Page 18 of The Obvious Check
Chloe’s got an amused smirk on her face.
“So you like him?”
I gulp down the knot in my throat. If only she knew how much I’ve fantasized about a different life with him. “No.” There’s no point even entertaining the idea of something more with a guy like him when I’m one missed payment away from being completely owned by Luke.
“Okay, I don’t believe you, but let’s pretend I do. He sounds pretty perfect.”
I nod.
“So why do you think he’s not interested.”
“Why would he be? I’m nothing special.” Nothing but damaged goods with a mountain of debt and enough baggage to fill a 747.
“That’s not true, Savannah. You’re gorgeous. You’ve got these killer green eyes with amber specks in them and when you smile, albeit it’s not too often these days, you make me smile too.”
I look out into the parking lot, studying the cracked yellow lines, refusing to make eye contact with Chloe. I wasn’t fishing for compliments, and I know if I say anything else, I’ll dig a deeper hole.
“Not to mention you’re one of the sweetest, most loyal people I know. You love so fiercely that you’ll fight until the end for your sister.”
“He’s not interested, trust me,” I say more forcefully, pushing her away from that idea. “When he gave me the tickets, he made that crystal clear. He barely looked at me and told me to bringmy boyfriend.” I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head. “As if I have one.”
“Your boyfriend?” She sounds just as confused as I did when he said that. What even makes him think I have one? I don’t talk to anyone in class. Anyone except him. Maybe he thinks I have some fantastic social life or something instead of sleeping in my car between shifts and classes.
“Yeah.”
Chloe stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You’re a complete idiot, you know that, right?”
“What? Why?” I genuinely have no idea what I did wrong.
Her eyes widen. “Wow. Do you speak to anyone at college?” When I shake my head, she blows out an exasperated breath. “Of course you don’t. You’ve just got a one-track mind on getting Adley back.” She sits up straighter and looks at me seriously. “How did you reply when he said that?”
“He didn’t give me time to reply. He just started nervously laughing and then asked me out for coffee after the game. That’s when I said ‘you want to go to coffee with my boyfriend and me.’”
“Oh my God.”
“I know, it’s weird, right?”
“You’re a lost fucking cause, Sav,” she says, laughing so hard she snorts. “Don’t you get it? He was doing recon. He mentioned a boyfriend because he was checking to see if you were dating someone and you all but confirmed it with your weird-ass response. You basically gift-wrapped the idea you were taken and handed it to him.”
“Did I?” My voice sounds small even to my own ears.
“Yes. So we’re going to the game to sort this disaster out before you completely torpedo any chance you have with the only guy I’ve ever seen you smile about.”
She moves out of the booth, pulls her phone out, and takes a picture of the tickets.
“What are you doing?” Panic creeps in my voice.
Her gaze flicks to me and she offers me a wicked smile. “I’m just checking out the time and location of the game.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to come with you, silly. I want to see this guy’s face when he realizes you didn’t bring a boyfriend with you. Plus, I want to watch a hockey game. I’m always being dragged to football because of my brother, Devin. I’d like to try a new sport.”
My cheeks heat, just thinking about watching Cade do anything. I can barely concentrate in classes when I watch him write. How am I going to act when I see him doing something even more athletic than typing on a laptop?
“I’ve got to get to work,” I say, suddenly desperate to escape this conversation before Chloe extracts any more embarrassing truths from me
Chloe nods. “But we’re agreed? I’m going to meet you at the game tomorrow at seven?” When I hesitate to answer, she rolls her eyes. “Come on, Sav. You get no time to be a normal college student. This guy… yourfriend,is offering that to you for free. Live a little.”
