Lie, Lie Again(71)

Thirty minutes later, Kylie had eaten her soup and was settled happily in front of the movie with Cuddle Kitty, her favorite plush toy. Embry made a list of ingredients she would need and checked the prices online. It would be a gamble to buy in bulk, but she was going to make this happen. Make it happen or go broke trying. At least she’d saved the box of printable business-card paper she’d bought years ago. It’d be easy enough to make an eye-catching card on the computer to go along with the pops. The more professional it looked, the better. If there was one thing she could say about herself, she was creative. And a perfectionist when it came to aesthetics. She would get these pops into a store one way or another. Go big, Embry. Go big.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Riki pulled into her spot in the carport, and her eyes flashed to Brandon’s truck. He was home. She wondered if he’d gone to his audition yet. The heady feeling she’d had earlier rushed her as she walked to her apartment, growing in strength with each step until she felt like it would sweep her from her feet. It couldn’t be all one-sided. She lifted his spirits too. He’d called her awesome, after all. He was always happy and smiling around her, wasn’t he? She dropped her bags on the table and floated to the kitchen. Maybe she could do a test, like ask him to come over to help with something totally boring. If he was happy and laughing while doing it, she would know for certain that he liked her too. It wouldn’t change anything—it wasn’t like she would suddenly start pursuing the guy. But it’d be nice to know if someone as perfect as Brandon could be attracted to her. If anything, it would give her hope that other equally amazing guys could like her. She glanced around the kitchen, wondering what type of task she could manufacture. Not much in here. She walked to her bedroom and turned on her floor lamp. As dim light filled the room, she knew exactly what she would ask him. One of the bulbs in the ceiling fixture had been burned out since she’d moved in. She’d tried changing it herself, but her step stool wasn’t tall enough, and reaching out to Jonathan had resulted in annoying silence. And after the way he’d looked at her yesterday, she wasn’t about to invite him into her bedroom.

She grabbed her phone and began texting.

Hey! I have a situation and would love your help! Are you around?

Seconds passed, and her armpits began to tingle with nerves. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

With a sigh, she walked back to the kitchen. She looked up when she heard a knock at the door.

She opened it, and a smile leaped to her face. “That was fast!”

“I was just walking out to get the mail, so I figured I’d come over.”

“Thank you! But first, have you gone to your audition yet? I’ve been dying to hear about it.”

He reached a hand to high-five her. “Thanks for asking. I’ve been dying to talk about it.” He nodded to himself and met her eyes. “It was good. Real good. I know better than to get my hopes up too high, but the casting director asked a lot of questions. They had me do the scene a few times, which is a great sign. If you’re not right, they’re quick to tell you to go.”

She squeezed her hands together. “I hope you get this! I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t love you.”

“From your mouth,” he said with a chuckle. “Now, what is it I can do for you?”

She grinned. “I need your legs.”

His lips struggled to fight a smile. It made him look positively adorable. “Say again?”

“For the ceiling light,” she explained as his expression shifted to neutral. “Even with the step stool, I’m too short to change the bulbs. And calling Jonathan again isn’t an option.”

“Yeah, I don’t want to see that guy’s face. I might end up punching it.” He shook his head and laughed. “All right. My legs are yours for the taking. Show me the way.”

Her face flushed hot. “Follow me. It’s the one in my bedroom.” Did he hear her voice quiver over the word bedroom? Was he stumbling behind her, wishing he could rush her and throw her down on the bed, while his loyalty to Embry was grabbing his ankles, tripping him up? She cleared her throat as she crossed the threshold. “There it is,” she said, pointing to the ceiling light.

“Right where I would expect it to be,” he said with a smile. “Your apartment is just like ours, minus the extra room we have.” He glanced around her room, and his eyes landed on her bed. It was made up as usual, her pretty pale-yellow duvet looking like a sunny cloud with an array of fluffy pillows positioned perfectly at the headboard. “Man, your bed looks like something out of a magazine. I’d never want to get out of that thing. Look at all those pillows.”

She forced a shrug, even though her insides were dancing. You can test it out. “It is pretty awesome. Sometimes I want to lie in it all day and never leave.” She bit her lip as she watched him. Was he fantasizing too? She stepped forward. All it would take was a gentle hand on his back. His perfectly muscled back that was burned in her mind’s eye. What would it feel like to run her fingers across his skin? Her heart banged against her chest, pushing her forward. She was doing this. Just one touch. That’s all. Just one. And if he responded, so be it. Her eyes landed on a bulge in his back pocket as she took a step. She paused, trying to determine the shape. A pacifier. She bit down hard on her lip and drew her hands into fists. What the hell am I thinking?