“Ms. Silva, I’ll just be blunt here. There’s a rumor you’re dating Chase Cooper.”
“Who?”
“Chase Cooper. The actor? Trusted sources say you two are romantically linked and the smart boards were a… uhm, a romantic gesture or possibly, well, payment for?—”
“Trusted sources?” I scoff. There’s nothing trustworthy about her sources. “The principal, I assume? You may want to check that source again since he’s only after attention.” If she worked for a newspaper, I would tell her everything about Miley, but I don’t believe she does. She’s after a scoop on Chase, and she’s come to the wrong house for that. “I’m flattered that Mr. Miley thinks I could get a guy like Charles Clarke.”
“Cooper. Chase Cooper,” she snaps, losing her composure for a moment. “Brown hair, tall, blue eyes? Stars in action movies?”
“Is he the one that drives the fast cars in thosemachismomovies? Or the one that sings and dances, too?”
“So, the flowers?” She nods to the bouquet I forgot to bring in the house.
Shit. Think fast, Ren.
“Ohhhhh. My ex. He’s been trying to get back together with me for weeks. He’s a little dramatic since he found out about the alimony. I warned him not to leave her panties in my laundry again, but he didn’t listen.”
“Right, okay, the ex.” She’s getting frustrated and having trouble staying in character. Such a fake. “And the sighting at the school? Youwereseen with him.”
“With who? Oh, some Hollywood guy visited campus the other day. Maybe it was this… what did you say again? Chip Chambers?”
“CHASE!” she spits back. “Chase. Cooper.”
“Never heard of him. I’m more of a reader.”
“Fine,” she huffs, shoving her phone back into her large purse. I don’t feel bad for being a pain in her ass. These damn paparazzi will try anything—it’s disgusting. “Sorry to bother you.”
She turns to leave, but as she gets to the step, she stops and glares at me. It’s unsettling.
“I hope you’re not lying to me, but either way, you should stay away from Chase Cooper. For your own good.”
I’m tempted to respond, but that’s what she wants. Instead, I smile, nod, and shut the door before my eyes roll back in my head. I wish she had come out and said it Miley had sent her. That would give me a reason to go after his dumb ass. I’ll deal with that later. I’m about to push off the door when there’s another knock. I spin around and fling the door open.
“Lady, I don’t—” I stop and scream with delight as my cousin holds out her arms and I jump into them. “Oh my god, come inside, quick! There’s this crazy white lady around here who thinks I’m dating Chase Cooper.”
“Shit, well, I hope you didn’t bring him here if you are. She’s down the street talking to Mrs. Rosa. That woman would sell out her own kids for a dollar.” Terasa looks around as she steps inside. “Wow, you’ve redecorated!”
“We did?” I glance around at a living room that’s sat unchanged for ten years.
“The place looks so much better without that asshole Luis around.” She breaks her straight face and cackles like a wild woman. While wiping the tears from her eyes, she asks, “Where’s Dani and your mom?”
“Mom’s with her new beau. Dani has a rehearsal for a gig. Pizza and gossip?” I avoid her comments about my ex. He’s not worth talking about, and she’s right anyhow. The house does look better without him in it.
I haven’t seen Teresa for at least a year, but we stay in touch enough to send each other memes every few days as proof of life. Before we can order, my phone lights up on the coffee table and Chase’s cheesy grin looks up at me. I snatch the phone up and hope she didn’t see the picture or the name.
Snuggle Puppy
Am I allowed to miss you? Like, casually or whatever?
“Snuggle Puppy?” she gives me the stare that says she’s onto me then breaks down laughing. “Not dating my ass! Spill the damn tea. Do you love him? When’s the wedding?”
“What?” I yell, exaggeratedly. “It’s not—it’s the…plumber.” I hand her my credit card so she can finish the food order.
“Yeah, Snuggle Puppy, the plumber who needs to talk to you about laying pipes! Please!”
“Oh, hush!” I tease as my thumbs dance over the letters.
No! You should be out having fun. Hooking up with beautiful movie people.
