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“You haven’t seen me!” I hissed.
I ducked under the table and crouched, hoping the table base–which was about a third as wide as me–would properly hide me.
“Thanks,” I heard Dean say. A moment later, I saw his feet and then his legs approaching our table. “I didn’t think I’d run into you two,” he said.
“Hi,” Lizzie said.
“Eat shit and die,” Steph said.
Dean chuckled. “Um, have either of you seen Pearl? I want to talk to her.”
“I don’t think Pearl wants to talk to you,” Steph said.
“Yeah, I get that,” he said. “Maybe you two could pass a message along to her for me? There’s something I’d really like to show her. If she could come to the barn where Lizzie’s ceremony was tonight, I’ll explain everything. Seven o’clock.”
There was a pause. “Why there?” Lizzie asked.
“And what makes you think she’d come?” Steph asked.
“I was hoping the two of you could convince her. If she still hates me, then tell her it’ll be a great chance to see me get horribly embarrassed. If she’s not happy with how things ended… well, tell her she should come. Can you two do that?”
“We’ll think about it,” Steph said.
“Good.” There was another pause, then Dean’s head popped into view under the table. “I hope I’ll see you there, Pearl.”
I winced, then shielded my face from him because it was the only thing I could think to do. I waited until I heard the sound of his footsteps retreat and the eventual jingle of the bell over the door.
“Who hides under a table?” Steph asked, almost to herself.
With as much dignity as I could, I got out from under the table and brushed my clothes off. “Someone who is known to panic in high stress situations, maybe?”
“I thought all that anxiety stuff was getting better,” Steph said.
“It was,” I said. The real truth was that my time with Dean was some of the calmest I’d felt, even amid all the chaos and stress of trying to figure out my feelings. He’d felt like a rock I could hold on to. Knowing he was there for me made everything easier. Ever since he left for the city, my constant anxiety had crept back in. Little by little, I thought it was getting worse, too.
“What are you going to do?” Lizzie asked.
“I’m not going,” I said.
“Really?” Steph looked almost offended. “I’m dying of curiosity, dude. Maybe he put together a Powerpoint presentation explaining all the ways he fucked up, or something.”
“He really might want to apologize,” Lizzie said. “Something big and romantic.”
I shook my head. “Apologize for what? Not liking me?”
“You won’t know if you don’t go,” Steph warned.
“Then I guess I won’t know.”
43
PEARL
True to my word, I was in my apartment with my laptop open about thirty minutes before I was supposed to go to whatever Dean was planning. I was stubborn, so I’d even put on pajamas. If some weak part of me got tempted to rush out there at the last minute, I’d be doing it in my pajamas. In other words, not at all. The whole town wasn’t about to see me in my pink unicorn PJ’s.
It was more like I was pretending to work than actually working. I had a design file open and I was absently switching the background colors while my mind was on Dean and whatever he was planning.
I jumped and actually screamed a little when someone knocked on my door. It wasn’t a polite, “here’s your package” kind of knock, either. It was a frantic knock. They only paused a split second before launching into another series of rapid taps.
I thought about my ridiculous PJ’s, regretted the decision, and then went to the door. I opened it a sliver, sticking one eye in the crack.
“Miss Moreno!” Billy said. “We need a ride!”
“Sorry,” Greyson Ashford said. He was towering behind Molly and Billy with a hand on each of their shoulders. The man was just as distractingly handsome as his brother, Zack. He was in his mid to late thirties, but appeared to age the same way wine did. “My truck wouldn’t start and we don’t have time to make it there on foot. Any chance you’d give us a lift?”
“Um,” I said. “Sorry. I’m not really dressed to go out.”
“That’s fine,” Molly said. “You can borrow Mommy’s big jacket.”
Suspiciously, Greyson held out the jacket for me to take.
“Where is it you need me to take you?” I asked.
“I can give you directions on the way,” Greyson said.
“It wouldn’t happen to be a certain barn, would it?”
Greyson rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, it’s possible.”
“Please!” Molly said. She came forward and hugged my leg. “That man really wants you to come. We’re all waiting to see what happens! Please, please, please!”
Billy nodded with solemn agreement. “It would be a big disappointment to the whole town if you didn’t show.”
