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“So, listen, I was thinking about it a lot lately, and I was hoping I might be able to take you out again sometime.”
And there it was.
Lizzie was dead on the money.
Jamie did want to go out with me again.
Aw, crackers.
“Take me out?” I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible when we entered the lunch hall. Baa. Baa. Baa. Dammit, why couldn’t I stop thinking about sheep noises? “Out where?”
“The cinema? Or maybe for a drink? Whatever you want,” he offered, joining the queue for hot food with me. “I know it didn’t exactly end well the last time, and I was a fucking eejit back then, but I really think we could have something good.”
Purposefully keeping my attention off the rugby table, I focused on the boy speaking to me instead. “Something good?”
“Yeah.” Jamie nodded and smiled. “If you’re willing to give me another chance.”
It was a cute smile.
He was a good-looking boy with dark hair and pretty brown eyes. He was tall enough to have a couple of inches on me, and he smelled fantastic, which was always a huge bonus in my eyes. He even had a tiny dimple in his chin and an adorable crooked smile.
But he wasn’t Gerard.
Feeling hesitant and uncertain, I opened my mouth to respond, but Lizzie got in there first.
“She would love to!” Joining us in the lunch line, she draped an arm around my shoulder and beamed. “Isn’t that right, Claire?”
“Lizzie,” I whisper-hissed, flicking an anxious glance in the direction of the rugby table. Immediately, my eyes sought Gerard out, and when they locked on his, I could feel the tension emanating from him.
Aw, crap.
“Listen, if you still have something going on with Gibson, that’s fine,” Jamie said, quick to catch on. “Just tell me now because I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes here.”
“She doesn’t,” Lizzie responded before I could. “They’re just friends.” Tightening her arm around me, she smiled harder. “Isn’t that right, Claire?”
“Uh…” I glanced back to the table once more, but this time Gerard wasn’t looking at me. In fact, he had his back to me, giving Johnny his full attention. “Right?”
“Okay, good.” Jamie sighed in relief, smile reappearing now the coast was apparently clear. “So, what do you think?”
“About what?” I asked, distracted by the table behind me. Namely the boy sitting at said table.
“Going out with me sometime?”
“She’ll have to think about it.” Appearing out of thin air, Shannon slipped under Jamie’s arm and caught ahold of my hand. “Thank you so much for the offer,” she added, pulling both Lizzie and me away. “It was very thoughtful. Claire will get back to you in the next five working days.”
Jamie frowned in confusion. “Uh…okay?”
“Bye,” Shannon called back.
“Yeah, bye,” I laughed, waving after him as I let my little friend lead me away.
“The next five working days?” Lizzie huffed, trailing after us. “What the hell, Shan?”
“It was all I could think of,” Shannon squeezed out, red-faced, as we hurried over to the table we used to sit at for some girl talk before we joined the rugby table. “Claire looked so uncomfortable back there, and I just, I don’t know, I felt like I needed to buy her some time.”
“That was epic,” I choked out through fits of laughter, thrilled with her intrusion. “Five working days.” I snorted. “You sounded like my personal secretary.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” Shannon asked, looking up at me with nervous blue eyes. “I didn’t overstep?”
