Page 89 of You'll Be the Death of Me

Dell laughed and scrubbed his ears. She and Cole watched the street in a peaceful silence for a few moments. The housesacross the way were on a slight downhill, leaving the view of the bay wide open. The clear day dazzled, with a view of the Bay Bridge, and even the Golden Gate off in the distance.

“Did you grow up here? Dell asked, and leaned back on her hands.

“Yes. In this house,” Cole answered. “That storage room is my childhood bedroom.”

“Ha. Too bad it’s not papered in posters from your teenage years. What kind of music were you into? Or was it not posters but quotes from literary greats and blue ribbons from all the academic decathlons you won?”

He gave her a teasing smirk. “I don’t think we should square off on adolescent achievements. Given your track record, I’d imagine your list is just as extensive.”

“This is true.”

He leaned back on his hands, and his pinkie finger overlapped where hers was already resting. She took advantage and gripped his whole hand.

“I told you that you had lovely parents and people who care about you,” Dell said with a smile.

Cole smiled back. It reached his eyes but with a tempered sadness in it. “Yes, I’m glad to have seen it. And thank you for letting me hug my mom.”

“But...?” Dell said in the pregnant pause he left lingering.

His face said there were too many words to choose the right ones. He lifted her hand and pulled it to his lips. “But it was hard, so it’s nice to have you here with me.”

His warm lips on her skin sent her dead body tingling. Memory of their make-out session atop the bridge came back in a rush that had her wanting to tackle him on the porch. She wonderedif he had any qualms about resuming their session under his parents’ roof.

She stowed her steamy thoughts when his mother appeared at the front door.

“Chaucer! How did you get out here?” she said with a pinch of worry, like the dog might run away.

He wasn’t going anywhere as long as Cole was around.

“Come here, boy,” she said, and waved him over with a pat of her thigh.

Chaucer looked over but didn’t move.

“He’s not going to go if you don’t go,” Dell said to Cole.

“You are probably right. Come on,” he said, and stood up from the front steps. “I’ll show you what a Sunday afternoon at the Lewis house is like.”

Dell took his hand and happily followed, Chaucer on their heels.

Chapter 15

Despite invisibly sitting in the living room watching Mrs. Lewis do a crossword puzzle, touring the garden with Mr. Lewis, observing a FaceTime phone call with Christopher, Cole’s younger brother, and floating around the kitchen while Mrs. Lewis made dinner, Dell didn’t feel like she was spying. The welcoming comfort the Lewises exuded—without even knowing they had guests—made Dell feel right at home. She longed to be able to talk to them, to taste the pasta sauce Mrs. Lewis made from scratch with backyard tomatoes, to have them know she and their son were snuggled on the couch nearby as they watched a movie and nibbled bowls of ice cream before bed. They were so adorable, Dell thought she might burst.

For as much as shelonged for their awareness, she could tell every moment with them was filling and breaking Cole’s heart.

By the time the Lewises went off to bed, Cole’s face told a story too sad for Dell to ignore.

“What is it?” she said from where she leaned into him on the couch. Chaucer was asleep at his feet again. She brushedCole’s hair back from his face and held his cheek in her palm. She knew her question had a million answers, most of them she could do nothing about, but she still wanted to help him in any way she could.

“It’s a lot of things,” he said.

“Tell me the big ones.”

He softly smiled at her. “Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say finding that ring threw me for a loop.”

“Oh,” Dell said, feeling her heart crush a little. She couldn’t blame him, honestly. But hearing he was dwelling on his ex soured her stomach uncomfortably. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.”