17. Skylar
Chapter Seventeen
SKYLAR
Work was busy, but it was always busy. I liked being busy.
An upside to growing up in foster care and chaos was gratitude for some basic things.
Having a job, staying busy, and being able to pay my bills was so amazing.
I loved being able to take care of myself, and I was so profoundly grateful I could.
All of that to say, I managed not to obsess about Tucker all day. I was too busy. It was all good until I was walking out to my car at the end of the day to find him leaning in the back of his truck. I prayed he wouldn’t notice me, but the gods decided to have a little fun at my expense.
I stayed on the far side, maybe twenty feet away, between the rows of vehicles. Just as I got close, he lifted his head and closed the cab of his truck, turning immediately. “Hey, Skylar.”
“Hey,” I practically yelped.
He leaned his hips against the back of his truck.
It was then I realized my car was right beside his truck.
I wasn’t even paying attention this morning when I parked, probably because I was still so flustered from my conversation with Daphne.
Being reminded that she and Nora and Lord knows who else knew about the kiss had left me disconcerted.
Of course, only Tucker knew about last night, so I hoped he would keep that quiet.
I got hot all over with my skin tingling and butterflies twirling in my belly.
“Your car all taken care of?” he asked.
“Yep,” I squeaked.
“I was going to stop and see if you needed a ride, but I had to be in early this morning.”
I nodded, realizing I was standing there like an idiot on the other side of the parking lot. I took a deep breath and tried to walk casually over to him, stuffing my hands in my pockets on the way. “How were your flights today?”
“Good.” His voice was all rumbly and sexy.
“You busy today?”
“It’s always busy.”
We stared at each other. He opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to it, blurting out, “Can we forget about last night?”
He studied me, and I felt as if he could see right inside my heart. It was as if he found a secret door I didn’t know existed, and he’d already broken the lock.
“I know you want me to say yes,” he said carefully before pausing. “But I’d be lying. How about let’s not do that because lying isn’t what friends do? I want more than that with you.”
Oh, my god. My brain blanked for a minute, static filling it as I stared at him.
“But I know that’s not where we’re at,” he continued, hopefully unaware of my internal state. “How about you come out to the lodge for dinner again?”
My throat felt thick, and I swallowed. I squeaked again. “Dinner at the lodge?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Daphne’s cooking is always good, and it never gets boring.”
“Daphne knows about our kiss,” I blurted out because blurting things out was my thing today.
He smiled ruefully. “I know, but I didn’t tell her.
Nora saw us. Nora doesn’t care, and Daphne’s the least judgmental person in the universe.
No one cares. They won’t tease you. If they tease anybody, it’ll be me, but it won’t be in front of you.
I promise. But if that’s too much, let me take you out to dinner somewhere else. ”
I narrowed my eyes. “Like a date?”
He regarded me quietly before nodding slowly. “Yes.”
“Do you date?” I couldn’t forget what Daphne told me about him.
He eyed me cautiously before replying, “Not usually. But with you, yes.”
“Tucker,” I warned.
“Skylar,” he countered. “I like you. And don’t lie to me and tell me there’s nothing between us. Let’s try this.”
I felt crazy. Just bonkers. But my head was stupid and bobbed up and down all on its own. “It’s just dinner,” I said quickly.
He smiled slightly. “I know. Where do you want to go?”
I didn’t have the nerve to tell him that the only restaurants I had tried were the two coffee places Cammi owned and the pizza place. Even though I actually made decent money now, I was constantly waiting for a disaster to happen, so I saved most of it.
As if he could read my mind, he added, “Dinner’s on me because I asked you.”
I opened my mouth to argue, and he shook his head. “If you ask me out, you can pay.”
Pressing my lips together, I took a deep breath before I said, “Fine. Honestly, I don’t know where to go. I haven’t tried many places.”
“What kind of food do you like?” he asked.
“Most everything.”
“Well, let’s do the brewery. Sally’s is good, but it’s basically pub food and more of a bar scene. Do you want a busy place like that?”
I shook my head quickly. I hated the bar scene. It was too crowded and too loud and set my nerves on edge.
“All right, the brewery it is. When?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one asking,” I returned, feeling peevish and uncomfortable.
“I know, but I don’t know your schedule. I usually have Saturdays off from flying.”
“Well, then we should go the day before you have off,” I heard myself saying.
“What about your schedule?” he countered patiently.
“I work Sunday through Thursday.”
Tucker smiled slowly. “That’s perfect. Friday. I’m sure I’ll see you before then. Are you coming out to the lodge for yoga on Wednesday?”
I started to shake my head, but he continued, “Come on out. You know Daphne wants you there. Gemma would love to see you.”
My heart felt like it might burst. Because I wanted to go. I really did. “Okay, I’ll see you there.”
He smiled again, letting his hands drop. He startled me when he caught one of my hands in his and reeled me closer. I came to a stumbling stop, maybe six inches in front of him. I swear to God, the man had a presence, and it was potent . I could feel his strength, leashed and vibrating.
He held my gaze for several beats before leaning over and brushing a quick kiss across my lips. It felt as if electricity passed between us, shimmering in the air as he drew away. “Have a good evening, Skylar.”
He waited while I climbed in my car, fumbling with my keys and trying to scramble my composure together. I took another deep breath before managing to drive away. When I turned down the road that led to the harbor and the gallery with my apartment above it, I wondered if I’d lost my mind.