The Fiction of Forever (A Stand By Me Novel Book 2) by Brinda Berry Page B

me.”
    I shrug. “So, talk.”
    “It’s usually polite to offer someone a seat when they visit.”
    I motion toward the sofa. “By all means. Can I make you some hot tea? Cookies?”
    “That would be nice.” She sits in the middle of my sofa. Due to the limited space, I only have a sofa in this room. It's nice to fall asleep on while I watch television.
    “Now, I'm joking. You think a confirmed bachelor like me stocks up on tea and cookies?” I sit next to her on the sofa, which seems too intimate in the dimly lit room.
    “Beer?” she asks.
    “Always.” I stand and go into the kitchen, glad to have something to do. Is the girl here for some other reason than the reality show?
    When I return, she’s going through a stack of hunting magazines on my coffee table. “How long have you lived here?”
    “Why?” I frown at the way she's examining the mailing labels and the magazine dates. Our fingers brush as I hand her the beer bottle. A pleasant rush of adrenaline shoots through me.
    “These magazines are all new. Did you move in recently? Also, you don’t have anything hanging on the walls.” She motions around the room. “Usually people hang a picture or two.”
    “Moved in earlier this year.” I sit beside her and lean back. “Are we doing small talk?”
    She shrugs. “I guess. Am I being too nosy?”
    “I don’t mind. You can ask me anything.”
    “Oh.” She sounds pleased. “Do you have other family here?”
    “No.” I study her lips, so dark pink and full. Erotic.
    “Your dad?”
    I take a long pull of beer without answering. She continues to stare, so I give in. “No. My dad's in prison. I don't know his family. They live in Nebraska. Got more questions?”
    “What did he do?” She takes a drink of her beer and raises one eyebrow.
    “What didn't he do is more like it.”
    “Murder? Robbery? Treason?”
    “Maybe. I wouldn't know. He did get charged with drug manufacturing, intent to sell, assaulting a police officer, possession of a deadly weapon.” I expect a shocked look from her, but it's strangely missing. Instead, she seems interested.
    “How long will he be in?”
    “I don't know and I don't care. Can we talk about something else?”
    “Sure.”
    “Have you talked to Moneyclip lately?”
    Kiley has taken a drink of beer and begins choking. I pat her gently on the back. A stupid gesture. I'm not sure if that actually helps a choking victim.
    She begins laughing and wipes moisture from the corners of her eyes. “Oh, I forgot you called him Moneyclip earlier. No. I am so done with Mason. I swear, that is my new favorite thing—you calling him that.”
    I grin, her response spreading a warm feeling into my chest. “How are you doing?”
    “About like you'd expect. I thought I had a future planned and now it’s all up in the air. No wedding. Possibly no show. I’m living with my father. I have no idea what I’m doing with my life.”
    “It’ll work out.”
    I slide a little lower on the sofa and prop my feet on the coffee table. Kiley does the same, except she kicks off her flip-flops and wiggles her pink polished toes. “Why don't you want to get married?” She lifts the bottle to her lips.
    “Are you proposing to me?”
    She struggles to swallow the beer in her mouth, her lips holding a smile in. Finally, she gulps it down and exhales while shaking her head. “No.”
    I place my beer next to hers and give an unmanly sigh for effect. “Maybe you and I are all chemistry, and you came over here to take advantage of me.”
    “Yeah. We have chemistry. We always have.”
    I grin at her blatant admission. “Chemistry ever since you poked me with pencils in the back of the neck back in second grade.”
    “You said it.” She jabs me in the arm with her finger.
    I glance down at the spot where she poked me. “Don't start flirting with me now.”
    “That's not flirting. I've grown up a lot since grade school.”
    “I've noticed.” I lay my arm along the back of the