Misunderstandings (Woodfalls Girls 2)

“Just on some nights?” he asked hopefully.

“Is it hard-wired in every guy’s brain that girl-on-girl is hot?” I asked, popping a fry into my mouth.

“Depends on the girls,” he answered.

“Oh boy. Sexist much?”

“Girls just look at it wrong. It’s more of a compliment that we’d like to see you hook up at least once.”

“Excuse me while I puke,” I said, making exaggerated gagging noises.

“Does that mean you’re done with lunch?” he asked. He crumpled up his burger wrapper and tossed it into his empty fry container.

“Yeah. Are we leaving?” I asked. I was surprised he’d given in so quickly. Just goes to show my instincts were dead-on.

“Hell no. If I only get one date with you, I’m going to make it worthwhile. We’ve pretty much seen everything here, so we’re going to head out to see one of my favorite things about Seattle. You game?”

I turned his words over in my mind, trying to decide what to do. My intention had been to call it a day once we left the aquarium. I wasn’t one to give false hope for something that wasn’t going to happen, but he already knew where I stood and seemed to accept it. I didn’t see the harm in finishing the day as long as he knew once it was over, that would be it.

“Lead the way,” I finally answered, trying to convince myself it didn’t mean anything that he smiled broadly at my words.

My second ride in his jeep was as exhilarating as the first. The sun had broken through the cloudy morning haze, making it feel almost warm outside. My face was still red and felt slightly chapped by the time we pulled into the parking spot at our next destination. “Olympic Sculpture Park?” I questioned.

“Have you been here?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

“No, but some guys were talking about it in my psychology class last semester. I’ve wanted to come out here but kept forgetting about it,” I answered, jumping down from the jeep.

“Well, I’m glad I thought to bring you here, then,” he said, leading the way.

I could see why this was his favorite place. Even though I wasn’t an artist, something about the outdoor museum was tranquil and peaceful. The art was oversized and I knew I was most likely missing the significance of each piece, but I still enjoyed looking at each one. Justin kept up a running commentary, providing all the details of the nine-acre park. He also pointed out the pieces that were permanent and the sections that were there on a temporary basis. I couldn’t help eating up his words. His attention to detail and facts about each piece kept me interested.

“What do you think?” he asked as we made our way back to where we had started from.

“Definitely has the cool factor,” I answered, buttoning up my jacket to ward off the sudden chill in the air.

“Thanks for bringing me here. Today was fun,” I admitted as we left the park.

“Day’s not over yet. It’s time for some grub.”

“Again? We just ate,” I said, checking the time on my phone.

“Like four hours ago. Besides, by the time we eat it’ll be closer to five hours.”

“Where are we going?”

“Another favorite place of mine.”

“You seem to have a lot of those.”

“When I like something, I don’t have any qualms about stating my feelings,” he answered in a voice that made me wonder if it held a double meaning.

“Are you cold?” Justin asked as we piled into his jeep.

“Not too bad now, but I’m sure I’ll be a Popsicle once we start moving.”

“Here,” he said, reaching behind my seat and extracting an oversized fleece blanket. “Don’t worry, it’s clean. I keep it in here for when my kid sister is in the jeep with me.”

“Your sister?”