“Like this?”
“Quiet. Safe. A place I’d like to call home.”
“You can call it home,” I say without thinking. “I mean, you’re here for a job, I know, but once Jackson is too old for a nan—or if you want to leave or…or—”
“You’re cute when you get flustered.” She smiles as she turns around to look at me. “And maybe I will.” She takes a few steps out in the dirt that leads to the cornfield and holds out her hands. “Look at this. I’m behind a bar and don’t feel threatened for my life. Partly because you’re with me.”
“Was it really that bad where you lived in Chicago?”
She turns around and nods. “Yeah, but you learn how to deal. Don’t go out at night alone…carry something that either is a weapon or looks like a weapon…avoid certain streets and places after dark.” She shakes her head and puts on her mask again, pretending everything is okay. Looking up at the sky again, she becomes completely still for a moment. “I think I saw a shooting—wait, it’s an airplane.”
I laugh. “We do get a lot of flyover traffic to the Chicago airports.”
She takes a few steps back and I find myself moving toward her. My arms fold around her slender waist and my cock jumps. I turn my head to the side, fighting with myself. I want to kiss her and tell her how I feel…but she’s more than a little tipsy.
I’ll wait.
“The food is probably getting cold,” she says, eyeing the bag. “And those fries smell amazing.”
I unlock the Jeep and open the passenger door for her, then quickly go around and get in. Scarlet turns up the heat and plays with the radio as I drive us home, stopping on a classic rock station. Living on a Prayer is playing, and she looks at me with a smile before cranking the volume. We belt it out together, laughing and dancing in our seats. I don’t realize it until a car comes up behind me, but I’ve slowed down, going less than half the speed limit on this country road.
Speeding up, I glance over at Scarlet, watching her move her seatbelt to the side so she can take off my coat. Her dress gets caught when she pulls it off, and the low-cut neckline of the dress moves to the side, exposing part of her lacy black bra. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.
I clench my jaw and grip the steering wheel, keeping my eyes on the road the rest of the way home. Parking in front of the house, Scarlet and I walk up the sidewalk together. She stops a foot before the porch and looks up at the sky again.
“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Is it making you believe in aliens?”
She laughs, and the way her face lights up is even more beautiful than the sky above us. “It’s starting to convince me.”
I pull my keys from my pocket to unlock the front door.
“Can we eat on the porch?” Scarlet asks. “So I can look for shooting stars?”
“I can do you one better.”* * *
“Careful.” I hold out my hand, planting my foot down on the shingles of the roof. Scarlet steps through the open window, gripping my hand tight.
“I’m not really scared of heights,” she starts, holding onto the window frame. “But I’m afraid of falling from heights.”
“I won’t let you fall.”
She looks me right in the eye. “You sure about that?”
“I’ll catch you.”
Her lips curve into a smile. “You better.”
“You can trust me.”
“I know.”
She steps onto the roof, and I help her down a few feet. We’re on top of the covered back porch, and while the roof still angles down a bit, it’s level enough to sit. Once she’s settled, I reach back inside and grab a blanket and the food. I take a seat close to Scarlet, draping the blanket around both of us.
Scarlet opens the take-out bag, and we eat together in a silence that’s anything but awkward. Once we’re done with our food, I gather up the wrappers and toss them along with our empty water bottles into the house through the open window.
“You know Jackson is going to come out here once he’s older, right?” Scarlet says, resting her head on my shoulder.
“I’ll nail the windows shut before then.” I slip my arm around her.
She laughs. “I’d be out here every night if I were a kid.”
“Just wait until winter.”
“I can tough it out.”
She could, and she would just to see the stars. “Have you been to the Alder Planetarium?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’ve always wanted to go, but I haven’t been. I used to take my brother and sister to the Field Museum though. It was within walking distance of our house. Well, a long walk. We’d make a day out of it. Then when my dad came back into the picture, he’d meet us there.” She closes her eyes and rests her head on my shoulder. “I haven’t been in a while. A long while. I haven’t even thought about it but now I really miss it.”