When she caught up, she slugged me in the arm. “That’s for being a brat.”
I pulled her into a hug. “And that’s for not kneeing me in the junk when I was practically forced to kiss you every time I spoke.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Trust me. I thought about it.”
“Whatever. I bet you loved every minute of it.” After the words left my mouth, I found myself hoping she’d agree. She scowled playfully. I shouldn’t have been disappointed, but I was.
We both went home to change before leaving again. The main entrance to the dorm stayed unlocked before dark, so she came up and met me at my room. Garland answered when she knocked on the door.
“Hey. What’s up?” He looked past her into the hall. “Where’s your other half?”
Abby smiled brightly, making the way she looked at me earlier seem impersonal. “It’s just me today. Evan and I are going shopping for dance decorations.”
He jerked his thumb over his shoulder in my direction. “You trust that guy to help you decorate? Bad move.”
She chuckled. “I’m afraid I don’t have a choice.”
“Hello, people. I can hear you mocking me.”
“I know,” Garland replied. “That’s the point.”
“Rude.” I scoffed. They kept talking while I finished getting ready. I’d changed into my best jeans and a fitted T-shirt. This wasn’t a date, but I still wanted to look good. I grabbed a dressy wool sweater that zipped up the front and walked to the door. “I’m ready.”
“Okey-dokey. Let’s go.” Abby took a step into the hall, then paused and popped her head back in. “Hey, did you want to come with us?” she asked Garland.
A lump formed in my throat. I didn’t want to share. Garland already got enough of her attention. Today was my day. “Please say no, please say no,” I pleaded silently.
“I wish I could, but I have rehearsal. My improv group is doing a show tomorrow night.” He snapped his fingers. “Which reminds me that I was going to see if you wanted to come.”
“I’d love to,” she answered enthusiastically. I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Three weeks ago, I’d have been jazzed about this moment. But after today, I so wasn’t thrilled. Abby’s face scrunched up. “Wait, would I have to sit in the audience by myself?”
Garland frowned. “I wouldn’t be able sit with you during the show. But we could still go out afterward.” I noticed he said go out and not hang out. Abby bit her lip. He hesitated for a long moment. “If you don’t want to watch alone, maybe Sam wants to tag along.”
Abby sighed. “She’s gone home for the weekend. Her little brother has a championship hockey game.”
“I can sit with you,” I suggested. Something beyond my control had compelled me to offer. “I was thinking about going anyway.” Garland’s head whipped around, and he gave me the evil eye. I was lying my face off. He hadn’t even told me about the show—which I now realized was intentional…because he wanted to take Abby…on a date…without me. The sick feeling in my stomach got worse.
“That’d be awesome,” she said, completely unaware that Garland was telepathically swearing at me for killing his mojo. “I really want to go, but I’d feel stupid sitting there alone.”
“No worries,” Garland replied coolly. “The show’s in the auditorium and starts at seven. If you want to meet us here at six-thirty, we can all walk over together.” He ground out the last word as if it physically bothered him to say it.
“Okay.” She grinned and put her hand on his arm. “I’m so excited. I’ve been dying to see you perform ever since I found out you did this.” Her exuberance seemed to loosen him up. I’m sure the fact that she was still touching him didn’t hurt, either.
“Hopefully I don’t suck.” He laughed nervously.
“You’ll be awesome. I know it.” She gave him a hug. Garland continued to glare at me as he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Now I wanted to puke.
“Ehem.” I coughed into my hand. “We should probably get going.”
Abby stepped back and waved at Garland. “See you later.”
“Bye,” he said.
“Sorry,” I mouthed silently while ushering her into the hall. He rolled his eyes and shut the door in my face. I honestly felt guilty for ruining his date. I tried really hard to feel bad about it, too. But I couldn’t.
“What about this?” I asked Abby, holding up a paper lantern.
“Oooh, that’s actually pretty.”
