Page 214 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 1

He lowered his eyebrows slightly and sat back in his seat. As soon as his buckle clicked into place, I put my foot on the gas.

The car jolted forward. I did a very jerky U-turn as I adjusted to the sensitivity of his gas and brake pedals.

"Maybe I should drive," James said. He was gripping the armrest and looked incredibly nervous.

"I got this." I smoothly drove us out of the neighborhood and back onto Concord Pike.

"So is Wilmington one of those small towns where everyone knows each other?" James asked.

"If you haven't noticed, all of Delaware is like that."

"I have kind of noticed that. It's very different from New York."

I laughed and pulled the car into a parking lot next to a park. We easily could have walked here from my house, but I didn't want to leave his car parked outside, just in case my parents came home for lunch. "Well you should be comfortable today then. No one ever really notices me. So today we can pretend like we're in New York." I handed him his keys before stepping out of the car.

When James reached me, he wrapped his arms around me. I immediately hugged him back. We stood like that for a long time. I felt so calm when he held me like this. And I realized that he was hugging me because of what I said. This was him telling me that he noticed me. His sweet cologne mixed with the smell of the autumn leaves made me feel more at home than I had ever felt.

I took a deep breath. "Let me call my mom. I'll tell her we're here and that she should come home for lunch. You're right, the sooner the better."

He pulled back slightly and looked down at me. "Are you sure?"

I looked into his dark brown eyes. "I'm sure."

Addiction - Chapter 23

Wednesday

"Hi, Mom," I said into my phone. My palms felt sweaty.What if she already knows?!

"Hi, Sweetie. Sally called me a few minutes ago. I was actually just about to call you. What are you doing home? Is everything alright? Are you feeling sick again?"

Geez, Mrs. Bennett!"Yeah, everything's great! Nothing weird or out of the ordinary going on at all."What am I saying?

My mom stayed silent.

"I just wanted to show James around. He was curious about where I grew up." I looked over at him. He was leaning against the railing of the small bridge, staring down at the water. We had walked hand in hand along the walking trails in the woods. If I didn't have to confess this huge secret to my parents, it would have been the most amazing fall afternoon.

"Did you two want to come over for dinner? I can make spinach quiche!"

Spinach quiche was my favorite home cooked meal. "Actually, Mom, I was hoping you and Dad could come home for lunch? James and I have to get back soon and I want to make sure I get to see both of you." I needed to tell them before someone else did.

"Well..." there was a pause. "Yeah, I think I can. I'll have to give your father a call. I'm not sure if he has any meetings today. Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner, Penny? I'd love to get to know James better."

My stomach seemed to flip over. She was going to know all she cared to know in a few hours. "James actually needs to get back soon."

"Well, okay. How is your head feeling? Are you still getting dizzy?"

I touched my forehead. "I'm feeling a lot better. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." Health-wise that was true. But she'd have a whole mess of problems to worry about soon. Why did I just keep piling lies on top of lies?

"Are you sure everything is okay, sweetie? You don't sound quite like yourself."

"Really, Mom, I'm good. Text me about lunch, okay?"

"Okay, Pen. I'll call your father now."

"Great. See you later." I hung up before she could ask me any more questions. I forgot how easily she could read me.

"I need to get back soon, huh?"