Embrace Read Online Free

pulled up in front of my house at precisely ten o’clock. He drove a dark green Jeep Rubicon that looked like it could roll over Kaylee’s MINI Cooper. He got out and opened the passenger door for me.
    “It’s not too late to change your mind,” he said as I climbed in.
    “No chance.” I smiled to show I meant it. “I like painting.”
    Chase, who had found his hat and come to the screen door to get a look at my new friend, burst out laughing. As soon as Isaac walked around to the driver’s side, I shot Chase my Shut up or I’ll kill you glance and drew an imaginary line in front of my neck for emphasis.
    I was excited to see Isaac again. There was something different about him that made him a mystery waiting to be unraveled. He chose his words carefully, as if he had a secret he didn’t want to accidentally let slip. It thrilled me to think of the possibilities. Maybe his family were undercover agents for the government or secretly wealthy and Isaac was looking for someone to travel the world with. My mind came up with all sorts of exciting scenarios. At least it did until I thought of a few negative ones. What if he sold drugs? I didn’t think I could date someone who did that, no matter how cute or nice he was. Worse, what if he’d been the stud at his old school? The guy who’d dated every pretty girl only to dump them once he’d gotten what he wanted. Maybe that was why he watched what he said. Maybe he didn’t want to accidentally mention someone else. What if I was the newest addition to his harem?
    I knew that thought should have upset me, but instead it made me giddy because, if it was true, I was the one he’d chosen to spend the day with.
    I couldn’t get my hands to stop shaking, so I tucked them under his jacket. I smiled at Isaac when he got in and did my best not to stare at him. It was hard. The morning light highlighted a thin crescent-shaped scar on his right cheek that left the healed skin pearly white. He had a similar scar on his chin. I shifted in my seat so that I’d be able to see him better.
    “How’d you get the scars?” I touched my cheek and chin to indicate where on his face I meant. I’d never seen scars heal quite like his.
    Isaac gave me a sideways glance that sent my heart into a frenzy of quick beats. I had to get a hold of myself. He was just a guy, a damn cute one, but a guy all the same.
    After a moment, he said, “Difference of opinion between me and another guy.”
    “Ohh.” I let the word drag out while I thought about asking for more details. There was something exciting about a guy who had scars. Something almost dangerous. Maybe that was why my heart raced the way it did. Maybe it was warning me to be careful. I didn’t voice any of this out loud. Instead, I held up the olive green jacket I was carrying. “I brought your jacket back.”
    “Thanks.”
    “So, what are we painting?” I asked as he weaved his way through the streets of Gloucester. Maybe I’d get lucky and it would be the garage.
    “My mom wants the dining room painted. She hates the teal paint in there now.”
    Okay, it wasn’t the garage or even just the trim outside, where it wouldn’t matter as much if I dripped paint on the ground. But I would at least still be painting on a flat surface. “Sounds like a plan.”
    Isaac navigated the side streets as if he’d been doing it all his life. The warm autumn air brushed my cheeks and sent my ponytail flying behind me. He glanced over at me and smiled, the left side of his lips higher than the right. I reminded myself to breathe.
    “Hungry?” he asked. “I could stop and pick us up something.”
    My stomach was a tangled mess of emotions: excited to be seeing Isaac again, nervous that we might not have anything in common and would end up painting in silence, and scared that he would turn out to be a dream or, worse, a frog like in the fairy tales. I didn’t think I could eat a thing.
    “I ate at home,” I lied. Isaac looked a little