“Well, yes. I’m in a real jam here. And I’m already not the most popular person in town at the moment. If I don’t deliver a parade grand marshal, the mayor won’t hesitate to make sure all of Gadsley knows I was the one who dropped the ball.”
Hollis slumps back in his chair again, recrossing his arms. “That sounds like a you problem.”
“Hollis,” I say, a warning note in my voice. “Ryan’s trying to help us.”
He sighs and pastes on one of his grimacey smiles, which makes Ryan lean an inch or two away from him.
“When do you need to have my answer?” I ask.
“Let’s say five o’clock?” Ryan says, rising from his chair. “Youcan come over, discuss any questions or concerns, figure out logistics.”
“Sure,” I say.
Ryan clutches his hands together in gratitude. “Great. Think about it, talk to your... your Hollis. And then I’ll see you at my house at five.” He looks up at the clock on the wall above the diner’s counter. “Whoops. My prep period’s over in ten. Gotta get back to it. Connie and Bud can give you my address. I mean, probably anyone in town can, but Connie and Bud are likely the most convenient.”
“Small towns, huh?” I say with a smile.
“Exactly. See you later, Millie. Hollis.”
“Later,” I agree. I wave, then nudge Hollis with my elbow until he gives Ryan the most perfunctory wave I have ever seen.
“He just offered us a way out of here,” I snap at him. “You better be nicer when we go to his house tonight.”
Hollis’s huff-like laugh makes a reappearance. “Oh, I’m not going to Ryan’s house tonight.”
“Don’t be like that,” I say.
“I’m not being like ‘that,’ whatever ‘that’ is. I’m not going because I’m fairly sure I wasn’t invited.”
“What do you mean? You were invited. I was right here when he said it. He said ‘You can come over... ’ ”
“You.‘You’ was the key word in that sentence. Otherwise, he would’ve said ‘y’all.’ Like ‘y’all can come over.’ ”
“Ryan’s not from around here, so no, he wouldn’t have. But I’m starting to suspect youarefrom around here. You have the accent. Or a similar one, at least.”
Hollis stares at me, neither confirming nor denying my allegation.
I prop my elbows on the table and rest my chin in my hands. “Why would Ryan want me to come over without you? We’d both be borrowing his car.”
Hollis laces his fingers together in front of him. He leans in closer to me. “Well, Millicent, sometimes when people find each other attractive, they choose to spend time alone together on something called a date, often with the goal of engaging in an act known as sexual intercourse.”
I groan and let my arms collapse on the table, burying my face in the dark little cave they make.
“Now,” he continues. “It is true that, while two is the most common quantity of people for this transaction, it’s not the only possible one. But that man did not seem interested in a threesome. He only had eyes for you.”
My brain immediately latches on to the image of me, Hollis, and Ryan in some tangled conglomeration of limbs.Oh my.I’ll never be able to raise my head again, or Hollis will know exactly what I’ve been thinking. The nest of my folded arms and the grain of the wooden table will be the only things I see for the rest of my life, and I’m going to have to make peace with that.
Hollis’s hand settles on my back. It moves slowly up and down, making my face burn even hotter. “You don’t have to do it, you know.” His voice is soft and close.
“Yes, I am aware I do not need to have sex with everyone who is interested. Thank you.” I venture a peek over my arm and find Hollis’s lips quirked up in the corners and only a few inches away from mine.
“I meant about the parade. I know how you feel about the spotlight, about not having control over where it shines. If you don’t want to be the grand marshal, you shouldn’t do it.”
“But the car,” I say.
“Screw the car.” His tone is surprisingly emphatic. “We’ll find another way. I don’t want you to do anything you don’t want to do, Millicent. Mrs. Nash wouldn’t want that either.”
Our eyes meet, and for a moment my heart squeezes. One time, early in our friendship, I told Mrs. Nash that I was considering getting my nose pierced, but that I didn’t think Josh would like it. She said,Who cares what he thinks? You must always do what is right foryou, Millie. What is right for anyone else doesn’t matter, because you are the one who will live with your decisions.My fear of needles made the decision for me in the end, but Mrs. Nash’s words have stayed with me.
