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“She’s running a jewelry store on the west side of Dreamsville,” he said. “Next to Pirates of the Cari-chicken.”
“I’d heard there’d been some sort of falling out in the Alloy family,” Mom mused. “I don’t know the details, though.”
Some sort of falling out. That sounded like Alex to a T. She poisoned everything she touched. It just took some people longer than others to realize it.
“Why?” Mom asked. “Where are you?”
“At the jewelry store,” Blaine said without thinking.
“You’re at a jewelry store?”
“Uh.”
“Is Tam with you?”
He turned and looked at her. She wore displeasure in her eyes, and Blaine looked past her to Alex’s storefront. “Yes,” he said, his brain slowing down by the second. “I have to go.”
“Are you buying an engagement ring?” his mother shouted, but Blaine arced the phone away from his ear and hung up.
He stuffed his phone in his pocket and returned to Tam. “Chicken sandwich?”
She glared at him, and Blaine had an inkling as to why. He opened the door and waited for her to go inside. She did, but she didn’t look happy about it. Blaine cast another look in the direction of Alex’s shop and followed Tam.
They didn’t speak as they ordered, and Blaine picked up the tray with the fast food on it. Tam led the way to a booth in the corner, and he put the tray down before sliding in opposite of her.
“I’m an idiot,” he said.
Tam picked up her chicken sandwich and started unwrapping it. “Why’s that?” She looked at him with those piercing blue eyes, and Blaine saw her annoyance.
“Uh, for, um, calling my mom?”
Tam shook her head. “Try again.”
Blaine didn’t want to try again. “Just tell me why you think I’m an idiot.”
She took a bite of her sandwich instead, her eyes never leaving his. He couldn’t even get himself to unwrap his sandwich, so he picked up a French fry instead.
After she swallowed, she said, “I don’t think you’re an idiot.”
“You’re mad.”
“I’m not mad. I’mfrustratedthat you called me to come have lunch with you, only to find you talking to Alex and automatically becoming so obsessed with her that you had to call your mother.”
“I’m notso obsessedwith her,” he said.
“Why do you care why she’s at that store and not running some stupid fundraiser somewhere?”
“I don’t.”
Tam shook her head. “Yes, you do.”
Blaine didn’t know what to say. He did care, and he didn’t know why. “You cared that Hayes would see you’d moved on. Maybe I want her to see that I’ve moved on. That I’m okay.”
Tam rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t care, Blaine. She wouldn’t even sell you a ring. She asked you to leave.”
Blaine’s irritation with her sparked. “She askedusto leave.”
“She doesn’t even believe there is an us,” Tam said.
