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Well, there goes all my arguments. Not that I was really trying too hard to find reasons to avoid a date with him.
Me
When and where?
Coach Hottie
I’ll be at your house at 5.
I send him a thumbs up before getting back to work. I lose track of time and end up working way the heck too late. After shutting down my computer, I rush to my tiny bathroom to take a quick shower. If I’m going to have dinner with the hottest guy in Silver Spoon Falls, I plan to look my best.
I’m drying off when I get a text from Carlie.
Carlie
They closed the bar.
Me
I heard. What are you going to do?
Carlie
I have an interview with the Park Avenue Bar tomorrow. What are you planning?
Me
I’m trying the Park Avenue Bar, too. I’ll call you later and explain everything. Right now, I have to get ready for dinner with Garrett.
I’m notsurprised when my phone rings five seconds after I send the message.
“Hello,” I answer, waiting for the interrogation I know is coming from my best friend.
“I don’t care how busy you are,” she growls. “You can’t throw out words like ‘I have a date,’ and expect me to wait for an explanation. Now spill the beans and don’t leave anything out. I want every single detail.” Her irritated huff causes me to smile.
Where do I even start? I glance at my watch and notice the time. I’ll have to give her the abbreviated version if I have any hope of being ready at five o’clock.
“Todd took my car and wrecked it. The sheriff called Coach Garrett, and he took care of everything. He’s taking me to dinner tonight to pay him back for everything.” Yes, that sounds silly to me but it’s the truth.
“He’s taking you to dinner to pay him back?” Leave it to my friend to zero in on that. “And is Todd okay?”
“Yes, and yes.” I don’t have time to go into more detail right now. “I don’t have time to explain the rest. I have to go if I’m going to be ready when Garrett gets here, but I’ll call you tomorrow morning after Todd leaves for school.”
“Okay.” Carlie snorts. “But I want the complete rundown tomorrow. And I’ll hunt you down, if necessary, to get it. And you owe me big time. It’s going to be hell on earth waiting until tomorrow to hear this story.”
“It’s a deal,” I tell my friend and hang up. Carlie is the best. I know she’s dying to hear the entire story, but she’s willing to wait. Impatiently.
* * *
At eleven minutes until five,I start pacing the tiny space in front of my door. Our tiny one-bedroom apartment isn’t big enough to actually have a hallway. It consists of a postage stamp-sized galley kitchen, one tiny bedroom that I use, a sofa bed in the living room for Todd, and we share the airplane-sized bathroom. It’s not much, but at least we aren’t living in my car.
When our parents died, there was just enough life insurance money to bury them and pay off my car. Our family home was mortgaged to the hilt and the bank ended up taking it. At least the banker who’d dealt with my parents all these years was nice enough to pull strings for us. The bank allowed us to stay in the house for a month, giving me time to scrape together the security deposit for this tiny apartment in Silver Spoon Falls. It isn’t much, but I didn’t want to uproot my brother and move to a cheaper and probably more dangerous area.
I almost jump out of my skin when I hear three loud knocks on the thin door. I take a deep breath and run my hands down my pink t-shirt, soothing out the non-existent wrinkles. “I’m coming,” I call and check the peephole to make sure it’s Garrett.
My heart pounds away in my chest when I see him standing there staring back at me. I pull the door open and smile at him.
“Not yet, but we can work on it later.” He winks at me and bends over to kiss my cheek while I force my mushy brain to function. His words bounce around my mind as I attempt to figure out what he means.
