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“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” she asks as she walks back in the room, wig in hand.
I shake my head slightly. “No, I’m good. Joey is going to be there.” I try to hide the smile that threatens to escape upon mentioning his name.
“Joey, huh? Are all of the high school fantasies finally coming true?” She wiggles her eyebrows enthusiastically. Poor Savannah had to hear about my secret infatuation with Joey so much back then.
“I doubt it. I don’t think Joey’s ever thought about me that way, and it’s not likely that it’s changed over the years.”
“Never say never, Kels. People can surprise you.” Savannah winks at me without the least bit of subtlety. Does she know something that I don’t?
I roll my eyes and laugh. “I think your love of rom-coms has rotted your brain.” I’m not your typical woman. I think romantic comedies have created an unrealistic expectation in women.
She rolls her eyes at my comment and fixes her glare on me. “This coming from the woman who devours romance novels like it’s her fucking job. Talk about impossible standards to live up to.”
She’s right, but also wrong. I read romance novels because it’s nice to escape reality for a little bit, and I can easily put myself in the female characters point of view. Plus, I love my book boyfriends — they’ve been great company on the nights I spent alone.
“I don’t expect my guy to live up to the men I read in those books — that’s the difference between you and me. And going back to your original point, I doubt my friendship with Joey is going to evolve into anything more.”
“Hmm…” She taps her finger against her chin. “Care to make a wager?”
My brows furrow in confusion — now I’m really wondering if she knows something. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“If I’m wrong about Joey’s feelings for you, I’ll give you the recipe for my beer cheese dip.”
Holy shit — she’s serious. She must be pretty fucking confident about this if she’s willing to put that on the line. “And if you’re right?”
“You have to sing a song of my choosing at the next karaoke night.”
I groan at the thought. Despite that I’m a teacher and constantly speak in front of my classes, I loathe any type of public performance. I also have a horrible singing voice.
“Well? Do we have a deal?” Savannah smirks wickedly as she holds her hand out.
My gut wrenches with emotion — it feels wrong to bet on someone’s feelings. On the other hand, I’d really like to know, once and for all, whether I’ve got a shot with Joey.
“You’re on.” I shake her hand.
I’m sitting at a table with my back to the door. I’ve placed a single red rose on display, just like Summer said she would. Joey and I got here extremely early to ensure that I would arrive before Grant, but now I’m finding myself bored.
Joey: Gotta say…I prefer you as a redhead :P
Me: Me too. This wig is fucking uncomfortable
I look up across the bar and see Joey seated in the corner, facing my table. He’s my lookout to let me know when Grant arrives. I watch with intrigue as he types away frantically on his phone.
Joey: If you want me to kick his ass, just say the word ;)
Me: Let’s see how this goes. I might end up hitting him myself lol
Joey: If I see it going that way I’ll start taking a video haha
Me: What would I do without you?
Joey: You’ll never have to find out :)
Savannah’s words ring in the back of my mind. People can surprise you…never say never. Before I can type out a reply, my phone buzzes again.
Joey: He’s here
Dread pools in my stomach as I prepare for Grant to sit down. I steal one last glance at Joey, and he nods at me. You’ve got this, he mouths to me.
