Page 44 of Risking it All

“Is he going to get into trouble?”

“Naw, it’s near closing and they can take home any excess food. They’re giving me leftovers Marsh would have brought to my place anyhow.”

The panic on her face was cute and unwarranted. “You could have told me. I would have done the same as you, or I could have paid.”

“You heard Marsh,” I said. “Your money’s no good here. You’re a friend of mine, which makes you a friend of his.” I hoped I could make that true.

“Sounds like you have amazing friends.” She had this look of awe and, having spent all day thinking about the last time we kissed, it suddenly became all I wanted to do again.

“You have that look,” Macie said.

“What look is that?”

“Like you’re going to kiss me.”

I moved closer to her and placed my hand under her chin. “That’s because I am.”

“Food’s up!” Marsh called out, and Macie and I cut our gazes from one another.

I ran a hand through my hair to wake myself up, but fuck that. This was a dream I wanted to continue. Macie’s cheeks had turned an adorable red, and she fidgeted with one of the checker pieces.

“Mazie,” I said, and she glanced up. I gave her a wink. “That conversation is definitely to be continued, you got me?”

Her shy smile hit my chest like a lightning bolt. No, I didn’t know shit about relationships, but I definitely loved everything about this girl. Feeling as if I were walking on air, I went to the counter to gather the tray full of food, and Marsh raised an eyebrow at me. “You look too happy.”

“Is that a problem?”

Marsh moved to look behind me, and when he saw I was alone he said, “Yeah. You’re falling for her.”

“I know where I stand with her. It’s not forever. But come and sit with us. Talk to her. You’ll see she’s not the rich bitch you’ve got drawn up in your head.”

“Look, you and I did not finish our conversation,” Marsh pushed. “I know that you’re trying to use her for that fifty-thousand-dollar reward.”

Not use, but before I could say anything in response, my stomach dropped as I heard Macie say from behind me, “What did you say?”

My insides withered as my eyes snapped shut. Fuck. Me. I turned and when I met her gaze, I felt kicked in the gut with the confusion and pain ripping along her expression.

“Are you using me so you can collect the reward for the carjacking?”

“You misunderstand,” I started, then stopped because I had no idea how to get myself out of this situation. Macie’s mouth trembled, turned down, then she fled the restaurant.

I snapped my head toward Marsh. “Did you see her there when you said that?”

Marsh looked down and I had my answer. “Fuck,” I muttered then ran after her.

She stood at her car, trembling from head to toe, the driver’s side door open, her keys in her hand, clinking together because she shook so hard. We were four miles from her home and my lungs hurt. She wanted to do it. She wanted to get in the carand drive far from me, but she couldn’t. Fuck me. Fuck whoever carjacked her. Fuck Marsh. Fuck this entire damn world.

“Let me drive you home,” I said in the gentlest voice I could find in me.

She swung around and shouted, “We are not friends!”

No, I didn’t guess we were. Not anymore. I had a chance of being friends with her. Had a chance at a lot of other things; but like I always did, I fucked it all up. What could I say to her? That I didn’t mean it? That I had no intention of talking with her so we could find her carjacker and I could reap the reward? If I said any of that, it’d be a lie. Now, I’d be the guy who was using her and wasn’t there a shred of a truth in that? “Let me drive you home. You don’t have to talk to me. You don’t have to look at me. We never have to see each other again if that’s what you want, but please let me drive you home.”

“You didn’t have to kiss me and pretend you were attracted to me. You didn’t have to convince Marsh to lie and say you had a crush on me. You didn’t have to cross that line.”

“I wasn’t pretending. I am attracted to you. I do want to be your friend. This is all fucked up. You don’t understand.”

Macie’s eyes smashed shut and she shook her head as if trying to dispel the image of me from her mind. “I hate you.”

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