Page 44 of Faking the Face Off

“I saw you come out of the hardware store…I mean, what are the chances? I’m here for a day and I see you on the street.” He shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’ve got things I want to say to you.”

I feel like I’m being pressed against my car, but I’m not. At least not physically, but his presence and energy feels all-encompassing. He’s loud, his tone is aggressive

“I’m not sure I have time to talk,” I say, holding a hand out to keep some distance between us. He was always a close talker, but this is ridiculous.

He ignores my arm and steps closer, his voice beginning to escalate. “I’ve left you alone on purpose for the past year, you know.”

“Well,” I say, hesitant to point out the obvious. “We did break up, so there is that roadblock.”

“Anna, stop talking so much and listen!” Jason practically shouts. A sting of cold, like a river of ice, flows through me, a stinging reminder of why I broke up with this man, and all I want to do is disappear into a hole in the ground.

“Think twice.” The deep voice behind me stops Jason in his tracks. I watch as Jason drags his gaze over my shoulder to seewho it is, but me? I don’t need to. I know who’s there. “I really don’t think you should talk to her that way.”

“Ollie.” Jason’s lips form a tight, thin line. “Should’ve guessed you’d be close by.”

There’s a strong hand on my arm and I’m being moved away from my car, gently, as Ollie steps his way in between us.

“Jason.” He half-laughs. “Thought you moved to Jersey?”

“It’s Philly,” he mutters. “I moved to Philadelphia.”

I swear, if Jason were a firework, he’d have exploded by now. This guy. What an ego.

“Whatever,” Ollie says as he threads his arms tightly across his chest, narrowing his eyes and putting Jason square in his sights. “You’re here visiting?”

Jason nods, his eyes rocking from mine to Ollie’s, then over my shoulder yet again. I watch as his expression changes, making me turn around. As I do, I question my life. Today is for sure the day that if I was being punked, it’s happening. Because when I look, I spot not just one other familiar face, but at least five. All in their Renegades gear and standing together. Like the imposing force they can be.

“Yeah, just in town for the day,” he says, backing away as Dixon, Sawyer, Campbell, and the others all form a semi-circle behind me. “Jeez, Anna. Did you ask all of the giants to climb down from the top of their beanstalks to help you today?”

I’m not one to feel helpless, but right now, being at the center of this much safety feels good.

“She sure did,” Ollie says, taking a step toward him as Jason takes one back. Ollie sees him do it, and then I fight my laughter as Ollie takes another step and Jason backs up two. In no time, Jason is well on his way down the sidewalk, retreating from us. Far, far away.

The guys behind me chuckle, because for a few of them, it’s all in a day’s work. Ollie pulls me into a close embrace.

“Sorry, but when I saw him over here?—”

“No,” I interrupt. “Don’t apologize. Thank you. He…that wasn’t expected.”

“Glad we happened to be here.” He looks at his teammates, who are already scurrying away, leaving us alone beside my car.

“It was divine intervention.”

“I’ll say.” He leans down, reminding me of how enormous he is as he towers over me. “I’ve been meaning to call you the last few days.”

I lift a shoulder into a shrug, because I am casual. At least, I’m gonna play like I am. “I know you’re busy.”

“But we have a relationship to maintain, right?”

“We do.”

Ollie opens my car door and I hop inside. “Well, the next step is that date we talked about.”

A flood of excitement swells inside. “The date?”

“The one you asked me to go on, remember?”

“I thought it was a joint decision.”

---