Bet on It (45)

He didn’t want to push, but they needed to have the discussion. They could only go so long not bringing it up, pretending like it hadn’t happened before something exploded. Walker had no clue what the hell the outcome would be, but whatever it was, he was ready. He was done waiting.

“OK.”

He breathed a sigh of relief, not caring if she heard.

“But we’re taking your truck and you have to buy the snacks.”

“I was already doin’ both those things anyway.”

“Well, good … Then I’ll see you this evening.”

“Six,” he told her.

“Right, six.”

It wasn’t until hours later that Walker realized what a colossal fucking mistake he’d made. Maybe “mistake” wasn’t the best word for it, but once Aja answered her door in a pair of cuffed denim shorts and a white T-shirt so thin that he could see the color of her bra underneath, he had to keep from biting down on his fist. When he saw the way the hem of her shorts pinched at her big thighs, it finally dawned on him that he would be sitting next to her for a few hours. Alone, close together, in a place that was notorious for being a sexy hookup spot. Walker got the feeling that he was in for a world of trouble.

“We match,” he told her lamely.

“A tiny bit.” She turned to lock the door behind her, and his mouth watered at the way the shorts molded to her ass. “I see you weren’t bold enough to show off a little more leg like me though. Shame.”

“If I had a pair of big pretty legs like that, trust me, I would. But these pale, scrawny motherfuckers simply can’t measure up.”

“I don’t know … I see some strength in those thighs of yours. A little more sunlight and you might be surprised.”

“They still wouldn’t be as incredible as yours though,” he said, opening the truck door for her to climb inside.

“Well, everything isn’t a competition, Walker.”

Arguing with her—even in jest—was fruitless. Even if he refused to believe her, the woman still made a great argument. Once they were secure in his truck, he plopped a full grocery-store bag in her lap before starting the engine and pulling out.

“I got a few things on the way over. I wasn’t sure what you liked, and I didn’t want to bug you with tons of texts, so I just got a little of everythin’. But if there’s somethin’ you want that I didn’t get, I’m sure the drive-in has a concession stand.”

Aja rummaged through the bag before she made a triumphant little grunt.

“I love Hot Tamales!”

“Really? I got those on a whim, figured I’d end up havin’ to take them back to Gram.”

“Nope.” She clutched the box to her chest. “I love these. They’re hard but soft, sweet but hot. They’re perfectly balanced in every way. And they’re my favorite candy.”

“So … you seem to have thought about this a lot,” he said, endlessly amused.

“I have.” Her matter-of-fact tone didn’t surprise him in the least. “I have a definitive ranking of every single one of my favorite candies, and Hot Tamales are absolutely number one.”

He turned onto the highway then, the road open, the sun still a couple hours from setting. Knowing that he was heading out of Greenbelt, even if only for a few hours, made him feel free. If he’d been alone, he would have leaned his head out the window and released a giant “whoop” in celebration.

“I need to hear this ranking,” he said instead, pure delight bubbling up in his belly.

“I literally thought you’d never ask.”

By the time they pulled into the Highway 21 Drive-In, he’d sat through—and thoroughly enjoyed—Aja’s candy ranking. As it went, Hot Tamales were at the top, Sour Patch Kids were at the bottom, and Skittles, which were his personal favorite, were far too deep in the middle for his liking. He’d managed to only argue with her a little, and she hadn’t been afraid of pushing back, protesting until the very second they arrived at their destination.

Cars were still filing in when they got there. The first movie wasn’t set to start until nine, well after the sun went down and the giant movie screen could be seen clearly by everyone. They picked an optimal spot in the center of the field—close enough to the concession stand that Walker wouldn’t have to walk too far but far enough from the screen that they wouldn’t have to crane their necks to watch the movie.

He backed the truck in, making sure the bed was facing the front, then turned to Aja.

“You ready?” He patted the large tote bag full of old blankets he had sitting on the floor between them.

Her nod was enthusiastic.

“Did you clean the truck?” She ran her hand over the edge of the truck bed. “I didn’t notice earlier.”

“Sure did. Gave the bed a deep scrubbin’ and everything. You didn’t think I was goin’ to let you hang out in a dirty truck bed all night, did you?”

“I didn’t think about it, honestly.”

“Well, I wouldn’t. You deserve only the most spotless of truck beds in which to luxuriate.”

“You’re ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes, grabbing one of the blankets out of the bag. “What I really deserve is a soft place to rest my behind, so let’s get these blankets together.”