Free When Lightning Strikes by Brooke St. James Page B

the window as he backed out of the driveway.
    I couldn't comprehend how and why Patrick Mallory was suddenly smitten with me. It seemed like our conversation about God only served to enchant him even more, which was extremely confusing to me. I stood there leaning against the door for a few minutes, thinking about everything we said and especially the kiss that came at the end. I smiled as I especially thought about the kiss.
    I spent the evening trying to understand what had just happened and what it could possibly mean. There were so many scenarios and outcomes playing in my head that I found it difficult to sleep. I tossed and turned till after 2AM, and because of that, set my alarm to go off at the last minute. I woke up at 9AM and was still sleepy when Patrick showed up at my house at 9:30 as promised.
    I'd put on a little makeup and arranged my hair in two tiny pigtails down on the nape of my neck. I was glad I made a little effort because he was effortlessly gorgeous as he walked toward me in the driveway.
    "I was hoping you wanted to stop for coffee and breakfast on our way out," he said.
    I leveled him with a glare through narrowed eyes. "Are you a mind-reader?" I asked, suspiciously, making him smile.
    It was bright out and I put on a pair of sunglasses as I continued to walk toward him. He stood in between me and the car, and I had no choice but to walk up to him. He was literally the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen. He had on dark jeans with a fitted vintage T-shirt that was the perfect accent to his tattoos. His dark hair was combed back in the most flattering way possible. I couldn’t believe this creature was standing in my driveway waiting for me. It seemed too good to be true. It was too good to be true , reminded myself.
    It would never work out, it would never work out, I said over and over in my head. I expected him to walk me to my side of the car like the gentleman he was, but he didn't. He reached out for me and took me into his arms, holding onto me like I was something he treasured. He breathed as if he was relieved. I tried to tell myself again that it was never going to happen, but being held by him was so perfect that I had no other choice but to remain hopeful.
    "Good morning," I said, stepping back with a smile.
    "Good morning," he said. He bent to kiss my cheek, and I let him. In fact, I stuck it out there when I saw that's what he was doing. He put his hand on my back when we walked to the car. I was so crazy about him that even this slight touch made waves of anxious pleasure run through me.
    We stopped for coffee and breakfast before we got on the road. There was a good place near my house, so I told him where to go. I knew two of the people working and talked to them for a second before we left. I introduced Patrick as my friend and he went along with that with no hesitation. We were friends, after all. I mean we weren't automatically dating just because he kissed me in my driveway just now and was about to meet my mother.
    I couldn't believe I was even having thoughts about being in a relationship with him. I was reminding myself that he was an atheist as we walked out of the coffee shop and almost ran straight into Kells from Seven Stones.
    "Hey Kells," Patrick said.
    She stepped back and regarded us with surprise, looked me over, and then looked at Patrick with a disbelieving scowl. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
    "We came to get some coffee," Patrick said, lifting the paper cup he was holding.
    "Are you two dating now?" she asked.
    I said, "No," and he said, "Sort of," at the same time. Then he and I looked at each other. I must have been wearing a curious expression because his face broke into a grin.
    "We are sort of dating," he said directly to me. I took a second to think about it, and then looked at Kells with a smile and shrug. She huffed and rolled her eyes as she turned to head into the coffee shop.
    "See ya, Kells," Patrick said.
    "See ya," she said as if nothing was