“You say it like I’ve only been suggesting ugly stuff.”
Her lips puckered. “It hasn’t all been ugly.” I felt proud of myself, until she added, “Some of it’s been hideous.”
I walked past and yanked on her braid. It started on one side of her head and wrapped around to the other. The tail hung over her shoulder in the front. “Where’d you learn how to do this?” I tickled her nose with the tips of her hair, then kept rifling through shelves of junk. We were in the valentine section at the Mega Party Superstore.
“My sister taught me.”
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Three. One older and two younger.”
It dawned on me how little I knew about Abby. “Four girls, huh? That’s a handful. Any brothers?”
“Nope. How about you?”
“Only child.”
“That’s kind of sad,” she said.
“It is, isn’t it?”
I looked over my shoulder to find her taking a picture of a glass swan. She put it down and started texting someone. “Do you see anything that might make a nice centerpiece?” she asked without making eye contact.
“You mean for the tables?”
“No, for the bathrooms,” she replied sarcastically. “Yes, for the tables, silly.”
I scanned the selection. “All this stuff is cheesy. What if we put a big bowl of chocolate kisses in the middle? Then people can kiss each other all night without making everyone else feel uncomfortable.”
She cocked her head to the side and stared at me, or rather through me, lost deep in thought. Right as her eyes started to glass over, she shook her head. “The pun was lame, but the idea was decent. I think we should keep it on the list of possibilities.”
I grinned smugly. “I told you I could be helpful.”
She smirked back. “Yes, yes. You’re finally earning your keep.”
Her phone dinged, and she started texting again. I tried to peek over her shoulder without being obvious, but I couldn’t see who she was messaging. My curiosity was killing me. Whoever it was, they’d kept her completely distracted since we walked in the store.
I rounded the corner to the next aisle and came face-to-face with a giant blow-up monkey. It was holding a red heart that said I’m bananas for you. I snickered and called out, “Hey, Abby. I found your centerpiece.”
She wandered over with her nose in her phone, fingers flying across the keyboard. When she finally looked up, she choked out an oh my gosh and laughed. “That’s hilarious. Stand next to it.” I put my arm around the monkey, and she snapped a picture. Then she sent it to the mysterious recipient.
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Who are you sending those to?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I hoped I was wrong. “Sam?”
“No, Garland. I felt bad he couldn’t come with us, so when he texted me, I told him I’d send pictures before we picked anything.”
“How nice of you.” I flashed a fake smile and muttered under my breath, “Wouldn’t want Garland to feel left out on my date.”
“What was that?” she asked.
Sure, now she was paying attention. “I said it was nice of you to include Garland.”
Abby was only being considerate. I was the selfish dillweed having mixed emotions. Stupid hormones. But Garland was being a twit, too, by purposely distracting her. He made his intention clear when he slammed the door in my face. Of all the girls in the world, he had to mark his territory on this one. I shouldn’t even be mad at him, because
it was my own dumb fault.
An old woman approached us. And when I say old, I mean ancient. I don’t even know how she was walking, let alone working. Her back was hunched, and her skin was paper thin. Tight gray curls clung to her head like a knitted cap. The name on her tag said Agnes.
“You two have been over here for a while.” Her croaky voice warbled. “Is there anything I can help you with?” She nodded at Abby, who was still texting Garland, and grinned. “Need something special for your valentine?”
Apparently, Abby had been listening better than I thought. She smiled at Agnes and started to clarify our relationship status. “We’re not—”
Oh, heck no. She didn’t get to drag me on a shopping trip—one that I’d been waiting all week for—then ignore me because she was too busy flirting with my roommate. Especially after she’d almost kissed me earlier.
Fine, I’d almost kissed her. Same difference.
I cut her off quickly. “Actually, Agnes, my girlfriend and I are hosting a valentine’s party. We could really use your help picking the décor.”
