Chapter Fourteen

Faith

Faith’s cheeks still burned after Kyle’s initial reaction to the T-shirt. It really was kind of stupid, but, as he put it, it made sense. She was proving a point, and the T-shirt helped with that. The reason the blowup with Cameron hurt so much wasn’t that he’d cheated on her, but he’d let the whole school in on it, knowing how much it would get to her. Funny how Kyle could remind her it didn’t matter. That she needed to be her own person. It was hard, though.

She followed him out of the house and turned to lock the front door, giving herself time to take a few breaths. It was so strange having him over, actually inside. And that outfit—he looked like a completely different person. Nicer.

Boyfriend material.

She shook that thought off. He might be the cutest guy she’d been around—maybe ever—but they were in this situation to get a reaction, not become a couple. So what if she’d caught him running his hand over her ballet barre on the porch, like it amazed him. Or the way he stared at her—all honesty, no bullshit. If this is who he really was, she had no idea why so many people at school, especially guys, gave him so much space.

“You coming?” he called.

She jumped, realizing she’d taken way too long to put her key in the lock. “Um, yeah.”

The little Toyota pickup at the curb was nothing like the Charger she normally saw him drive. It was a faded red, dented, and had a hubcap missing on the back tire. It was the kind of truck landscapers drove, sure, but would it make it around the block?

He held the door open for her, eyebrow raised. What, did he think she was too good to ride around with him? Head held high, she marched down the flagstone sidewalk and climbed into the truck without a word.

He snorted when he closed the door, and only then did it dawn on her—he’d held it open for her. Heat flooded her face, all the way to the roots of her hair. “Thanks for opening my door.”

The grin he gave her sent goose bumps racing up her arms. “I pull out all the stops when I’m aiding and abetting a revenge-seeking ex-girlfriend.”

That wasn’t exactly the vibe she was getting, and she couldn’t decide whether to be concerned or intrigued. Was he trying to seduce her for real? Or was he simply a great actor?

Not knowing was part of the fun.

“So, Little Red here.” She patted the dashboard as the engine sputtered to life. “Does the Charger get jealous when you drive another car?”

“What, you don’t like her?” Kyle tsked and shook his head. “We can’t be friends, then.”

“Are we?” Faith blurted out. “Friends?”

She wanted to eat the words as soon as they came out of her mouth, but the look Kyle leveled at her was thoughtful, and way too serious. “That’s up to you.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay, friends, then. But that means you have to tell me a secret.”

“Will you tell me one?” he asked, glancing at her as they drove out of the neighborhood and onto the main street into town.

“You already know one,” she said. “Our deal is my secret.”

“It’s mine, too, then.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “Unless you’re willing to give me something new.”

She slumped in her seat, marveling at how quickly Kyle outmaneuvered her. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“Something really weird,” he said, that stupid half smirk still on his face.

“Do you really want to know, or are you pushing my buttons?”

“Both.”

“I believe it.” Faith racked her brain for something weird, but not weird. Nothing came to mind, except that she ate peanut butter on her pancakes instead of syrup. God, she was so boring.

“Nothing?” He shot her this incredulous look. “Seriously, nobody is that normal.”

His teasing expression caught her off guard. He had such a nice smile for a delinquent. Her brain took over, and next thing she knew, “I can eat with my feet…using a fork,” came flying out of her mouth.

Oh, for the love of Bob Fosse, she did not just admit that.

“That sounds….uncomfortable.” Amusement colored his tone. “What would make you want to try that?”

Her shoulders rounded and she wrapped her arms around her middle. Stupid, stupid, stupid. “I was testing to see how flexible I was.”

His mouth dropped open slightly. He snapped it closed.

“I know it’s weird, but I didn’t expect you to laugh at me.” She turned to stare out the window. “I’m not sure I like this game.”

He sighed. “I wasn’t laughing.”

“Forget I said it, okay? It’s my stupid human trick, nothing else.”

“I wasn’t laughing,” he said again, his voice soft. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” They turned into the parking lot at the nursery, and gravel crunched under the Toyota’s tires, kicking up rocks and making enough noise that she didn’t have to say anything else right away. When they parked, Kyle turned off the ignition and sat with one hand on the steering wheel. A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“I’m not very good at this,” he said.

“At what?”

He stared straight ahead. “Being friends. With girls.”

“Yeah, right.” Faith reached for the door handle, but he put a hand on her arm.

“That’s my secret. You told me one, so I told you one.” His smile was tight, and fainter than the ones before. “I’m not what you’d consider a conversationalist.”

Was he kidding?

She met his gaze, eyes narrowed. “So, what, you’re just good at picking the right girl to hook up with and she runs off with you as soon as you jerk your chin at her?”

He shook his head, eyes rolled toward the sky. “Not exactly. And just so you know, you might have to help me decipher some signs inside. I’m dyslexic.” He flung his door open and climbed out. Faith scurried after him. “That’s not a secret, but it’s not something I talk about, either. Good enough?”

A pit of embarrassment opened up in her stomach. She hadn’t meant to force him to tell her that. “Sure.”

The nursery was a large greenhouse set on an acreage that offered baby trees and paving stones. It smelled delicious. Like spring had exploded into bloom all around her. Her eyes stung for a moment, remembering the ride to Violet’s a few days ago. Cameron always thought she was being “a girl” and sentimental about this stuff, but she’d been thinking about rebirth then, and it had happened. Now she could move forward and think about growth. Change.

Moving forward.

“You okay?”

Faith jumped. She’d really lost the thread there, hadn’t she? “What? Sorry.”

Kyle had stopped his march to the greenhouse door, and he watched her with his eyebrows drawn together. “You seemed sad just now. I’m really not laughing about the fork thing, if you’re thinking that. I hate it when people laugh at other people’s expense.”

The worry in his voice was another thing that reminded her of Cameron—because Cameron had never worried about pissing her off. Kyle obviously did. “It wasn’t that at all. I was just thinking…I really love spring. I know that’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. If you love watching things grow, it’s the best time of year.” He held the door open for her. “You coming?”

Warmth rushed through her. “Yeah. Definitely.”