Page 78 of Things I Read About

“Joe,” I whisper.

“What?” he whispers back, but into my neck.

“Nate is watching us.”

“Nah,” he says, switching to the other side of my neck. “He’s got a million miles of fence line to watch.”

“Please, it’s weird, I feel like he’s staring at us in the security cameras.”

Joe rests his head on my shoulder and blows out a long, frustrated breath. “Okay.”

“Thank you, I’m sorry, just a few days or weeks, then it’ll be over,” I say.

“Sure, sure.” He sets me beside him on the step. “Shep have any floats? Maybe some beer?”

I wince. “There’s no alcohol in the house.”

He nods as if he knew that but forgot. I'm sure Shep must've told him about his past. And Sadie's.

“There are floats though, in that closet. And I can get us some of their weird fruity tea.”

“Tea? Now it’s a party,” Joe jokes.

I laugh and go find the tea and some insulated cups. When I make it back outside, he’s found a pump and inflated a giant slice of pizza and is working on another float.

“What is this, a unicorn?” Joe shoots me a confused look.

“It’s a moose. It was supposed to be a deer. I know. They’re weird.”

We relax in the pool together, him on his phone and me with my book. It’s nice. For a chapter. Then Joe says he’s got to get going, irritated with me, I think.

I get it, we’ve been seeing each other for over a month, and I haven’t really let him in, physically or emotionally.

“So, I’ll pick you up for the benefit Thursday night and then I’ll be in training. But you’re coming to the scrimmage, right?”

“Of course.” Another easy win. I can pretend to watch football from the stands. I’ve done it many, many times. If I just cheer when the people in my team colors cheer, everyone is appeased. Sometimes I can even listen to steamy audiobooks in my ear as I fake-fan with everybody.

Joe kisses me at the door, a real kiss this time, with moaning and gripping on his part. I try to lean in and enjoy it, his heat and muscles around me, but it’s just not the same now.

I close the door behind him, collapsing against it.

He’s like a generic copy of the real thing. Everyone knows Magic Treasures can’t hold a candle to Lucky Charms.

I grin to myself.Hold a candle.I like that one. From the 1600s, a reference that the apprentice wasn’t worthy to even hold the light for his master.

“What’s the benefit?” Mr. Lucky Charms himself says, startling me.

“Huh?” I take Nate in.

He’s clothed now, unfortunately. He showered and trimmed his scruff and looks like a model for a motorcycle ad in his black on black.

“Thursday? What charity, do you know? Where is it being held?”

“I can find it in my texts, I think.”

He nods. “Tell Shep Junior out there that I’m driving you. I’m not sitting in the back seat of his car like a creeper. Although… Never mind.”

I take a step forward, “Although what?”