She gives a soft groan. “This won’t end well.”
“Let me back up. There’s this family we’ve known forever. My dad and their CEO were college roommates. We’ve represented his company since he started. He has a daughter my age, and our parents used to joke about marrying us off when we grew up.”
“Only now they’re not joking?”
“Only my parents were joking, and her parents never were. And neither is she. My parents—my mom especially—brings it up sometimes in a you-should-think-about-it kind of way, but mainly because she was hoping—” I break off. For a while, she’d hoped that getting into a serious relationship would settle me down. Reform me.
“Hoping what?” Sami prompts.
I’ve been trying to put my past behind me for four years now. I don’t drag it up lightly. I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. Anyway, this girl, Presley, she’s persistent. And her dad likes her to have what she wants. So he always brings her with him to Austin when he’s here for business. My dad was trying to talk me into dinner with them tomorrow.”
“Sounds awkward.” Her voice is sympathetic.
“It is.”
“Does she know you’re not into her?”
“I’ve told her I only want to be friends, but she laughs and says I’ll come around or something.”
“That’s . . . disrespectful.” She’s leaning on her railing too, so we can see each other easily.
“I hadn’t thought about it that way. Feels more tone deaf than anything.”
“And there’s no chance you’ll change your mind?”
“Definitely not.”
“Because . . .?”
I shrug. “We don’t have much to talk about. That’s a dealbreaker.” Presley is pretty. More than pretty; she’s got Texas beauty queen vibes because that’s what she is. Second runner-up in Teen Miss Texas. But that’s almost the problem. She’s so polished from all her pageant training that it’s hard to have a real conversation with her. She answers questions based on who she’s with; even her favorite teams shift to appease whoever she’s around.
She’s smart. Very smart. And articulate. No doubt about any of that. She can speak intelligently on almost any subject, but it’s always adapted to her audience.
“That doesn’t bother her?” Sami asks. “Or does she have a thing for awkward conversations?”
“First off, I’m not sure she’s even noticed we don’t have that much in common because she does most of the talking. Second, you’re the last person who should be throwing shade over awkward conversations.”
“Me? Why? Does this conversation feel awkward to you?” She sounds so surprised that I laugh.
“Aren’t you the rock goddess who chatted with me all the way to pho and then quit talking?”
“Oh. I forgot about that.” She straightens and stretches. “I’m finally getting sleepy. Good night, Josh.”
It’s been good, sitting out here with her again, and even though sleep is calling me too, I don’t want the conversation to end. “Hey, Sami?”
She pauses, halfway through her sliding door. “Hmm?”
“Could we try pho again sometime?” Whatever misfired that night seems to have fixed itself.
A short pause. “I don’t think so, Josh.”
Then she disappears inside, leaving me to wonder how I misread her so completely again.
Chapter Ten
Josh
Anotificationonmycomputer Thursday morning informs me that my dad has added a meeting in his office after lunch.
