Page 75 of Love Out Loud

“I bet it’s good, too,” she says under her breath so only I can hear.

“You have no idea.”

The door to the back patio bursts open, and Lennon steps out into the sunlight. My insides go all gooey at the sight of him in his sleeveless muscle tee and backward baseball cap. A slight metallic scent comes off of him. He must have gone to the gym before stopping by.

“Well, speak of the devil,” Jessica teases. She squeezes my hand once more before letting go to finish gathering her trash.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Noah starts, always business. “I have a few notes to go over with you.” He holds the door open, and they go back inside. Silas follows, tossing his water bottles into the recycling bin on the way.

I stand to also dispose of my garbage. Jessica lingers, and I can feel her dark eyes on me the whole time I’m gathering my things.

“You’re not mad at me, are you?” She sounds so much like a lost, scared little girl that my heart breaks for her. “I’m sorry. I have a hard time making friends. Probably because I keep putting my foot in my mouth.” She shrugs. “But I’ve been thinking of us as friends. I thought it was just a friendly conversation.”

I shake my head. “No, I’m not mad.” I sigh, searching her features for any sign of disingenuousness or malice. I come up empty. Maybe she really does want to be friends, so I give her the benefit of the doubt. “I have a whole life back home, you know? I haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”

Jessica’s expression goes slack, and I’m almost certain there are tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. “Yeah,” she says shakily. “I missed home a lot when I first got here. Still do sometimes.”

“Where is home for you?” I ask.

“A tiny town in northern Maine. Population two-thousand-eighty-one. We don’t even have a stoplight.” She leans forward conspiratorially. “My name isn’t even Jessica. My mom begged me to use a pen name so I didn’t embarrass anyone out there with my smut.”

I can’t hide the look of surprise as it crosses my face. “Whoa. I never would have guessed.”

“I know, right? Everyone out here is good at playing a part, and I’m no exception.” She chuckles at herself, then gets serious. “That’s what I like about you, Lark. You’re playing a part in there”—she waves at the studio doors—“but out here, you seem really real.”

I soften at her compliment. Admittedly, I have had my reservations about her since we met, but her willingness to open up and show me a piece of herself I get the sense she doesn’t show many people warms me.

“Thanks.” I smile a little. “I try.”

“It’d be cool if you stayed.” She shrugs. “I’d love to get to know you better if we had the chance.” Her bright crimson lips split into a grin for a moment, then she nods and lays her manicured hand on the doorknob.

“What’s your real name?” I blurt out. “You know, if you want to tell me. Between friends.”

She faces me fully, her eyes shining with mischief. “Tanya Jacobs,” she whispers, as if there were anyone else out here to hear her secret. “But if you tell anyone, I’ll personally make sure your tea is only lukewarm for the rest of your life.”

I burst into loud, bright laughter just as Lennon comes back out onto the patio. He looks between us, his wide eyes betraying more than a little apprehension. Maybe it’s intimidating to him—Jessica still wearing an impish smirk and me bent over cackling. He smiles cautiously. “Noah said you’re done for the day. Ready to go?”

I wipe the corners of my eyes. “Sure. Let me just grab my purse.”

As I pass by both of them and back into the studio, I hear Jessica say quietly, “Hang on to that one.”

And Lennon responds, “I plan to.”