Page 140 of Puck Prince

I don’t answer that.

“Do you need something, Miles? Because I have work to do.”

“I wonder if she’s here in Houston,” he muses.

“I couldn’t tell you.”

“You haven’t met the family, then? Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll happen soon. You’re the kind of woman guys want to take home to mom. You know, if they have a mom to take you home to. If not, well, then—” He leans across the table, voice low. “—they could just take you home.”

He’s a creep.

No matter what anyone else tries to tell me about Miles and his good guy schtick, I know the truth. I’m never wrong about these kinds of things. Not anymore.

I’m debating which of my reflex hammers to bash him over the head with when the door bursts open.

Miles leans away as Lance strolls in. “Hey, Callie.”

Never have I ever been so happy to be interrupted. Lance is wearing his typical big grin, but it fades slightly when he sees me alone with Miles.

“Hey Lance,” I say as casually as possible.

Miles looks at the ground with a smile, but his jaw is tight. Whatever he had planned, it didn’t involve an audience. He mumbles a “thank you,” and slips out the door.

Oblivious, Lance stops in front of me. “So I have an idea!”

“Oh boy.” I sit down. Now that Miles is gone, I feel like I can finally breathe. “Should I be worried?”

“Always. You know how I said a while back we should all hang out?”

“I remember that, yes.”

“I know we’ve been to the ball and Pour Boys and all that, but you and Owen are getting pretty cozy, so I thought maybe we should do a double date. Or something.”

“A double date?” I arch an eyebrow.

“Or something,” he repeats.

“Have you asked Owen about it?”

Lance rocks back on his heels, combing his hand through his messy blonde hair more than once. “Not exactly. I was thinking I should run it by you first. You know what they say, happy live-in girlfriend, happy… well, I don’t know what rhymes with ‘girlfriend,’ but you get what I mean.”

I can’t help but smile.

“I could be wrong, but a double date would imply thatyouhave someone you’re seeing.”

“I mean, I’m not seeing anyone per se, but…”

“But you want to see them,” I needle, nudging him in the ribs, “on a double date.”

“Oh, um… no.” He shakes his head, doing a terrible job of looking innocent. “But now that you mention it, maybe Kennedy could come along?”

I blink. “Kennedy? On a double date? With me and Owen and… you?”

“Yes. What? No. I mean— Not a double date. Just, like, a get together. A hang out. Something casual, with just the four of us. Maybe dinner and drinks.”

If he backpedaled any harder, he’d be on his ass in the hallway.

He might end up that way, regardless. Because if he asks Kennedy out on a date, she might drop-kick him.

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