“I do,” Cora said. “And I’m sure most book lovers would agree.”
I had to break up this little conversation before it went any more off the rails. “The author, Mrs. Phillips, wouldn’t take that view,” I said. “Even in the heat of the moment, the heroine questions herself and if that was the right place to do…what they were doing.”
Colton lifted his eyebrows. “Yeah, but she also wrote that scene. I think it’s safe to say she knows it can feel good to be bad.”
“Here, here!” Betty said. It was a good thing she’d jumped in because I had no comeback. “So, Colton, I see you took what we spoke about to heart. What do you and Sadie have planned for tonight?”
“It’s a secret,” he said, leaning in conspiratorially, “but I can tell you it has to do with her list.”
“Say no more.” Betty held up her hands and took Cora’s elbow, helping the other woman stand from her chair. Cora may have been ninety-two, I thought, but she moved faster at that moment than I’d ever seen her. “Have a great time. We won’t keep you—but I will say one thing.”
The two older ladies stepped up to Colton, and standing there, they looked tiny in comparison to his six-foot-two height.
“You’re a lovely boy, Colton,” Betty said, looking up into his eyes. “I have a lot of faith in you as I’ve already said. Don’t let our Sadie get hurt. If you do…well, let’s just say my third husband taught me how to shoot a bullseye at a hundred paces. I have a shotgun under my bed, and my favorite movie isMisery.”
Colton’s face was frozen, and my jaw had dropped during her little speech. Betty had delivered her threat without flinching, but I knew a least some of her statement was false. The only things under her bed were several pairs of fabulous shoes, a box of old records and three hatboxes of love letters from her fans. And her favorite movie wasn’tMisery. Betty’s favorite movie was the same as mine:Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version with Colin Firth. I couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Colton’s face.
“She’s kidding,” I said.
He nodded but didn’t look like he totally believed me.
“You just take care of our Sadie,” Betty said.
“Or else,” Cora added and sent him an overly flirty wink. The two of them left, cackling as they walked down the hall to their rooms.
Once they’d turned the corner, Colton looked at me and said, “You have some crazy friends.”
“Hey,” I sniffed, “they’re wonderful, and I love them. You’re just jealous.”
“Whatever. You ready to go?” he said, shuddering. “We can talk about the list in my car. This place gives me the creeps.”
I laughed, couldn’t help it.
“Aw Colton,” I said, leading him out, “don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the scary senior citizens.”
He shook his head again, and we didn’t speak until we were in his car. Colton drove a pristine white Camaro; it was only a few years old, so not vintage, but still a very pretty vehicle. It was mid-sized with two doors, two font seats and a smallish backseat. As I sat on the passenger side, him in the driver’s seat, Colton turned on the engine to let the car heat up. It was November and chilly by North Carolina standards.
“So, what are we doing?” I asked.
“I figured we should set some ground rules,” he said, pulling something out of his pocket and unfolding it. “Since there’s money and my pride on the line, this isn’t really just about you anymore.”
He handed the paper to me, and my eyes widened as I read aloud.
“I,Sadie Day, hereby promise to do whatever my coach,Colton Bishop, says for the next 30 days or until all 22 of the items on the attached Carpe Diem List have been completed—with the exception of items #1 and #2.” I stopped here to shoot him a glare. “What the heck is this?”
Colton crossed his arms, sitting back in his seat. “It’s a contract.”
“A contract?” I repeated. “Are you serious? I already told you I’m not doing anything you say. You must be crazy if you think I’d be dumb enough to sign this.”
“Keep reading,” Colton said. “We both have something to lose now. If we’re doing this, Sadie, it’s important that we trust each other. This will keep us on track.”
Trust him? Ha!
“You said you wanted to complete your list.”
Rolling my eyes, I looked down and kept reading. “I promise to help Colton Bishop win the bet against his brother, Kyle Bishop, at all costs. And I will not, under any circumstances, lose on purpose (aka not complete certain tasks just to let Kyle win).” My cheeks reddened, remembering Kyle’s request to do just that, though I knew he’d been joking. “Colton, I would never cheat! How could you even—”
“Keep reading, Sadie,” he said.
