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“We need to blend. We can’t do that if we have our own driver.”
“Oh.” His eyebrows bunched together as he mulled over what I said. “What do you suggest?”
Bryce circled around us and started to the side of the house. He called over his shoulder, “Follow me.”
“Where’s he going?”
I didn’t answer. I already knew, and as we followed Bryce heading where I knew he was going, a slow smile spread over my face. I wouldn’t be able to wipe it off. He understood, completely. Bryce pulled open the garage door to where Denton kept all his cars. He grabbed a pair of keys and veered toward an SUV.
“Here.” He pounded the front of it. “This is blending in.”
“For real?” Denton asked under his breath.
“Yes.” Bryce grinned at me. “And we’re driving it ourselves.”
I hurried to the passenger door, but when I got there, Bryce shook his head. “No way, Sheldon.” “You’re in the backseat. You’re the one we really don’t want people to see.”
I shrugged, getting into the backseat as Denton trailed over. He got into the front seat, as did Bryce, and then he asked, “What are we going to do? We don’t want anyone to recognize us.”
Bryce flashed him a grin as he started the engine and pulled out from the garage. “Please, Denton. You’ve worked your magic with our disguises. Now it’s my turn.”
“Your turn?”
We were waved through the gate, and Bryce pulled out onto the street. He chuckled as he said, “Yep. It’s my turn. I have just the thing in mind.”
He took us to a costume store and went inside.
Denton looked back at me. “This is for Halloween costumes. What the fuck? I’m not walking around your college campus as a Cookie Monster mascot.”
“Oh.” I winked at him. “But imagine if you were a shirtless Cookie Monster. You know how many cookies would be thrown at you?” I paused and let him sort that out. “Lots and lots of cookies . . .”
He barked out a laugh. “Not the cookies I want, Sheldon, not at all.”
I sobered at that comment. Denton and I talked about Bryce and Corrigan. We had talked about Mena. His love life, his real love life, has never been a topic on the table. I asked now, “Whose cookies are you hoping for?”
“Hmm?” He had turned back, tapping his finger against the door as we waited for Bryce. He met my gaze again in the rearview mirror. “What do you mean?”
“Not the cookies you want, so,” I scooted to the edge of my seat and leaned forward. Bracing my elbow on the back of his seat, I asked, “You say that like you know whose cookies you want. Who is it?” I frowned. “Not mine. I have to pick between Bryce and Corrigan, and to tell the truth, I want to jump both of them. I can’t handle another guy in the mix.”
“Sheldon.” He pretended to groan, holding his hands over his ears. “No more talk about your sex life. I can’t handle hearing your constant rejection.”
I grabbed one of his hands and pulled it down. “Cut it out. Whose cookies?” We both knew our friendship was purely platonic, which felt good. “Please, Denton. Trust me. You’re doing me a favor. I’d love to hear about someone else’s problems. It’ll give me a short reprieve from my own.”
“It’s no one.”
“Come on, Denton. You know all of my problems. Spill, buddy. Give me some dirt.”
He started to shake his head, but I could tell it was there. He wanted to spill. He wanted to gossip about his love life with me. I opened my mouth, ready to deliver another plea when the door opened again, and an object from my own love life woes popped back inside. A secretive grin lingered over his face as he handed me a bag, then started the car back up.
Bryce said, “Open it up. Let me show you my genius.”
I pulled out a masquerade mask. One was black and lacy. A second was pink and glittery. The third was a simple mask that resembled something Zorro would wear. I had no idea what he had planned, but I kept the Zorro one for myself and handed the other two frilly ones forward to Denton.
He took them, and immediately started protesting. “No way. No, man. I’m not wearing this.”
Bryce started laughing. “Chill. It’s not exactly what you’re thinking.” As he turned into the right lane, heading for the freeway that would take us to the college campus, he met my eyes in the mirror briefly. “Corrigan texted me when we were changing to leave. He ran into your friend Carolina.”
I perked up. “Really?”
