot back, feeling attacked. Why was it her business? Just because we were friends and Linc was her brother, did that mean I couldn’t just relax and see where the road would take me? I yanked the bedroom door open and cut the interrogation short.
“Wait, Aly,” Gina said behind me, but I didn’t listen.
I stormed out into the living room, where Porter and Linc were channel surfing. I grabbed my purse. “I’m going home.”
“Is everything alright?” Porter stood up, concerned.
“Everything is fine.” Gina appeared behind me. “I’m sorry, Aly, please.”
“We are both adults and capable of making our own decisions.” I pointed a finger at her, not caring who heard me.
