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CHAPTER ELEVEN
Paige put down her phone, imagining the scene unfolding at Chloe’s, trying to gauge Matt’s response when confronted with proof of his indiscretions. Would he shrug and laugh it off, claiming it was all a giant misunderstanding? Or would he acknowledge the obvious and fall to his knees, begging Chloe’s forgiveness? Or worse, would he react angrily, even violently? Despite Chloe’s vehement denials, Paige felt certain that Matt had struck her on more than one occasion.
And how wouldshereact if, despite everything, Chloe decided to stay with Matt? Yes, she’d told Chloe that she had to do what was right for her, not anyone else. But did she really mean it? Could she just stand by and continue to see her best friend humiliated and abused? Wouldn’t that make her at least partly complicit?
Paige shook her head. She couldn’t allow her mind to dwell on such troubling questions. Her head was already swimming with thoughts of Sam and the stupid thing she’d done.
“What is the matter with you?” she asked her reflection in the mirror over the bathroom sink.
True, their date had gone much better than she’d expected. Sam was attractive, personable, soft-spoken, and surprisingly modest. He didn’t monopolize the conversation; he didn’t drone on about his accomplishments; he seemed genuinely interested in hers. And he was easy to talk to. Maybe even too easy. But why had she told him about her cousin? And what on earth had possessed her to invite him to her uncle’s party? She barely knew the man. Yes, he seemed genuine, but everything he’d told her could be a lie. He could be a crazed serial killer, for all she knew.
She laughed. “Now you’re just being silly.” Sam Benjamin had been unfailingly polite. He hadn’t even tried to kiss her good night. What kind of serial killer was that?
She heard her cellphone ping with an incoming text as she was brushing her teeth. Her first thought was that it was Chloe. But surely it was too soon for it to be Chloe, and besides, Chloe would phone, not text.
Noah? she wondered, returning to her bedroom, angry at herself for even considering the possibility.
She grabbed her phone from the nightstand and saw that the message was from Sam. No doubt texting to say he’d thought things through and had had a change of heart regarding her uncle’s party.
Except he hadn’t.
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed our evening. Hope we can do it again soon.
Paige read the simple message several times, and then several times more. Was it possible the man was as nice as he seemed?Tell him that you’re sorry, that you were too hasty, that you’ve reconsidered, that you must rescind your invitation, and hope he understands.Instead, she wrote,Me, too.Goddamn it! What was the matter with her?
Sleep well,came his instant reply.
Paige clicked off before she was tempted to respond again. She turned off the bedside lamp and climbed under the covers. But after ten minutes of flipping from one side to the other, her mind ricocheting between thoughts of Sam and worry about Chloe, she realized she wasn’t going to sleep at all, let alone sleep well. She sat up in bed, turned on the light, and grabbed her phone, checking Match Sticks to see whether she had any new hits to her online profile.
“Beats counting sheep,” she muttered, swiping left on the first three responses, then staring at the fourth in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
Mr. Right Now smiled back at her, bedroom eyes beckoning.
“Holy shit,” she whispered, noting that Mr. Right Now was on his computer and would be instantly aware if she swiped right on his picture. “No,” she said. “You’re way too good-looking. There’s got to be a catch.” Men who looked like models dated women who looked like models. And while Paige knew she was attractive, she also recognized that she wouldn’t be gracing the cover ofVogueanytime soon. Still, he’d swiped right onherpicture, so he must be interested.
Was she?
What about Sam?
“What about him?” Paige asked. Just because they’d gone on one date, just because she’d invited him to her uncle’s party, just because he’d texted her tosleep welldidn’t mean she owed him anything. She’d just come out of one serious relationship. She wasn’t about to risk another heartbreak by rushing into another. She could hardly be accused of cheating on a man she’d just met.
She held her breath and swiped right. “Oh, God. What have I done now?”
There was a knock on her bedroom door. “Paige?” her mother said.
Paige reached for her robe, securing it around her as the door opened. “Mom? What’s the matter? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, darling. I was just going to grab a snack from the kitchen, and I thought I heard voices.”
“Just me,” Paige acknowledged. “Talking to myself again.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Having trouble sleeping.”
“Me, too. Must be something in the air. How was your date?”
Paige saw the hope in her mother’s eyes. “Nice. Really nice,” she added for good measure.
