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I giggle. I can only imagine what they were up to. Unless their husbands are with them, they don’t behave.
“I bet she fussed over you when she saw you.”
My nan loves Lake. When my parents would send me to my grandparents’ house, Lake would often stay with me.
“She did. I didn’t think she was going to let me go. It was good seeing her. I wish your granddad was there. When was the last time you saw them?”
I think it over, wincing. “A while ago. Nan had her gallbladder removed about four months ago, so Granddad couldn’t come get me. I was gonna catch the train up there, but they wouldn’t let me. Then I had to move here. I guess time got away with me.”
“They’ll understand. They love you. How’s Mark? Still going to the gym?”
I start laughing. “He’s good. And he owns one now.”
“We’re gonna go order food while you talk,” Banner interrupts, whispering. I go to grab my purse, but his hand stops me. “I’ll buy it.”
I look up, feeling warmth rush through me. “Thank you.”
He winks before getting to his feet.
“You gonna buy mine, too?”
Banner looks him over. “Nah, you aren’t as pretty as Emma.”
Max scoffs, muttering something to Banner as they walk off.
“You look so happy, Lake. I really like him.”
Her eyes go soft as she flicks them over my shoulder to where the lads are. “I am. But enough about me; I want to hear about you. What is going on between you and Banner? And can I add, how fit has he got! He was always good-looking in school, but Jesus, now it’s hard to look at him.”
I blush, shaking my head in amusement. Banner was hot before, but as he’s grown, he’s gotten better-looking. He’s like a fine wine.
“There’s nothing going on between us,” I squeak. “What’s made you say that?”
She gives me a look that says, ‘yeah right’. “First of all, he can’t stop touching you. When Max hugged you, I thought his jaw was gonna snap. And the way he looks at you… It’s like he’s seeing colour for the first time. There’s no way you are just friends, because you look at him the same way, only you’re more discreet about it.”
My neck and cheeks heat at her observation. Can he tell I have the hots for him? Oh god, what if he knows I’m secretly in love with him?
“He doesn’t like me that way. Trust me. He’s just a friend. He was there for me through it all, Lake. He saw it. There’s no way he would want someone as weak as me for a girlfriend. You forget, I knew the girls he slept with in high school. They were sexy, confident, outgoing—everything I’m not.”
Her expression is filled with pity and I have to glance away. “Emma, you are so much more than you give yourself credit for. He’s in love with you.”
“He’s not.”
She looks over my shoulder before glancing back at me. “He is. But something tells me you’ll find out soon enough.”
I won’t.
Banner and Max join us back at the table. Max begins to fill in the silence, but I can’t concentrate long enough to listen. I can’t get Lake’s words out of my head. Could she be right? Could Banner really have feelings for me, or is she mistaking his feelings for me as a friend for something more?
I guess there’s only one way to find out. I’m just not sure that I’ve got the courage to gamble everything in order to find the answer.
CHAPTER TEN
The bark pressing against my back makes it hard to get comfortable. I keep shifting around, trying to find a spot I’m happy with. Once I’m out of the way of a lone stick digging into my spine, I pull the blanket I’m sharing with Banner, tighter around me, sighing happily. I snuggle into Banner’s side with my cup of hot chocolate in hand.
“People are looking at us like we’re nuts,” I tell him, closing my eyes briefly at the sound of rain hitting our umbrella—if you can call it that; it’s big enough to cover a tent.
Banner’s head shifts, and without looking, I know he’s gazing down at me. “We are nuts. We’re sitting in the park when it’s freezing cold and raining.”