AllFreeNovel
Share Us
This time, I cocked my head to add to my narrowing eyes. “What’s going on?”
“What-”
I threw my hand up to stop him as I adjusted my purse and book bag. “You shouldn’t sound this cagey just inviting me to a barbecue, Earl,” I told him. “So…what’s the catch?”
His eyes began to shift like he was looking for an escape. When those hazel eyes finally looked at me again, he said, “Okay, so there’s a friend of ours who I think is perfect for y-”
“Nope.” I started shaking my head. “Nope, nope, nope.”
“Oh, c’mon, Sutton,” he whined. “He’s a really great guy. Plus-”
“Sutton?”
I whirled around in complete shock at the sound ofthatvoice, and Ross Carmichael was standing behind me, his gaze on Earl, though he’d said my name.
What the hell?
When his eyes found mine, he said, “Sorry to interrupt, but do you have a minute?”
Hell, no, I didn’t have a minute.
Before I could tell him that, Earl was speaking up. “I’ll let you go, but the barbecue starts at four,” he informed me. “I expect you there, Sutton.”
I turned back to face him. “I…okay,” I said because I was super off balance. “I’ll text Delta."
Earl gave me a sheepish smile. “I already texted her,” he confessed.
Normally, I’d give him the what for, but Ross talking to me had me at less than my best. “You’ll pay for this.”
Earl smiled. “I know,” he said before he sauntered off, leaving me alone with Ross.
I turned back towards Ross, and I did my best not to take a visible deep breath, though I needed one for…well, for whatever this was. I haven’t spoken to Ross in weeks, or better yet, he hasn’t spoken to me, so I had no idea what he could want now.
“What do you want?” I asked, and though my voice sounded fine, I still recognized the rudeness in my question. However, I didn’t owe Ross Carmichael anything. I really didn’t.
Those blue eyes looked as if he was trying to peer into my soul, and I didn’t like it. “Can we talk?” he asked.
Though it said a lot, I adjusted my book bag, proving just how nervous I was right now. However, I couldn’t take the move back. I’d already done it. “About what?”
He let out a deep sigh, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think thathewas nervous, though that couldn’t be true. He was Ross freakin’ Carmichael. The boy had the world at his fingertips. He had no reason to be nervous about anything.
“I was hoping you’d let me apologize for how I acted,” he admitted.
“You mean, for ghosting me?” No way was I going to let him off the hook. If he truly wanted to apologize, I wasn’t going to let him get away with wrapping it up, all nice and neat. What he’d done was shitty, and I had enough self-esteem to know that he was responsible for his behavior, despite his wealth, power, connections, and good looks.
To his credit, he didn’t shy away from the truth. “Yes,” he replied. “For ghosting you.”
“Why?”
“Why did I ghost you?”
I shook my head. “No. Why are you apologizing?” I corrected. “It’s been over two months. Why bother now?”
“I…I had some things I needed to sort out,” he answered, vague as hell. “I…they’re sorted now.”
My brows jumped high on my forehead. “So, there’s finally time in your schedule to apologize? How convenient for you.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he replied. “That’s not how I meant it.”
