the opportunity to lean over and whisper something in her ear. He’d seemed endlessly amused with her since she arrived at his house that morning, and now, with a too-rich dinner churning in her stomach, she was ready to get the hell out of there.
And it wasn’t just Van’s presence that encouraged her to run. For some reason, her mom thought it was totally acceptable to spend the afternoon getting tipsy on champagne and then get blitzed on red wine over dinner. James commented that she was amusing in her current state, but April could barely stand it. The entire restaurant had watched and listened to her mom’s drunken antics for a good two hours now, and after grabbing her purse, April made a lame excuse to finally bail on the night once and for all.
“April!”
She heard him call her name halfway across the parking lot, and she turned on the spot, making a beeline for the cars lined up along the fence. On the other side sat the gorgeous Cascade Falls Lake, tinted orange by the setting sun. Behind her, Van’s footsteps fell heavily, as he jogged to catch up. She wasn’t sure where she’d planned to go. Without a car, she couldn’t exactly escape him.
“Make sure my mom gets home okay,” she said flatly once he was in front of her, once again avoiding his eyes. “I can’t… deal with her right now.”
“Dad’ll probably just bring her back to our place,” he told her. Silence settled between them, and April turned her attention toward the lake, lips pursed.
“I’ve never seen her that far gone before.” She admitted it softly, more to herself than to him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug.
“I think she’s celebrating having you home,” he said, and his hands slid into his pocket when she glanced back at him. “I mean, you’re all she’s talked about for the last week. I’m surprised she didn’t go harder.”
“She’s not a college student,” April said with a sniff. “She doesn’t need to get drunk to show me how thrilled she is to see me.”
“Don’t be too hard on her—”
“And don’t tell me how to feel about my mom,” she snapped, stepping away and stalking toward the road. A gravel sidewalk would lead her back downtown to her mom’s apartment—though her heels were going to make walking a pain.
“You don’t have to go,” he called after her, following without being too close. She looked over her shoulder with a frown. “I thought we were having a good time… catching up. Rehashing the good ol’ days.”
“We had no good old days,” she remarked flatly, turning back and scowling. “ We had one night—”
“That you snuck away from—”
“And then we never talked again,” April finished, her cheeks tinting as red as the sunset. “Don’t act like we have some big thing between us. I know what kind of man you are.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Do you?”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then she turned on her heels and continued her march toward the road.
“I was going to offer you a ride home,” Van insisted. “I brought my bike.”
“I’d rather walk,” she fired back. When he gave no reply, she looked back once more, only to find him standing in the middle of the parking lot, watching her leave with a smug grin on his lips. Just like before, he’d found a way to make her feel like she’d lost the battle without saying a word. Huffing, April gripped her purse strap and carried on, her head held high.
It only took about five minutes before she regretted not calling a cab, her feet aching and covered in blisters.
But at least she wasn’t on the back of Van Palmer’s bike. At least she had some standards.
CHAPTER THREE
“Door’s open,” April called absently over her shoulder, wondering why her mom bothered to knock. She’d spent the morning getting the apartment ready for their day of painting, and now
And it wasn’t just Van’s presence that encouraged her to run. For some reason, her mom thought it was totally acceptable to spend the afternoon getting tipsy on champagne and then get blitzed on red wine over dinner. James commented that she was amusing in her current state, but April could barely stand it. The entire restaurant had watched and listened to her mom’s drunken antics for a good two hours now, and after grabbing her purse, April made a lame excuse to finally bail on the night once and for all.
“April!”
She heard him call her name halfway across the parking lot, and she turned on the spot, making a beeline for the cars lined up along the fence. On the other side sat the gorgeous Cascade Falls Lake, tinted orange by the setting sun. Behind her, Van’s footsteps fell heavily, as he jogged to catch up. She wasn’t sure where she’d planned to go. Without a car, she couldn’t exactly escape him.
“Make sure my mom gets home okay,” she said flatly once he was in front of her, once again avoiding his eyes. “I can’t… deal with her right now.”
“Dad’ll probably just bring her back to our place,” he told her. Silence settled between them, and April turned her attention toward the lake, lips pursed.
“I’ve never seen her that far gone before.” She admitted it softly, more to herself than to him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug.
“I think she’s celebrating having you home,” he said, and his hands slid into his pocket when she glanced back at him. “I mean, you’re all she’s talked about for the last week. I’m surprised she didn’t go harder.”
“She’s not a college student,” April said with a sniff. “She doesn’t need to get drunk to show me how thrilled she is to see me.”
“Don’t be too hard on her—”
“And don’t tell me how to feel about my mom,” she snapped, stepping away and stalking toward the road. A gravel sidewalk would lead her back downtown to her mom’s apartment—though her heels were going to make walking a pain.
“You don’t have to go,” he called after her, following without being too close. She looked over her shoulder with a frown. “I thought we were having a good time… catching up. Rehashing the good ol’ days.”
“We had no good old days,” she remarked flatly, turning back and scowling. “ We had one night—”
“That you snuck away from—”
“And then we never talked again,” April finished, her cheeks tinting as red as the sunset. “Don’t act like we have some big thing between us. I know what kind of man you are.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Do you?”
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then she turned on her heels and continued her march toward the road.
“I was going to offer you a ride home,” Van insisted. “I brought my bike.”
“I’d rather walk,” she fired back. When he gave no reply, she looked back once more, only to find him standing in the middle of the parking lot, watching her leave with a smug grin on his lips. Just like before, he’d found a way to make her feel like she’d lost the battle without saying a word. Huffing, April gripped her purse strap and carried on, her head held high.
It only took about five minutes before she regretted not calling a cab, her feet aching and covered in blisters.
But at least she wasn’t on the back of Van Palmer’s bike. At least she had some standards.
CHAPTER THREE
“Door’s open,” April called absently over her shoulder, wondering why her mom bothered to knock. She’d spent the morning getting the apartment ready for their day of painting, and now
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