“Yup,” I nodded. “Now, get to work.”
I grabbed a raisin from the bag and poised my hand for the throw. Sean raised the paper in his hands to hide his face. I giggled and nudged Paisley with my shoulder. Paisley laughed back and grabbed a handful of trail mix, ready to throw when necessary.
For the next hour, Paisley and I took turns throwing pieces of food at Sean. Each time he stumbled over a word, he got beaned with a peanut or a raisin or a chocolate chip. He couldn’t pause too long or mutter the word “um” without one of us tossing things at his head. By the time the bag was half empty, Paisley and I were both flushed from laughter.
Sean was doing well, though. He quickly learned his speech to avoid any more flying food, and he even looked to be enjoying himself. He smiled every time Paisley laughed, and I knew he was having a great time.
When Sean finally got the hang of his speech, Paisley and I had less reasons to throw the trail mix. We started eating the pieces instead of using them as ammo. When lunchtime rolled around, the bag was empty and Sean’s speech was perfectly memorized.
“I think you’ve got it,” I said. I had to admit, I was impressed.
“Only because I was afraid you two might never stop,” Sean laughed.
Paisley shrugged. “We got hungry.”
Sean and I laughed.
“You’re ready for tomorrow,” I told Sean. I stood up to face him, and I smiled warmly as he walked toward me.
As we stood there, I had the urge to lean forward and kiss him. It wasn’t a new urge. I’d felt it on and off all day, but now that he stood so close to me, I had a hard time ignoring it. I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet nervously.
Sean stepped closer to me and glanced over at Paisley. He made sure she wasn’t looking before he kissed me swiftly. It was soft and quick, so quick I almost didn’t feel it. He stepped back and smiled. I laughed softly and felt my cheeks blush.
“I am ready,” Sean said. “Tomorrow will be great.”
“It will,” I agreed. “Now, you guys get out of here. Paisley, make sure Sean practices some more tonight, okay? You know what to do.”
I winked at Paisley and she winked back conspiratorially. Sean laughed behind me and gestured for Paisley to pack up her things.
“Remember,” Paisley said suddenly. “This weekend. You’re coming over, right?”
I glanced at Sean who just nodded.
“I remember,” I promised.
“Good,” Paisley said. “Because we’re going to make dinner and rent movies. Right, Sean?”
“That’s right,” Sean said with a nod. “We have it all planned out, so you can’t bail now.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I swore. I grinned at Sean, my eyes drifting to his lips again. He knew exactly what I was thinking because he grinned back at me.
As he stepped around me to join Paisley, he brushed my arm with his fingertips. I felt a shock run through my body and I shivered. His touch was already so powerful, it could have knocked me over if I hadn’t been prepared for it.
Sean mouthed “goodbye” to me and ushered Paisley across the room. She turned and waved as they stepped out into the hallway. I watched them go, my heart aching with how much I already felt for them both.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Sean
“What if she doesn’t like mac ‘n’ cheese?” Paisley asked, a look of panic flickering across her young face.
I laughed and shook my head. “Everyone loves mac ‘n’ cheese,” I promised her.
“Everyone?” Paisley asked.
“Everyone.”
Paisley nodded and continued stirring the bowl. She perched on a step stool so she could reach the counter. A giant bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese sat in front of her. She stirred it slowly with a large wooden spoon. I watched for a second before I ducked down to check on the chicken.
It was baking perfectly in the oven, almost ready to serve. I smiled and flicked off the oven light. When I turned back to Paisley, she was frowning at the bowl.
I walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” I asked.
“There’s still chunks,” she complained. “I can’t get it all mixed.”
“Here,” I said. I wrapped my hand around hers so we both held the spoon. I stirred the mac ‘n’ cheese fast and hard. I jerked our hands around playfully, making sure to get every single chunk.
Paisley laughed and held tightly to the spoon. While we worked, she leaned back against me slightly and I smiled. Things between us were getting easier every day.
“Do you think she’ll like it?” Paisley asked as I took the chicken out of the oven. I placed the pan on the counter.
“She will,” I said. “Don’t worry.”
“Okay,” Paisley sighed. “If you say so.”
“I do.” I smiled. “Now, what movie are we going to watch first?”
“Brave!” Paisley said with excitement.
“Oh, come on,” I moaned. “You’ve seen that a million times!”
“Because it’s the best movie ever,” Paisley said with a seriousness that did not fit the situation. I laughed and turned to stir a pot of green beans cooking on the stove.
“What about one of the new ones we rented?” I asked. “Isn’t that why we got them? To watch?”
“Yes,” Paisley said. “But, you asked which one we should watch first. We can watch Brave and then one of the new ones.”
“I see,” I said, nodding. “Makes sense.”
“I know,” Paisley said. I grinned and continued stirring the green beans.
“Here,” I said. I walked over to the cabinet and pulled down three plates. I set them on the counter and grabbed three forks and three butter knifes from the cutlery drawer. “Set the table real quick.”
“Okay,” Paisley said. She jumped off the stool and grabbed the plates.
“Use two hands,” I warned as she hurried toward the table. She slowed down and wrapped both hands more tightly around the plates. I smiled again and watched her lay each plate down in their proper spot.
It happened so slowly that I almost hadn’t noticed, but my relationship with Paisley was becoming more natural than I ever thought it would. She was opening up to me, slowly revealing her emotions. The more she did, the more I realized how much like me she really was. We had more in common than just our looks. We thought the same, we felt the same, and we even talked the same sometimes.
Even her nerves about this dinner were a reflection of my own. I felt a twinge in my gut at the thought of Tara coming over for dinner. I was just as worried as Paisley that Tara wouldn’t have a good time, but I hid it well. Only one of us needed to be anxious.