Page 78 of The Muse
Bodhi steps past the ladies and inspects me for a second.
“Sir,” I say.
His brow furrows.
I clear my throat. “Mr. Malone.”
He remains unmoving.
“Call him Bodhi,” June says, taking my hand and interlacing our fingers as she lobs an irresistible grin at her father.
“Sir is fine,” he says.
“Sir works for me.” I shrug.
June and her mom synchronize their eye rolling.
“Let’s go to dinner,” June says.
“It’s only three thirty.” Bodhi looks at his watch.
“Flynn has to get up early for his job, so he needs to get to bed at a decent time,” June chirps without missing a beat.
“Works for us.” Henna fixes June’s hair.
Again, June bats her mom’s hand away.
“Maybe we should take my new car,” June suggests.
Four in a MINI Cooper? Sounds like torture.
From the confusion on Bodhi’s face, I can tell he’s thinking the same thing.
“Mom and I will sit in back,” June says, grabbing her phone and bag. Then she hands me the key.
I relinquish a nod and tight smile, waiting for her parents to go out the door first. As they head down the stairs, I turn toward June. “Do you know how tiny your car is?” I ask as she locks her apartment door.
“Sure do,” she says, facing me after it’s locked. “So tiny my dad will insist he and my mom grab their own ride back to the hotel after dinner.” She winks.
“Genius,” I say.
“I know.” She flips her hair over her shoulder and saunters down the stairs.
I could drop to my knees again. This woman is a goddess. All I want to do is worship her until she loves me so much that minor little details like prison andborrowingcars that aren’t mine won’t matter to her.
Chapter Nineteen
June
My dadand Flynn find a common interest over dinner. Basketball. Dad is a Lakers fan, and Flynn is a Timberwolves fan.
“You’ve been to actual games?” Flynn asks.
Dad looks at me for a second before returning a subtle nod to Flynn.
“I’ve thought about splurging on tickets to a Timberwolves game, but it never feels like the right time to spend that kind of money. Ya know?”
“That means you’re smart,” Mom says. “A lot of people your age get themselves into financial trouble all in the name of fun.”
