Relativity by Lauren Dodd Read Free Book Online

know it is probably just one of the grandparents telling us they got home, but Dad is taking a nap and I don’t want it to wake him up.
    “Hello?” I answer.
    “Hey, Ripley. It’s Knox,” a husky voice says.
    My body reacts as if someone picked me up by my ankles, threw me upside down, and shook me. That’s when I realize it wasn’t just the vodka making me have those feelings for Knox last night. “Hey, Knox. How’s it going?” I say, trying to be super laid back.
    “Um, good. You left your shoes over here last night and I was going to drop them off but I thought that might look kind of weird.”
    I know for a fact that I will never wear those shoes again. I could easily just tell him to pitch them in the garbage. But something inside me lunges at the chance to see him again even though I know how dangerous it is.
    “I could drop by sometime,” I offer.
    “Great. How about tonight around seven?” he says, sounding excited.
    “Um, sure,” I say, surprised that he almost seemed to know that I would offer to pick them up and already had a time in mind. Then I remember that he is probably just trying to be cautious about people seeing us alone together. It’s not like he can give the shoes to Natalie or leave them on my front porch in case Dad were to see him. No, he chose a time when it would already be dark and no one would see us together.
    “It was nice catching up with you last night. I’ll see you at seven,” he says cordially then hangs up. I’m left holding the phone, quickly doing the math to figure out how long I have to wait until I see him again.
     
    ******
     
    I hate myself for flat-ironing my hair and putting on my makeup with the precision of a makeup artist before I make my way to Knox’s, but I can’t help it. For some sick and twisted reason, I want to impress him. I’m wearing a coral-colored spaghetti-strapped summer dress and matching flip-flops. I begged Dad to borrow his truck because I can’t handle driving Mom’s van yet.
    Carefully, I make my way to the other side of town parking next to Knox’s Jeep. I’m a much more contentious driver since Mom’s accident. But I can’t let myself start thinking about her so I focus on the excitement I feel about seeing Knox again. Not that these are safe emotions either but at least I won’t be crying when I get there.
    I’m nervous as I make my way up the stairs hoping that when Knox opens the door I’ll feel nothing. I need confirmation that last night was all about the vodka and my emotional state after the funeral. I knock softly, holding my breath.
    Knox opens the door, looking adorable in cargo shorts and a green V-neck T-shirt with a white dishtowel thrown over his shoulder. My body feels electrified at the sight of him and I try to smile naturally even though I know I’m in big trouble.
    “Hey, kid. Get in here and help me,” he teases, pointing to a sizzling pan on his compact stove. The smell wafting out of the loft is amazing and I feel hungry for the first time in days so instead of just asking for the shoes and going on with my life, I step into his loft and let him close the door behind me. The fact that he just called me kid doesn’t escape me, though. It’s obvious this attraction is a one way street.
    “It smells amazing in here,” I say, moving near the back of the couch so that we don’t accidentally touch in the small space. The tiny table that he has in the kitchen area is made up nicely with two place settings and a small vase of fresh flowers. My face burns realizing he’s expecting company. He just called me ‘kid’ for heaven’s sake, how much more clear do I need him to be that he thinks of me as nothing but his kid sister’s friend.
    “Thanks. I’m a work in progress,” he says, throwing me wink as he pours a boiling pot of pasta into a strainer sitting in the sink then dumps the noodles back into their original pot. I watch him masterfully mix the homemade tomato sauce into the noodles