Page 61 of Minted
“Elizabeth,” Emerson says. “Come on.”
“I want to know too,” Bea says. “I’ve wondered for years why two amazing people like them didn’t date.” Her eyes are sparkling. “This is just the most exciting night.”
“For the love—” Dave says. “Honey, turn the holiday music up higher.”
“So do you like her?” Ricki asks. “Or not?”
And now everyone’s looking at me—even Killian, who had been hiding in the corner with his headphones on. I realize that he may have been pretending not to listen while he was really paying attention the whole time. Teenagers are the worst.
“I do like her,” I finally say. “It took me long enough to realize it, but—”
“Why did it take you so long?” Jake asks. “Now that I have lots of money, will I get stupid, too?”
That kid needs to be punched a few times. Maybe he’ll stop running his mouth so much. “Now I’ve actually told her how I feel,” I say, “she persists in thinking I’m just playing my part.”
“How did you tell her, though?” Jake asks.
“Yeah,” Killian says. “Was it, like, ‘hey, let’s hang out?’ Because my friend Dana says that a lot of guys do that, and it’s annoying. You should just tell her you want to date her and that you’re serious about it.”
I look at the ceiling, hoping for a little patience. “I was very clear,” I say. “But she thanked me, because that idiot—” I throw my thumb over my shoulder. “Walked up right behind me. I think she thought I was saying stuff so that he’d overhear.”
“James is still screwing things up now?” Seren shakes her head. “He really is the worst.”
“Are we sure it’s really a good time to tell her how you feel?” Dave asks. “Maybe it’s good that she didn’t understand you.”
“Yeah, maybe you should wait a bit,” Seren says. “It’s been a really bad year.”
“Isn’t that when you need good news the most?” Bea asks.
“It’s not like he’s showing up on her door with a big check,” Dave says.
“A big check?” Killian asks. “Why would he bring a big check?”
“Because he’s rich,” Ricki says. “Everyone likes a rich guy. That’s a good idea.”
“No.” Dave shakes his head. “I’m talking about the Publisher’s Clearinghouse thing. That big check he can barely carry that Ed McMahon brings?”
Everyone in the room, other than me and Seren, just stares at him blankly.
“Never mind all of that,” I say. “Look, I don’t know whether to press it, or just leave it alone for now.”
“Tell her again,” Ricki says. “Sometimes girls need to be told things a lot.”
“Don’t do it,” Jake says. “She’ll just reject you if she’s not ready, and then things will be super weird. Tonight has already been weird enough.”
“But,” Bea says, “if she doesn’t know he’s serious—”
Seren and Dave, Elizabeth and Emerson, and even Killian all have opinions, and they’re all sharing them, and I have no idea what anyone’s saying when the door from the office opens abruptly.
James has his hands shoved into his pockets, and he’s looking at the floor when he marches through. . .and walks right out the front door. That’s good news, at least.
“So you told him to take a hike?” Dave asks, the second the door closes.
Bless him.
“I told him that he and I were a bad idea from the start,” Barbara says. “And that it’s best if we don’t try to reopen that Pandora’s box.”
“You should’ve let Bentley hit him,” Ricki says. “That would’ve been way cooler.”
