Back to You(42)

There was another silence before she heard Jenn sigh on the other line. “So that’s it, then?”
Lauren closed her eyes, because she didn’t know what other choice she had. The bottom line was Michael Delaney never held back from what he wanted, and if it was her, she would know.
“Well, this sucks,” Jenn said. “Because after what Mark Valero went through tonight, you’re gonna have a hell of a time getting another guy to hook up with you.”

November 2011
Lauren sat in the passenger seat of Adam’s car, alternating between glancing at his profile and looking out the window, trying to figure out where they were going.
When he had called her a few days ago to finalize their plans, he’d only told her to dress casually. Lauren had pressed him for more information, but he was deliberately vague. It didn’t bother her then—in fact, she found it kind of endearing—but now that they were in his car driving to some unknown destination, it was driving her crazy.
When she looked back at him for what must have been the tenth time, she saw a smug smile curving the corners of his lips.
“You enjoying yourself over there?” she asked, her brow quirked.
“Am I enjoying watching you squirm? Of course not.”
“Doesn’t look like it from where I’m sitting,” Lauren said, folding her arms and fighting her own smile as she glanced out the passenger window again.
“We’re almost there,” he said, his voice breaking on the chuckle he could no longer contain, and Lauren shook her head.
“That settles it. I’m definitely escaping through the bathroom window once we get there,” she said, earning her a full-blown laugh as Adam slowed the car and turned up what Lauren thought was a side road, but ended up being a wide driveway.
Through the dusk, she saw the flash of the sign at the bottom of the drive: “South Hills School of Business and Technology.”
She turned toward him, her brow lifted. “You’re taking me to school?”
“Sort of,” he said, pulling into a parking space in front of one of the buildings.
Before she could ask anything else, Adam was out of the car and walking around to her side, opening the door for her. He extended his hand to help her out, closing the door behind her, and Lauren had to bite her lip to hide her smile when he intertwined their fingers rather than letting her hand go as they began walking toward the glass doors at the front of the building.
They walked down the corridor in silence, stealing little peeks at each other as they went. His playful glances—along with the feel of his hand clasping hers—lit a warmth in her belly that reminded her of being a teenager again.
Lauren couldn’t deny how good he looked tonight: a pair of nice jeans and a black button-down shirt, his blond hair looking somewhat unkempt and yet still impeccable at the same time.
And he smelled amazing.
“Here we are,” he said, gesturing with his head toward the large sign on the door didn’t have to come here.”t Sr they had stopped in front of.
Couple’s Cooking Class: Saturday Evenings, 6:30 p.m.
As Lauren read it, a slow smile broke over her face.
“I figured any guy could take you out to dinner, but how many guys can cook you a gourmet meal?”
“Impressive,” she said, looking up at him. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
“Oh…well, I can’t, actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand and shrugging. “Hence this class.” Lauren laughed as he added, “But it still counts, right?”
He reached for the door and released her hand, placing his on the small of her back as she walked into the large room. There were about ten cooking stations, complete with stoves, appliances, measuring cups and spoons, and some ingredients already lined up on the counter space.
“Welcome!” beamed a middle-aged woman from the front of the room. “Have you signed up in advance for this evening’s class?”
“Yes,” Adam said. “Adam Wells.”
The woman looked down through the glasses balanced precariously on the tip of her nose, scanning a clipboard. “Ah yes, here you are. Excellent! Help yourselves to any open station,” she said, gesturing grandly toward the room.
There were five other couples already scattered at various stations, and they all smiled and nodded in greeting as Adam and Lauren made their way to the empty station on the far right of the room.
“This was a great idea,” Lauren said as they settled in. “Thank you.”
“A thank you before the date even begins? Does this mean I no longer have to fear a bathroom exodus?”
Lauren smiled as she went up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”