Page 57 of Kissing is the Easy Part

Sean grimaces. “Dad! I may doubt the world sometimes, but I was neverbitter.”

“He’s pretty bitter tome,” Lindsey says. “Flora is the one who takes care of me at school.”

“True.” Sean nods. “Flora’s been an amazing friend to Lindsey.”

“Thanks, that’s very kind.” His dad sets a bowl of salad in front of me. “She’s ecstatic to go to school because of you.”

“I didn’t really do that much.” With or without Sean, spending time with Lindsey is easy. “I only sat with her the first week, now she’s got loads of friends of her own. She’s delightful and everyone loves her.”

“I could say the same about you.” Sean’s mom places her hand on my wrist for one second, and I want to hug her. I want to hug this whole dining room.

A comfortable lull settles over the table. I take a bite of grilled salmon and sigh. “I went to this Michelin-starred place in Napa once with my parents, and they served the most incredible whole grilled sea bass. It was buttery soft and melty.” I wipe my hands on the recycled paper napkin. “Mr. Foster, this salmon takes me right back. It’s delicious.”

He chuckles, eyes bright with amusement. “You’re exaggerating.”

Beside me, Sean shifts, smiling good-naturedly. “Maybe you should stop going to Michelin restaurants if you can’t tell the difference.”

“I don’t lie about food,” I say, “and home-cooked meals are such a luxury.”

“I’d rather we get Chick-fil-A, to be honest,” Lindsey says.

“No one in this house appreciates my talent.” Sean’s dad sighs. “You’re welcome to dinner any time.”

When dinner wraps up, Sean pushes his chair back and stands up.

I stand too. “I’ll help clean up.”

As the rest of his family moves into the living room to watch TV, I pick up a plate from the table.

“Hey, I’ve got it,” Sean says, a teasing glint in his eyes. “You hate loading the dishwasher.”

“Your mom was nice enough to ask me to stay, it’s the least I can do. Thanks for having me,” I say.

“No, thankyoufor staying. It’s nothing fancy, but my parents like you. Having you here makes them happy.”

We grab the same plate at once, and he looks at me when I don’t let go. “And areyouhappy I stayed?” I ask.

“It’s one more plate to wash, but I can tolerate it.” He lets go and picks up the glasses instead. Then he sneaks a peek at the living room and lowers his voice. “So, I finally met Lindsey’s soulmate. But only because they needed a ride to mini golf.”

Fine, change the subject.“Let me guess, you don’t approve of him.”

He carries the glasses to the kitchen. “They sat in the back seat whispering and were all over each other while I drove in front like a chauffeur. If there’d been a glass divider between us, they would’ve pulled it shut.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t try sucking up to you. If I was dating someone’s sister I’d make sure I was on good terms with the older, more popular brother. Maybe ask you pointers on how to get deltoids like yours.”

“Oh, that’s easy. Use crutches,” he says, then smiles with a trace of affection as he pulls open the dishwasher. “Only you’d compliment me on my deltoids.”

We lapse into a moment of silence.

Our fingers touch occasionally as we pass the plates, and my heart thuds each time it happens.Ridiculous.This is a boy I’ve done a lot of things with. I’ve touched plenty of places that are way more off-limits than his hands, and yet here I am, freaking out over our fingers grazing.

I clear my throat. “So, this was fun. Nice to take a break from the history play, even though that’s fun too.”

“Yeah, you said that. And you feelluckyto be paired with me? This is new,” Sean says.

“I can change my mind, can’t I?” I peer up at him through my lashes. “I appreciate that you put up with my ideas with mild amusement.”

“Mild amusement? Try excruciating reluctance.”