Abby gaped at me, her lips puckering like a fish. I smirked, and in one swift move snagged the phone out of her hand, stuck it in my back pocket, and laced our fingers together. She blushed, as usual, but she was too shocked to make a scene.
The old woman sighed. “Ah, I adore young love. You guys remind me of my husband and me when we were first married. You know, I probably wasn’t much older than you are now.”
“What a coincidence,” I gushed, tucking my new girlfriend under my arm. “I asked Abby here to marry me yesterday.” Abby slipped her own arm around my waist so she could discreetly use her fingernails to pinch me in the side. I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth. Agnes didn’t seem to notice.
“Ooh! How wonderful.” Her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands, but then she glanced down at Abby’s ring finger, and the excited smile quickly turned into a frown. “Where’s your ring, darling? Don’t tell me this boy proposed without a ring.” She gave me a stern expression and propped one of her wrinkly arms on her hip while she waited for an explanation.
“Of course I bought her a ring. It’s gorgeous. A platinum setting, two-carat solitaire. Our initials are engraved in the band.” The bigger my lie got, the harder Abby dug in. My obliques were taking a beating, but I was having too much fun to care. “The only reason she’s not wearing it is because she hasn’t said yes yet.” I clenched my fist over my heart in what appeared to be devastation.
Agnes gasped and turned her judgmental glare on Abby. “Oh, dear. Don’t you make him wait too long. Good boys like him are hard to find.” She reached up and patted my cheek. I’m not very tall, but for her it was quite the stretch.
I clasped her frail hand and pulled it down from my face. “It’s okay, Agnes. I feel confident she’ll say yes.”
Caught up in my story, I bent down and nuzzled Abby’s jaw with my nose. She stiffened, but I also saw a trail of goose bumps run along the exposed part of her arm. The reaction was highly encouraging, so I went for broke and placed a soft, lingering kiss right where her cheek met her ear. As usual, she blushed from her neck up to her forehead.
Agnes’ eyes crinkled. “I think she’ll say yes, too. Now, how about I help you find those valentine decorations. Then you can come back in a few months, and I’ll help you pick some things for your wedding.”
“Sounds great,” I replied. I winked at Abby. “Doesn’t it, darling?”
Agnes turned around and bade us to follow her. “What are you doing?” Abby hissed quietly. She dropped her hand, and I lifted my shirt to inspect the damage. There were four deep marks in my side. I frowned until I glanced up and saw Abby staring at my abs.
I let her ogle for a second, then dropped my shirt and whispered, “That woman has one foot in the grave. I’m bringing her joy on what could be the last day of her life.”
“You could have tipped her or something.” Abby grumbled.
I gave her a dry look. “Also, you’re being punished for ignoring me all afternoon while you were texting my roommate.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re jealous?!”
“Of course I’m jealous.” I said it casually, even though I was dead serious. I bopped her on the nose with my finger. “Now you have the chance to earn my forgiveness by playing along.” She opened her mouth to say something, then thought better of it and clamped her lips together. I pouted, sincerely upset. Maybe I’d been foolish to think she felt the same chemistry I had back in that snowbank.
“Oh, tuck in your lip before you trip on it.” She was sassing me, but that meant I was wearing her down.
“Is being engaged to me really that bad?” I asked. She lifted her finger to interject. I stopped her. “Remember, if you say yes, you’ll hurt my feelings. More than you already have.”
“That’s playing dirty.” She stuck her tongue out but took my offered hand. “Fine, darling. Let’s go shop for our party.”
I bent down, brushing her cheek with my lips and whispered, “Cheer up. I promise to be the best fiancé you’ve ever had.”
Turns out Agnes could talk forever when she had a captive audience. I loved every minute of it. Especially after Abby stopped being cranky and started playing along with the fiancée bit. I think she was having fun. She didn’t even fight the constant touching.
But after a while, I could tell Abby was losing patience with the guided tour and I had to wrap things up. “Well, I think we’ve seen enough. You’ve been tremendously helpful, Agnes. We’ve got a few more places to check out, but if we don’t find what we’re looking for, we’ll definitely come back.”
