"Yeah." No more explanation followed.
"Are you gonna use it?"
“Please.”
The hell did that mean? Chase watched the road, not giving anything away, though he had to notice the sudden tension between us. Why was he offering so little? What was he hiding?
"If you wanna date Jack, don’t let me stop you."
"No,I’mstoppingyou."
The car stopped after a particularly forceful application of braking.
Chase had pulled the vehicle over towards the curb. “We just got over one misunderstanding. We aren’t doing this again."
He put the vehicle in park, giving us time to chat. I felt silly. And a little pleased he cared enough to clear the air. But mostly silly... yet not silly enough to drop this.
"Did your partner lie about what happened?"
"Uh…no. Your cousin did volunteer his number. Taking it seemed easiest."
Okay. No jumping to conclusions. Chase decided to go along with Jack’s advances to get rid of him. He didn’t say he was interested… or that he wasn’t.
“What’s the deal there?” Chase chimed in with a question of his own.
"Please, I’m not giving you pointers."
"No, what’s up with you two?"
Oh. "Our families always spent a lot of time together growing up. We even went on regular camping trips with our dads while I prayed for death to take me quickly. We kinda did our best to get along for our dad’s sakes but we’ve don’t have anything in common.”
I did well in school, Jack loved playing sports. He exceled at starting campfires and catching fish while I stayed in the tent, which he put together for me, and read by flashlight.
Since Chase made no move to start driving again, I found myself continuing. “I suppose he’s always been everything I’m not. Popular, athletic, outgoing… good looking." Not like I needed to tell the guy next to me that.
"So, it’s a rivalry thing?"
“No! I’mnotjealous.” Not usually.
“Yeah, it’s a rivalry thing.” Chase grinned, leaning towards me like telling a secret. “The whole teasing you for being a secret agent thing? He’s totally jealous of your big brain.”
What? No. Me envying Jack seemed uncomfortably possible butJackjealous ofme? What did I have he’d want? My job wasn’t impressive at all to most people. and Chase, well, only circumstances brought us together and he’d soon take Jack out and then…
“Hey, I’m taking this seriously.” Chase broke me free from my thoughts. “You can count on me.” Chase met my eyes and held my gaze until I nodded.
He buckled his belt again, put the car back in drive, checking his rearview mirror for oncoming vehicles as he prepared to begin the journey again.
“What about the rest?" I found myself asking. Asking for a friend. Or family, my cousin. Not becauseIdesperately needed the answer. “About your, um, dating history.”
"Yeah. Temple isn’t wrong there.” He nodded slowly, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. “I’m not really the commitment type."
"Oh." I waited, counting in my head. One, two, three... One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi. “Is that all?”
"Yeah. Anything else isn’t really appropriate. There are rules for these situations.”
“Do you follow them?” More than once he mentioned not being by the book.
The car, having just inched out into the lane, only moved a few feet before Chase cursed under his breath, moving back to the curb and putting the parking brake on once more.
