The Dandelion Diary: A Maysen Jar Novella by Devney Perry

Author:Devney Perry [Perry, Devney]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Devney Perry, 1001 Dark Nights, Maysen Jar, contemporary romance
Publisher: 1001 Dark Nights Press
Published: 2023-07-10T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Della

I was halfway down the sidewalk when Jeff’s door opened behind me. My heart climbed into my throat as I turned.

“Della.” Jeff’s frame was limned in light from inside. His hands were shoved in his jean pockets, accentuating the silhouette of his broad shoulders. He seemed so impossibly large, like a tree I wanted to climb.

Go home, Della.

My feet didn’t budge.

“Can you just…” He tugged a hand from his pocket to rake through his hair. “Good night.”

My heart went splat on the sidewalk. “Good night.”

With a turn, it took every effort not to let my shoulders slump as I trudged to the Jeep. Why had I expected anything else? I’d just told him I could get in trouble at work if we had a relationship. He’d backed off, said we could be friends.

And friends went home after game night. They didn’t linger in entryways for a kiss.

God, how long had it been since I’d kissed a man?

Too long. I’d been foolishly waiting on Luka to open his eyes.

“Freaking Luka,” I muttered, digging my keys from my pocket.

“What?”

I whirled around.

Jeff stood three feet away.

My palm pressed against my racing heart. “What are you doing?”

Jeff glanced over his shoulder to the still open front door. No sign of Katy other than the glowing light from the upstairs dormer window. “Can you wait?”

Yep. I was good at waiting. To my own goddamn detriment. But this summer wasn’t far away. Just a couple months and we could explore this.

“You could go around back. Hang in the yard for a few until I get Katy to bed.”

“Oh. You mean wait tonight?”

“Tonight. Just…I want longer with you.”

Was I really doing this? “All right.”

Even in the darkness, the smile that stretched across his mouth made my pulse spike. It would be so disappointing if I didn’t have those lips on mine, at least once.

Jeff hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Follow the path past the garage.”

“Okay.”

He smiled wider, then turned and jogged to the porch, taking the stairs two at a time before vanishing inside and closing the door.

I lingered on the sidewalk for a few long moments, taking in the front of his house. My hands dove into my coat pockets as I shrugged it further up my neck, not from the cold, but from nerves.

Not a soul would need to know about tonight. No matter what happened, this could be our secret.

Especially if Katy thought I was on my way home.

The light upstairs dimmed to just a faint glow, like there was a nightlight in her room. I counted to fifty, then followed the sidewalk toward the detached garage, taking the path along its side to the yard in the back.

I’d expected darkness, maybe a patio or something. But a golden glimmer welcomed me to a space bordered by a tall wooden fence. And above my head, fairy lights.

I tipped my head back, taking in the strings. Beyond the bulbs, stars peeked down from the midnight sky.

“Wow.” The lights formed a perfect pattern, like the lines on a seashell, fanning from a single point—the corner of the garage.

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