Bonham (Pushing Daisies Book 3), Heather Young-Nichols [best color ebook reader txt] 📗

and I have an internship that I’m working right now too.”

“Internship for what? What are you studying?”

“Accounting. I know it’s boring. You don’t have to say it. But it’s safe.”

I leaned in closer. “If it’s what you love to do, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Boring or not. But I’ll be honest. Numbers aren’t really my thing.”

She rolled her eyes. “Everyone says that. What about you? I mean when you’re not out saving women from bookstore bandits.”

I chuckled and sat back, though I kept my fingers laced between hers. “I’m in a band.”

“That’s really cool.” She glanced around again. I noticed she was being coy about it, but still, she swept the area every few minutes. “I think he’s gone,” she told me, though the corners of her mouth turned down like she wasn’t that happy the guy had given up.

Why would that be?

“Yeah.” I sighed. “I think he is. You want me to walk you to your car?”

She shook her head as she stood up and dropped her cup into the trash. “I didn’t bring it. It’s in the shop. I’ll order a ride-share.” We walked side by side through the store. “Thank you so much for rescuing me today, Bonham. I mean it. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t right there.”

“Probably found another guy to help you?”

“Maybe, but I didn’t see any other guys in the right age group who were alone.”

“How about I give you a ride home?” I asked her. I’d driven and spending time with her was no hardship. The more we talked, the more beautiful she became.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Well, I’m not leaving you out here alone to wait for an Uber.” It wasn’t dark yet since it was just getting to five o’clock, but given how we met, I wouldn’t feel comfortable until she was safe at home. “So either I wait with you or you let me give you a ride. Your choice.”

She worked that bottom lip back and forth for a bit before she took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

That plump bottom lip had me thinking all kinds of things, but the biggest was that I wanted to suck it between my teeth the way she did hers.

“Where to?” I asked once we were in the car. With everything that had happened, I’d set my books aside and forgotten about him. Guess I’d have to go back soon.

“I live over on Elmdale. I’m sorry. It’s like a fifteen-minute drive.”

“Not a problem.” That was fifteen more minutes with her than I thought I’d get. She gave me the address and I tapped it into my car’s GPS so I wouldn’t have to think about it. We didn’t technically live in the same suburb, but her house and my apartment were only ten minutes apart. “You live here?” I asked when I pulled up in front of a large, white two-story. It reminded me a lot of my parents’ house. Shit. My parents. I was going to have to haul ass over there for dinner with the family. I still had an hour, but I’d never hear the end of it if I just showed up to eat.

“My parents’ house. I’m still living at home like a child.”

I furrowed my brows. “You’re in school.”

“Yes.”

“So not like a child,” I told her. “School is fucking expensive.”

“It is.” We sat silently for only a few seconds before she said, “Thanks for the ride and the rescue. I honestly can’t tell you how much it helped. I was scared when I wondered how far he was going to take this.”

I shook my head and squeezed the steering wheel. “That’s so fucked up.”

“Well, thanks again.” Her hand pulled the handle and the door popped open. I couldn’t let her get away with that as the last word. I also wouldn’t be like that guy from the bookstore.

“Would you like to get together?” I asked in possibly the lamest way possible.

“Get together?”

“Look, I’m not trying to be like that other guy. But I also don’t want this to be the last time I see you.” I took a breath. “Unless you want it to be.”

Jurnie settled back into the seat and stared at me for long enough that I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. She could’ve just said no and been done with it, but damn, she was making me squirm.

“I’m from here, about ten minutes that way,” I told her as I pointed in the direction of my apartment. “I’m only home for like a week, though.”

“You work out of town?”

That was an understatement, but again, she hadn’t mentioned Pushing Daisies, so I didn’t want to yet, either. If she was going to say yes to seeing me again, I wanted it to be for me, not because of the band.

“You could say that.” It wasn’t a lie and if she said yes to going out with me, I’d obviously tell her when we did that.

“Sure,” she said with a broad smile, her eyes bright and shining. Fuck, that took me by surprise. “Here, put your number in, then call yourself so you have mine.” She was holding her phone out toward me.

I took it and did what she said. The vibration of my phone in my pocket confirmed that the call had gone through. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

She grinned and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Can’t wait.”

Damn. Damn. Damn.

This was not how I’d thought this week off was going to go, but I was already itching to see her again.

5

Jurnie

As soon as I got out of Bonham’s car, I jogged up to the door of the house and hurried through it so I didn’t turn back and ask if he just wanted to go out tonight. I was supposed to be making dinner tonight anyway and since he hadn’t asked, I had to assume he was busy too.

After I got into the house, I snuck over to the