When Maisie offered no opinion of the dump either way, he gave a big, hearty laugh. "Yeah, if I were you, I wouldn't answer either."
I knew Ryder. The laugh was fake. But hey, he was putting on a hell of a show.
But Maisie only nodded, looking distracted and grim.Something was definitely off.
I could feel it.
I could see it, too.
Had she caught Ryder's blunder?
No.
I didn't think so.
She had barely blinked when he'd made it. And she'd been acting funny from the start.
Looking to break the tension, I took an exaggerated look around. "So…it's not exactly five stars, huh?"
"It's fine," she said quickly.
I grinned like a dumbass. "Yeah, fine like a dumpster fire." I sealed it with a laugh twice as hearty as Ryder's, but only half as believable.
I had no idea who I sounded like, but it sure as hell wasn't myself.
As for Ryder, he wandered over to the fridge and yanked it open, nice and wide. "Look! Mustard." And then, like a crazy-ass clown, he stuck his whole head inside, paused, then pulled back to face us. "I think it growled at me."
When he received only silence, he chuckled on his own. "I've still got my face, right?"
Maisie made a sound, not quite a laugh and not quite a scoff. Whatever it was, it sounded odd, like she was trying not to gag.
I gave her a long, penetrating look. Sure, the place was disgusting, but I'd figured her for a better sport. Even at the shop, no matter how bad things got, she found a reason to smile.
But now? She looked ready to lose her lunch.
Of course, that was probably myfault, not hers. Already, we'd lingered way too long. I flicked my head toward the door and asked, "Ready to get outta here?"
Maisie said nothing.
But Ryder gave a hollow chuckle. "If you're talking to me, that's a hard yes."
It was a decent joke, but Ryder was the only one who laughed.
I couldn’t. Maisie didn't. And even the fridge had gone silent.
The awkward silence held until Maisie blurted out, "Yeah, I'll let you guys catch up."
I shook my head. "No, I meant you and me."
"That's alright," she said with an overly bright smile. "I've got stuff to do, anyway."
It was a lie.I could see it in her eyes and hear it in her voice. And, if this weren't enough, she had mentioned on the way over here that she had no plans for tonight.
I'd been hoping tomakeplans – and I didn't mean with Ryder.
I shot him an annoyed look.I'd told him not to come up. But Ryder being Ryder had treated all of this like a joke.
And now, it wasn't funny, not with the way Maisie was acting.
