Pieces of Paisley by Leigh Ann Lunsford Read Free Book Online Page A

embarrassed. He pulls my hair out of my mouth, opens my door and tells me, “Don’t quit your day job, beautiful.” With those six words I let it go. I throw my head back and laugh and before I can get myself untangled from my seat he has pulled me out and against his chest.
    My nervousness is gone; this is as natural as breathing. I look up at him, and he bends down and grazes his lips against mine, “Was that so hard?”
    “What?” I missed something.
    “Giving me a proper hello. I’ve been waiting since last night to see you again.” I grab his face and pull him down. I slam my lips into his, no finesse whatsoever, he bites down on my bottom lip and our tongues barely touch, but it is enough to ignite me. Before I get carried away with an audience, I pull back.
    “Good Morning, Jake.”
    “I could get used to this.”
    “Me, too. That is what I am afraid of.”
    “One day at a time, beautiful.” I nod and swallow the lump in my throat. My new mantra is going to be one day at a time. “Come on, let’s get you to the beach.” He already knows that is my favorite place.
    “Can you play nice today?”
    “If I do, can I get a treat?”
    “All good things come to those who wait.” I grab my beach bag and run towards the sand. The day passes quickly and to my surprise no angry outbursts. He doesn’t play much volleyball, though, because he is too busy bitching about my swimwear. I about lose it when he asks me if my parents know what I wear at the beach.
    Krista interjects, “You were invited for family dinner, and you can ask them then.” Contemplating murder, yet again.
    If it weren’t so horrific I would find Jakes reaction funny. He has gone a nice shade of gray and green mixed. A mixture of passing out and throwing up. I put him out of his misery.
    “I told her no.”
    “They know about me?”
    “Uh, yep. Thank Ms. Clearly-doesn’t-know-when-to-shut-the-fuck-up over there. After telling my mommy I kissed a boy and those two gossiping like school girls, my mom invited you boys to dinner.”
    “Paisley, this could be bad. Our age.”
    “She knows.” I don’t understand why I feel sad that he doesn’t jump with joy my mom is actually okay with this. “She says Krista is eighteen, and I am like a twenty-five year old, so she wasn’t concerned.” Why am I basically begging him to be okay with us? We are a few hours into this whatever-we-are and already I feel like I have done something wrong.
    When he still doesn’t respond, I feel the sting of tears in my eyes. I grab all my stuff and throw it in my bag. The good thing about having a friend who can read you so well? Krista is already packed and waiting on me. I am almost to the Jeep when I hear him shouting my name. I ignore the part of me saying to turn around. I throw my bag in the back, and jump in the driver’s seat. I have the key in the ignition and I see him on the walkway. I crank it up and start to reverse when I realize Krista isn’t in the car yet. Damn it all to hell.
    “Stop,” he pleads with me.
    I won’t look at him. I won’t acknowledge him. I am being such a girl about to bawl over a few hours old relationship. A couple of kisses, some positive attention, and I turn into a real idiot.
    “What did I do? You ran off without a word.” Is he seriously joking right now?
    “Just trying to avoid an awkward conversation that started with ‘Sorry, Paisley, it isn’t you, it is me.’ Is there anything else you need to cover?”
    “Shit, Paisley, you can’t just run off and not talk to me about what you are thinking. I didn’t react the way you wanted me to, sorry, but that bit of news was huge. I am trying to work this out in my mind, our age difference, me being in the Navy, those ramifications in itself are huge. I find out your parents know, you assure me they are okay with it, and I am still in shock.”
    “I don’t want to be something you are trying to ‘work out in your mind.’ I want to be more than a problem