Color Me Pretty: A Father's Best Friend Romance

“Who’s that?” Ren asked quietly, interest high in his tone. I didn’t miss the way his eyes checked her out in the tight leggings and shirt she wore, showing off her athletic body.

“Someone I used to dance with.”

His “ah” wasn’t as quiet as he looked her over again. Her eyes darted between us, but she didn’t walk over. I was glad there was no pressure to reach out to her. She was letting it be my choice just like she said, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel a little guilty about it since she was being kind.

“Want to go say hi?” he asked next. We started walking slowly in that direction.

Tiffany looked over her shoulder like somebody was calling her, so she lifted a finger and glanced back our way. I nibbled my lip and debated on what to say. Hi was usually a good place to start, but I knew Tiffany long enough to figure out she’d want to talk about more than the weather and how classes were going.

She made the decision for me, backing toward the group of girls who must have been waiting for her. When her back turned, I realized my face must have given away anything I had to say. Which was little.

Ren murmured, “Or not.”

“It’s my fault. She was being nice to me last week and I didn’t reach out to her.”

“Why not?”

“She offered to help me with something.”

“Dance?” he guessed.

I eyed him.

“You evade everything that involves it,” he said, chuckling over my expression. “I may not be the one with a perfect grade point average, but I’m not a total moron. It’s like anyone says the five-letter word and your eyes glaze over. Kind of like mine do when I see someone hot. Not like how we both look in math class.”

That made me roll my eyes. I used to be a straight A student, but I fell behind when I took a few weeks off after news of my father hit. I hadn’t found the energy to study as much I used to. The look he was referring to wasn’t the first time I’d been told I had it. Judith had said I reminded her of herself because there was a longing in my eyes for dance, but since I’d walked away from it that longing had shifted. It wasn’t like I hated the profession. I respected people who trained hard and worked their asses off, and sometimes even envied them for doing it. “I’m still considering her offer. That’s all. I’m not sure I even have the time.”

He opened the doors to the Hut and hauled me in with a chortle. “That’s the lamest excuse you’ve made yet, but I still love you. I can see you miss it. People should make time for the things they love.”

I eyed him as he greeted a few of his friends who were already sitting off to the side. We’d probably wind up next to them where I had to listen to baseball stats, how much they hated their coach that day, and which parties they were going to next. I’d smile, nod, and laugh when I felt it was necessary while Ren stared at me knowingly. I never left though because, like he said, it was important to make time for things you loved. That included him.

He squeezed my hand which I didn’t realize I’d slipped into his. “Your normal? Or are you feeling adventurous today?”

“Your version of adventurous scares me, especially food related.” My nose scrunched over the thought of the food combinations he’d consumed. For years, it only took some silly dare before he’d eat something disgusting that churned my stomach.

“Boring,” he teased, letting go of my hand to put in an order for us. I waited by the pickup counter while he flirted with the girl working the register. It made me shake my head because he’d been rejected by her twice already, but he didn’t care. I was pretty sure the other girl working was her girlfriend, so it was all innocent enough. A typical day in the life of Ren.

I pulled out my phone to check a few emails while we waited only to find a text from Theo. Opening it, I couldn’t help but smile over the picture of Ramsay sitting obediently and staring up at the camera. There were no words that accompanied it, which only made the smile grow.

Ren walked up beside me, looking down at the screen. “Why haven’t I met your dog yet? Who gets to see him?” Without asking, he plucked the phone from me and studied the sender before groaning. “I thought we were mad at Theo.”

“We’re not mad at him. I am.”

“Which means I am by default.”

“You never liked him,” I countered.

“Because I see how you look at each o

ther. It just weirds me out a little considering the age difference.”

Heat blasted over my face. “Not again. He isn’t that much older than me.”

He raised his hand. “Eighteen years. But hey. Whatever, Del. I’ve done weirder things with people older than me. I just want to make sure you’re okay, and whatever went down with him upset you.”

“I’m fine,” I told him for the hundredth time. How many times did I have to tell him before he was convinced? I wasn’t going to explain that I had the most intense kiss of my life thanks to my father’s best friend and how I’d gone home that night and slipped a hand between my thighs to relieve the pressure he’d left, even though I was pissed at him for backing away. If it was like before, we’d be the same. Tiptoeing around each other until the frustration built again. It was a cycle I wanted nothing more than to break.

“Which definitely means you’re not.” His tone was casual as he called me out, but there was a hint of amusement tilting his lips upward. “I thought you said you weren’t talking to him. By the way, you still haven’t told me why.”