“Okay, dear. Don’t forget to ask for me.”
“We won’t. Good-bye, and thanks again.” Agnes smiled and waved. We slipped out the door as fast as we could.
Once we got in the car, Abby giggled uncontrollably. “I thought she’d never stop talking. She must have shown us every single valentines-related item in that entire store.”
I buckled my seat belt and stuck the key into the ignition. “Someone should nominate her for Employee of the Month. I’m tempted to come back and buy all that stuff.”
“You know we can get it cheaper online, right?”
“Yes.” I threw my arm over her seat and turned my head to watch as I backed out. I didn’t need to; the car had a rear backup camera. It was just a good excuse to put my arm around her. “But come on, don’t you think she earned our business?”
“No. I think I earned some dinner, though.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked at the same time her stomach growled.
She clutched her midsection. “Does that answer your question?”
I chuckled. “What are you in the mood for?”
“I don’t care, as long as it’s food.”
“Well, then food it is.”
I took her across town to a French bistro called Les Bon Repas. I may not have picked up the language very well while I lived abroad, but I loved the cuisine. “This place looks fancy,” Abby said when we pulled in. “I’m not sure I can afford it.”
I put my hand on her shoulder and leveled her with a hard stare. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m paying.”
“I can’t let you do that.” She shook her head.
“Why not? You said yourself that I owe you dinner.”
“Um yeah, but I was thinking more like fast food.”
I cringed at the thought of walking her into a Taco Bell. “Eww,” I replied. She still looked apprehensive. Normally I’m not one to flaunt my economic status, but I could see she needed convincing. “Don’t stress about it. It’s not like I’m not hurting for money.” I motioned to the car we were in. It was a newer model Lexus with all the bells and whistles. It’d been a graduation gift from my parents. I wouldn’t call us rich, but my family was more than well off.
She looked down at her clothes. “I’m not dressed for a place like this.”
“It’s not that fancy. I’ve been here before. Trust m
e, you’re fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” She chewed on her lip. I started to pull up front but veered to the self-park area. “See? I won’t even use the valet.” That earned me a smile. Her entire countenance was shining in the moonlight. In that moment, I realized just how beautiful she was.
And how much I liked her.
Holy crap, I was in trouble. Abby was supposed to be falling for Garland, and instead I was falling for her. I’d been so careful not to lead Sam on that I’d totally let my guard down with Abby. Some cupid I was. I’d shot myself with my own arrow.
I got out of the car and opened the door for her. She didn’t balk when I held her hand or pulled her chair out at the table. She only gave me a little grief when I helped her in and out of her coat. But I deserved that.
We stayed at that restaurant for two hours, talking and laughing. She told me about her family. How she and her sisters were all just a year apart and how having four teenage girls in the house had given her parents gray hair. I shared stories about my time living in Europe and the unique places I’d been. We talked about likes and dislikes, goals and dreams. By the time we left, I felt like I’d been on a real date. Possibly the best one I’d ever had.
I parked at her dorm so she wouldn’t have to walk all the way from mine. It’d started snowing. After helping her out of the car, I asked, “Can I escort you to the door?”
Something about that question spooked her. Maybe it felt like a real date for her, too. She’d made it very clear how dating affected her. Her eyes fell toward the ground before answering. “You don’t have to. It’s really cold tonight.”
“But I want to.” I didn’t give her the chance to refuse. She was wearing her thick mittens. I took her hand anyway and swung it gently between us as we walked. We arrived at the front step way too quickly. I wasn’t ready for the night to be over. “Thanks for hanging out. I had fun today.” I used the term hanging out on purpose, hoping she’d relax.
“Me too. Thanks for dinner. It was the yummiest meal I’ve had in a long time.”
The Problem With Cupid (Holiday Romance Book 2) Page 6
