All Rhodes Lead Here

I winked at him before I could stop myself, and fortunately he didn’t frown. Instead, he just pretended I hadn’t.

I plopped down on it and realized this was the steadiest chair I’d ever sat in. I peeked down at the legs and tried to wiggle; it didn’t move. I knocked on a leg. It didn’t sound hollow.
When I sat back up, I found Mr. Rhodes watching me once again. His raccoon face was back. I bet he was wondering what I was doing with his furniture.

He looked at me, then blinked.

I peeked at him. He had a really nice voice… when he wasn’t snapping out words like a whip.

No one ever told you how hard it was to make friends as an adult. But it was hard. Real hard.
I was working on it. Quality over quantity.

Speaking of Amos, I was considering him my second friend in town even though we only waved at each other and he’d said about ten words to me since the day he’d saved me from my sunburn with his offer.

I thought about Kaden and his new girlfriend for a split second.
Then I shrugged that loser off.
I had better things to think about. Starting with this sunburn and ending with just about anything else.

I was going to try my best, just like my mom had raised me to do, like she would have expected from me.

For someone who wasn’t used to being so loving, he really did say the sweetest things. And if I had ever doubted that I loved him, which I hadn’t, I knew then that I’d chosen right. Chosen best. There were going to be no mistakes here.
Not ever.

His gaze caught mine and held it, the lines on his forehead there and fierce. “I almost feel bad for the idiot.”
“You shouldn’t.”
Rhodes’s mouth and words softened. “I said almost.”