Page 21 of Clean Out of Luck

It’s becoming all too clear that Phoenix has enlisted Wade to shadow my every move. I almost wish that Wade had had the idea to keep an eye on me himself. I don’t know why that little difference matters. But it does.

I forgot to turn my phone back on last night, so when I wake up this morning, I see a text from Wade. He must have sent it while I was still in the bath.

WADE

Hey, seriously, I’m really sorry I interrupted your date like that. And I’m sorry I showed up with a friend. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just heard something about Allen today that made me really concerned. Like maybe he’s not respectful of the word no, if you know what I mean. And I just panicked thinking about you on a date with him. Forgive me?

I would like to stay mad at Wade. I really, truly would. It feels good deep in my soul to point my frustration at a single entity. But I don’t think it’s fair when Wade is a newcomer to this problem. I have a problem—that every single date gets somehow ruined by my family. I just need to explain that to him. While he was pretty much a fixture at our house growing up, he might not realize that the overprotectiveness didn’t stop when I became an adult.

So I text him back.

SCARLETT

Sorry I was so grumpy last night. I’m going to stop at Serendipi-Tea this morning on the way to work. Do you want to meet me there?

He texts back right away.

WADE

See you in thirty.

I get ready, head outside, and hop on my bike. It takes about fifteen minutes to get to Serendipi-Tea by car, which is funny because I can also get there in fifteen minutes on my bike. Yet another reason to be a biker. Keeps me healthy and active. Keeps me alive. And I can get to most places just asfast as a car. In fact, if there’s a traffic jam, I can get there even faster.

The old two-story Victorian house that’s been converted into a coffee and tea shop is one of my favorite places in town. Violet Baker has owned it for years, and I sometimes like to leave early for work so I have time to stop here and get a coffee.

Wade is already standing on the steps outside of Serendipi-Tea when I arrive. His hands shoved in his pockets. He’s wearing a light gray sweatshirt and jeans. He smiles at me as I lock my bike and hurry up the steps.

“Hey,” he says sheepishly.

I glance up at him. “I’m sorry I sent you an angry emoji last night.”

He tries to frown, but a smile cracks through. “That’s okay. I probably deserved it.”

I look up at him with a straight face. “You did. But this is me buying you an apology tea anyway.”

“Well, I chased you away from enjoying your chips and salsa and horchata, so I think I oweyouthis one.”

He opens the door for me, letting me enter before him.

“I’ll be honest with you, Wade,” I say as we get in line to order.

“You always are,” he says with a grin. “Which is funny because I don’t see you being blunt with anyone else in your life. Just me.”

“If you didn’t want me to be blunt with you, then you shouldn’t have been at our house every day growing up. I’m too comfortable with you, and now you bring out my mean side. It’s really all your fault.”

“Is thisIntroduction to Gaslighting 101?” he teases as we move forward in line.

“If you stick around long enough, you might even make it to my advanced course. Something we younger siblings learnearly,” I reply with a grin. “But seriously, if you learned something shady about Allen, I understand. I should have known better than to go out with someone I met on Sole Mate.”

Really, I’m trying to give him an excuse to explain it away. I don’t want to fight with Wade, so I’m extending an emblem of peace. It’s not even an olive branch. It’s a freaking olive tree. Delivered in a pot so it can keep growing. It’s up to him what he does with it.

“Well, Jack—the guy with me last night—said his sister had a run-in with Allen. I don’t remember if it was late high school or early college, but it wasn’t a good experience, if you catch my drift.”

“Unfortunately, all women understand that,” I reply quietly. “Okay, so your concerns were legitimate with Allen. I appreciate that.”

“But Sole Mate? Really? I’ve heard nothing but bad things about that app. Besides, sounds like a foot fetish,” Wade says.

It’s like he just stomped on my olive branch. “I have something else to say—” But I’m interrupted because we are now at the front of the line, and we have to order our drinks.

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