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“No.” He was far more successful at sounding resolute. “If we’re doing this, we’re keeping it to a minimum.”
His posture announced he wasn’t going to negotiate. This was his one and only offer, and it made me wonder why. Was it that we’d be hiding it from Colin, or was there more to it, like he worried about catching feelings?
“Fine,” I said, not masking my disappointment. “Three more lessons.”
He looked relieved. “Okay.”
My phone buzzed, shattering the moment, and dread lined the pit of my stomach. Without looking at the screen, I knew exactly who was calling me right now. I sensed Preston did, too, judging by the irritation that clung to the edges of his eyes.
I flashed an apologetic look, straightened, and dug out my phone.
As soon as I clicked the button to answer the call, my mother started speaking. She didn’t wait for a greeting. “What’s going on?” she demanded. “It looks like you’re stuck on the side of the road.”
My mother was loud enough for him to hear her side of the conversation, and he arched an eyebrow.
“I’m fine,” I said.
There was rustling on her end, followed by an electronic chime and a door slamming shut. “I’m getting in the car. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”
My spine went straight with alarm. “No, you don’t need to do that.”
“Well, what’s happened? Did your Uber driver abandon you in the middle of nowhere while it’s raining?”
“No.” I swallowed a lump. “Preston offered to drive me to Colin’s.” It wasn’t technically a lie, but it rolled awkwardly off my tongue. “We stopped to talk.”
There was utter silence on her end, and I could picture the horror on her face. Did she believe that talking was all we’d done? I’d never given her a reason not to trust me, but maybe all bets were off once Preston was involved.
The uncomfortable quiet stretched, causing me to scramble to placate her.
“I’m heading home now,” I blurted.
“All right.” Her tone was cool. “I’ll be here if you want to finish the discussion we were having before you walked out on me.”
I clenched my teeth so hard, my jaw ached. “What discussion? You made it clear the decision has already been made. Let’s not bother pretending I get a say in it.”
“You’re being rude, Sydney.” She sounded shocked, like she didn’t know it was possible, and ugliness rose inside me.
Get ready, I thought.
She wasn’t used to any pushback from me, but I was going to show her everything I was capable of.
EIGHT
Preston
I pulled into the Novaks’ driveway, parked, and considered that for once, it wouldn’t be stressful to ring the doorbell and wait for the girl to appear. If anything, picking up my ‘date’ would be fun today.
Even though Colin was my best friend, I’d only been over to his place a handful of times before, and that had stopped completely after our senior prom. His parents had never said I wasn’t welcome at their house, but the giant stick up their ass ensured we never had much fun hanging out at his place.
The house was nice, but they didn’t have a pool like I did, and for years my dad was so chill, my friends and I could do whatever we wanted. So everyone, including me, preferred my place.
I shut off my engine, got out, and strolled up the path to the front porch. The early June sun was high in the sky and relentlessly bright, making me squint behind my sunglasses. I climbed the two brick steps, pressed the doorbell, and swiped a hand through my hair.
The mechanical chime summoned someone with heavy footsteps, and when the door swung open, it revealed Mr. Novak.
Perfect.
Hopefully, my smile looked friendly and not smug.
