“You must be exhausted from working late last night then getting up this morning to open. And you’ve got work tomorrow.”
“And you have a wedding to go to. Did you get a gift?”
“Sure did. Charlie really likes photography and Clint likes fishing. So I got them this fish photo frame. It’s like in the shape of a fish and you set the photos into the body. What do you think?”
“You didn’t.”
He was joking, right?
“Uh, I did. Is it no good? I can take it back.”
“No, no, I’m sure it’s fine,” she said, managing to sound somewhat convincing. She hoped. “I’m sure they’ll love it.”
Oh shoot. Did that count as a lie? Well, it’s not like she knew them. Maybe they would l
ike it.
“Are you free Sunday?”
“Oh. Yes, I suppose so.”
“You suppose so?”
“Sorry. I just . . . sometimes my aunt springs things on me.”
“Ah, right. I was hoping you might come on a picnic with me. But if you think you’ll be busy . . .”
“I’ll make it work,” she blurted out.
She should say no. It would be better for both of them. But how could she say no when she knew she would regret it? She’d spend all of Sunday sitting around, wishing she’d said yes. As long as she got up early and cleaned the house then left before her aunt got out of bed, which was never usually before midday, she should be fine.
“Good. I’ll pick you up around eleven?”
“Actually, could we meet in town? Maybe outside the diner or something?”
There was a beat of silence.
“Of course, Mari-girl.”
She let out a silent sigh of relief. She’d been worried he’d want to know why she didn’t want picked up at the house. But she wasn’t going to take the risk of her aunt seeing her with him again.
There was silence.
“I don’t want to hang up,” she confessed, feeling herself blush. She hoped that didn’t sound too clingy.
“Me either,” he confessed. “All right, how about this? I’m going to put you to bed.”
Put her to bed? What did that mean?
“That all right?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s all right,” she agreed.
“Why don’t you put the phone down and go brush your teeth, pee, and then when you’re ready, climb back into bed and pick up the phone again.”
“Okay,” she said kind of breathily.
She threw the phone and it slid off the bedside table and fell to the floor.