Page 25 of Lawton

"And I saw you before." I paused. Time to decide. Use our history as a crutch or start fresh. I'd never been a fan of crutches. If I was going to win this girl, I wanted to do it right. So I said, "Walking your dog. Chucky, right?"

On her lap, Chucky gave a quick bark. He looked happy. And a funny thing hit me. I was happy, too. Happier than I'd been in a long time.

But the drive was going way too fast. Too soon, I was pulling into Chloe's driveway. Her driveway was long and lined with trees. The house was dark, inside and out. I felt myself frown. Was it safe?

In the passenger's seat, Chloe reached for the door-handle. "Thanks for the ride."

"Hang on," I said, grasping for an excuse,anyexcuse to make her stay. "You still owe me dinner."

She gave me a sideways glance. "The foursome? I think I'd better pass."

She looked so prim and proper that I couldn't stop myself from teasing her. She loved to laugh. I knew that from before. I grinned over at her. "How about a twosome?"

Her lips parted, but she didn't laugh. The way it looked, she was actually thinking about it.

My mouth went dry, and my jeans grew tight. She was so beautiful, and so sweet, I'd have given anything to hear her say yes.

Her gaze met mine. "Are we still talking dinner? Or something else?"

At the idea of something else, it was hard to think. Harder to talk. I cut the engine. "That's up to you."

She gave a small shake of her head. "Huh?"

"Dinner – or something else – it's your choice." At the thought of either, I felt myself smile. "Or hey, I'm up for both."

She glanced at the darkened house. After a long pause, she said, "Sorry, but I can't have guests over."

No surprise there. Odds were pretty good she lived with her parents. Still, it would be good to know for sure. Going for casual conversation, I leaned back in the seat. "Worried your folks wouldn't like it?"

She looked down at the dog, still cuddled against her chest. She stroked its fur, obviously stalling. I felt myself tense. It was a simple question. When she didn't answer, I started to wonder.

Whodidshe live with?

I didn't want to wonder. I tried to make a joke of it. "Let me guess, because I'm a bad influence, right?"

She didn't laugh. She didn't even smile. After a long pause, she said, "Actually, they're not here."

Through the shadows, I studied her face. Something was bothering her. I didn't know what, but I wanted to make it go away. "So what's the problem?" I asked.

She gave me a half smile. "You have guests, remember?"

Funny, I'd almost forgotten. I shrugged. "They know the way out."

Chloe gave me a long, penetrating look. I could almost see the wheels turning. I had two girls at home and wanted a third on the fly. But it wasn't like that. Not with her. And if she gave me half a chance, she'd see that.

She made a scoffing sound. "I've gotta go."

If I was lucky, I could tease her out of it. It worked with other girls. Why not her? I gave her my best cocky smile. "So dinner's a 'no' then?"

Her brow wrinkled. "What dinner?"

"The steak, remember?"

She let out a long breath. "I don't have any steak."

"Well, whatdoyou have?"

She glanced at the house. "Uh, peanut butter and jelly."