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Lexie
“Is Lincoln your boyfriend?”
I willed patience into my tone before I answered Eric’s question.
“No.”
“But you kissed him.”
I gripped the steering wheel, unprepared for how to respond. I’d never considered we’d be in this situation, given Eric had been the only man in my life.
“I did.” Well, that was inadequate.
“Because you like him.”
Yet another question I didn’t know the answer to. Yes and no were both accurate.
“Lincoln’s a good guy.” My brother’s certainty was contagious.
“He can be . . .” I said carefully.
“Can you believe my painting is on his wall? That’s awesome.”
Lincoln had made my brother inordinately happy with the simple gesture. Therefore, the needle moved more firmly into the good guy category.
“It looks perfect there.”
The painting was nothing like the art I’d seen propped against a chair which I assumed Eric’s piece had replaced. I could imagine Lincoln sitting behind his desk, the painting drawing his attention. What did he think about when he looked at what Eric had given him?
“What time can we see Millie?”
I shook my head to get on track with the pendulum of topics.
My phone vibrated in the cupholder. Eric swiped it before I had a chance.
“Hello?”
I’d made a concerted effort to keep the device away from my brother in case of any other calls from our father. His silence since the other day made me more nervous than the continuous efforts to communicate.
“Hey, Lincoln. We’ve had a busy day. Can we come see you when we deliver to Mrs. Johnson’s building?” Eric’s expression brightened. “Cool! Okay, I’ll put her on.” He offered me the phone. “It’s Lincoln,” he whispered loudly.
I slipped in my earbuds, my heart picking up pace.
“Hi.”
“Do I need to request dog food for you to accept my calls?”
I couldn’t help it. I smiled. Huge.
“Still no greeting,” I tsked.
“You’ll get your hello later.”
The decadent promise made my stomach flip-flop. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“Why don’t you make Mrs. Johnson your last stop today.”
I flipped on a turn signal and checked the rearview. “Hmm. I’ll have to ask my business partner if he’s okay with that.”
