Always You (Love Hurts 1)

“No, with the gardener,” I retorted.

He chuckled, probably at the thought of grumpy old Mr. Landen enjoying anything in life, let alone a movie.

“Look, I just thought it might be something you’d like to do, you know, as friends, but it’s probably a really bad—”

“Okay,” he said, cutting me off.

Huh? Did I just hear correctly?

“Okay?” I repeated, stunned. Surely I must’ve heard him wrong.

“Yes. It’s probably best you meet me there, though,” he added awkwardly.

“Yeah, sure. So it starts at seven. I will meet you there ten minutes before?”

“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.”

Yep. I was grinning like an idiot.

Hanging up the phone, I fell back on the bed.

Holy shit.

A wave of nausea ran over me. What the hell was I going to wear? I jumped up and ran down to the bathroom, turning on the taps as I stripped out of my uniform. After soaping myself up, I stood under the stream of water, trying to calm my nerves.

He just sees me as a friend. He probably feels sorry for the poor little orphan with no friends. No matter how often I kept repeating it to myself, a small part of me wanted to scream at the top of my lungs. There was no stopping that part of Wrenn from getting her hopes up. That part of me kept piping up with ridiculous thoughts. Things like, why would he risk his job to meet you for a movie if he just wanted friendship?

Stepping out of the shower, I dried my hair and tied it back into a loose bun, my bangs falling forward and covering my forehead. I wrapped a towel around me and walked back to my room. Now I had to decide what to wear.

I shuffled through my underwear drawer for my nicest bra and thong; a cream-colored French lace set Kass had given me for my birthday, all the way from a trendy Paris boutique.

I was anything but a slut. I had no intention of letting anyone see my underwear today, or anytime soon, for that matter, but I felt good wearing it. Over the top of the bra I slid a dusky pink silk tank, which I paired with my skinny jeans, calf-high black boots, and my warm short black woolen jacket. Finally, I picked out a smoky gray eye shadow that made my eyes look bigger, and a soft pink lip-gloss.

Perfect: I looked sexy, yet casual enough for a movie with a friend. I grabbed my purse and raced downstairs to the kitchen.

On top of the counter, I scribbled a note:

Going out with Kassia, will be home by curfew.

Wrenn xx

I had a pretty decent curfew, considering I rarely had anywhere to go—midnight on weekends, and eleven on school nights, with staying over at Kass’s fine anytime, as long as Layna knew where I was.

That was the only time when being the headmistress’s niece came in handy. While any of the girls could leave for the night if they had parental permission, it was much easier for me to obtain if I just needed some space.

I climbed into my car and plugged the theater into my GPS. Hallbrook was two towns over, about a thirty-minute drive. The location was far away enough that we were unlikely to be spotted, especially since tonight was dinner night at the house for staff. Another reason I was surprised he had said yes. What would he tell my aunt?

It sure as hell wouldn’t be the truth.

***

I pulled up outside the theater with five minutes to spare. Reaching into my purse, I clasped my hand over my compact, bringing it up to my face to check my makeup. I didn’t wear it often, so it felt weird wearing it now, like there was something on my eyes that I needed to scratch off.

Taking a deep breath, I walked over to the entrance, looking around for Dalton. I spotted him standing to the left of the ticket box. His eyes lit up when he spotted me.

God, he looks so hot.

He wore faded blue jeans and a black leather jacket over a gray T-shirt. His tousled light brown hair looked perfect, and his eyes were so blue I felt like I’d fall into them if I stared for too long.