Jennie's POV
I remove my clothes and take a quick shower, even though I'm going to get dirty gardening with Karen. Lisa waits patiently, fiddling through my underwear drawer to keep herself busy. When I'm done, she tells me to pack enough clothes to spend another night with her, which makes me smile. I would spend every night with her if I could.
As we drive back, I ask her, "Do you want to get your car and take it to your dad's?"
"No, I'm okay. As long as you stop swerving all over the road." "Excuse me? I am an excellent driver," I say defensively.
She snorts but keeps her mouth shut. "So what made you decide to get a car, anyway?"
"Well, I got the internship, and I didn't want to keep taking the bus or depending on other people to take me places."
She looks out the window. "Oh . . . did you go alone?" "Yeah . . . why?"
"Just wondering," she lies.
"I was alone; that was a bad day for me," I say and she flinches. "How many times did you and Rosé hang out?" she asks.
Why is she bringing this up now? "Twice: we went to dinner and a movie, then the bonfire. It wasn't anything for you to worry about."
"She only kissed you once?"
Ugh. "Yes, only once. Well, besides the time that . . . you saw. Now can we move on from this? You don't see me asking about Nancy, do you?" I snap.
"Okay . . . okay. Let's not fight. This is the longest we have ever gotten along, so let's not ruin it," she says and reaches for my hand. Her thumb rubs small circles on my skin.
"Okay," I say, still slightly annoyed. The image of Nancy on her lap makes my vision blur.
"Aww, come on, Jen. Don't pout." She laughs and pokes my side. I can't help but let out a giggle. "Don't distract me! I'm driving!"
"This is probably the only time you'll ever tell me not to touch you." "Not likely—don't be so full of yourself."
Our laughter blends together and it's a lovely sound. She brings her hand to my thigh and rubs her long fingers up and down.
"You sure?" her raspy voice whispers and my skin tingles. My body responds to her so quickly, my pulse drumming heavily. I gulp and nod, causing her to sigh and pull her hand away. "I know that's not true . . . but I'd rather not have you driving off the road, so I'll just have to finger you later."
I swat at her, blushing. "Lisa!"
"Sorry, baby." She smiles, raising her hands in mock innocence and looking out the window. I love when she calls me baby; no one has called me that before. Kai and I had always thought that the ridiculous pet names people called each other were too juvenile for us, but when Lisa calls me something, my blood sings in my veins.
When we get back to her father's house, Marco and Karen are in the backyard waiting for us. Marco looks out of his element in jeans and a WCU T-shirt. I've never seen him dressed so casually, and in fact he looks a little like Lisa this way. They greet us with a smile that Lisa tries to return, but she looks uncomfortable as she shifts on her heels and buries her hands in her pockets.
"Ready when you are," Marco says to Lisa. He looks just as uncomfortable as Lisa, though he's more nervous, whereas Lisa seems apprehensive.
Lisa looks at me and I give her an encouraging nod, surprised that I have suddenly become someone she looks at for reassurance. It seems that our dynamic has changed dramatically, making me happy in a way I hadn't expected.
"We will be in the greenhouse, so just bring the soil in there," Karen says and gives Marco a small kiss on the cheek. Lisa looks away from them, and for a second I think she may give me a kiss, too, but she doesn't. I follow Karen to the greenhouse and when we walk inside I gasp. It's huge, bigger than it looks from outside, and she wasn't joking when she said it needs a lot of work. It is practically empty.
Dramatically, she puts her hands on her hips with chipper glee. "It is quite the project, but I think we can do it."
"I think so, too," I say.
Lisa and Marco come in, carrying two bags of soil each. They are both silent as they drop them where Karen directs before walking back out. Twenty bags of soil and hundreds of seeds and dozens of flowers and vegetable plants later, we have a pretty good start.
BEFORE I REALIZE IT, the sunlight has started to fade and I haven't seen Lisa in a few hours. I hope she and Marco are both still alive.
"I think we've done enough for today," Karen says and wipes her face.
We are both covered in dirt.
"Yeah, I better check on Lisa," I tell her and she laughs.
"It means a lot to us, Marco especially, that Lisa has been coming around more, and I know we have you to thank for that. I take it that you two worked out your differences?"
"Sort of . . . I guess we did." I let out a little laugh. "We are still very different." If only she knew.
She gives me a knowing smile. "Well, different is sometimes what we need. It's good to be challenged."
"Well, she is definitely challenging."
We both laugh and she pulls me in for a hug. "You sweet girl, you have done more for us than you know." I feel my eyes tearing up and I nod.
"I hope you don't mind that I've been staying overnight. Lisa has asked me to stay again," I tell her and try not to make eye contact.
"No, of course not. You both are adults, and I trust you're being safe."
Oh God. I know my cheeks are a deeper shade of red than the bulbs we just planted. "We . . . uh . . . we don't," I stammer. Why am I talking about this with Lisa's soon-to-be stepmother? I am mortified.
"Oh," she says, equally embarrassed. "Let's go inside."
I follow her into the house, where we both take our dirty shoes off at the door. I can see into the living room, where Lisa is sitting on the edge of the couch and Marco is in the easy chair. Lisa's eyes immediately find mine and relief flushes through them.
"I'll make some late dinner while you get cleaned up," Karen says.
Lisa stands up and walks over to me. She seems glad to be out of the room with her father.
"We'll be back down soon," I say and follow Lisa up the stairs. "How was it?" I ask as we enter her room.
Instead of answering me, she wraps her fingers around my ponytail and brings her lips to mine. We stagger back against the door and she presses her body against me. "I missed you."
My insides liquefy. "You did?"
"Yes, I did. I just spent the last few hours with my father in awkward silence, and then sharing a few even more awkward comments here and there. I need a distraction." She runs her tongue along my bottom lip and my breath catches in my throat. This is different. Welcome, and very hot, but different.
Her hands travel down my stomach and stop at the button on my jeans. "Lisa, I need a shower. I am covered in dirt," I say, laughing.
Her tongue runs along my neck. "I like you this way, nice and dirty." She gives me that smile with those dimples.
But I gently push her back and grab my bag before heading to the bathroom. My breathing is ragged and I'm a little disoriented, so when I try to close the bathroom door only to have it stop midway, I'm confused. Until I look down and I see Lisa's boot.
"Can I join you?" She smiles and pushes her way into the bathroom before I can answer.