Page 28 of Gin & Jewels

“No more sling?” she asked.

I grinned. “Nope.”

“That makes me happy.”

“Me too. Are you ready?”

“Yep,” she beamed.

We walked to my truck, and I opened the passenger door for her to climb in. I rounded the hood and got into the driver’s seat before starting the engine. “I hope you like scary movies.”

She grinned. “I like all movies.”

“So I don’t need to protect you then?”

“Is that why you picked a scary movie?” Cassie chuckled.

I pulled away from the curb and headed toward the drive-in. “Honestly, no. I think the best movies to see at a drive-in are scary ones because it’s different. You’re out in the open, and anything can jump out and scare you.”

“Well, maybe I will get scared then and need to cling to you.”

Cassie didn’t know, but I had put blankets and two lawn chairs in the back of my truck, so we could watch the movie in comfort. We would be under the stars with no cover to protect us while we watched a movie about a demon doll.

“Go for it.” I smiled and we were silent for a few moments. “Are you sure you didn’t have plans tonight?” I asked.

“No, why?”

“It looked like you had a full house.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “That was just my brother andhisroommates.”

“His roommates? You don’t live there?”

“No, I do, but he invited them to live with us, so they’rehisroommates, not mine.”

“Ah. So you live with your brother?”

She was silent a moment. “Yeah. Our parents died when I was fifteen, and that was the house they left us. It’s cheaper than finding my own place.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your parents.” I couldn’t imagine losing my mom—her battle with breast cancer was enough of a scare for me.

“Thank you. That was six years ago.”

I quickly did the math and looked over at her briefly. “So, that means you’re turning twenty-two tomorrow?”

“I am.”

“And you have no plans to go clubbing with your friends or anything?”

“I’d have to have friends to do that.”

I furrowed my brows. “You don’t have friends?”

Cassie was silent again, and I looked over at her. I felt as though everything we were talking about was heavy, and that wasn’t my intention. I just assumed everyone had friends.

The streetlights went in and out of the cab as she took a deep breath. “When my parents died, everything changed. I got really depressed and pushed everyone away. Now, I don’t really open up to people to let them in, and I’m what people would call a homebody, I guess.”

“But you’re telling me things and going to the movies with me, plus the wedding tomorrow.”