Page 100 of Study Buddies

“I’m going to look for some shoes and then I’ll check out,” I told him. “Why don’t we meet at the car in fifteen minutes?”

“No, I can?—”

“Lucas, I’m paying for your clothes—you wouldn’t need them if you weren’t helping me today.”

He smiled. “I was going to say that I’ll stay here with you.”

My stomach gave a painful thump and guilt rocked through me. I didn’t want to lie—but I also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “You’ll just be bored. I’m only going to try on some shoes.”

He gave me a funny look. “And you don’t want me to see that? Are you afraid I have a foot fetish or something?”

I laughed, but inside, I was chastising myself. He was such a nice man—and it felt like I’d hurt him over and over lately. I took a deep breath. “I’d really like a little time here by myself.”

Hurt flickered across his face. “Because of the time you and your mom spent here?”

Relief filled me, and I jumped on that. “Yes.”

“I get it.” He gave me a quick kiss on the temple, patted my arm, and walked away.

It was the kiss that did it. “Lucas, wait.”

God, I was a terrible person. But lying suddenly felt worse than hurting him.

He turned, an eyebrow raised.

“I, um… what I told you just now was a lie, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to hurt you.”

He returned, looking confused. “You’ve got this look on your face like you’re about to tell a little kid that Santa isn’t real.”

That seemed easier than this situation. “The thing is… I saw a dress back there. One that I really liked.”

“So you’d rather get that one?”

“If it fits, I want to get both. Because…” Crap, this was hard. “Because I need a dress for tomorrow night, too.”

It took him a moment to understand, and then his face fell. “For your date with Kyle.”

Shit.

“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I want you to know there isn’t a single person I’d rather have by my side at the wedding tomorrow. Not Kyle. Not Jayden. Not even Hailey. You’ve been wonderful, and I feel like the world’s most horrible person, but… but I do need something for it. It sounds like a pretty fancy place.” Not that I had any clue where or what it was.

Lucas was silent for a long moment. I waited, bracing for an anti-Kyle tirade. Or the kind of hurt silence that cut deeper. But finally, he nodded. “So why don’t you go try it on?”

Relief flooded me, settling right next to the guilt. “Thank you. How about I meet you up front in ten minutes?”

He shook his head. “What if you need help zipping it up, too?”

I let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t ask you to?—”

“You’re not asking me to. I volunteered.” His expression was unreadable, his eyes darker than usual.

“But… I can’t ask you to help me shop for a dress for—” For a date with a man you hate, I concluded silently, feeling like garbage.

He sighed. “I was there when he dared you, Tori. He told you to wear something that makes you feel sexy. I’m not thrilled with the idea of helping you find a dress for a date with him, but I would like to help you find something you feel good in. I’m kind of curious about the dress you spotted before.”

His response left me speechless. After a long moment, I squeezed his hand and led him over to the clothing racks again. I quickly found the dress that had made my breath catch in my throat before. “Don’t look until I put it on, okay?” It was messed up to want him to think I looked pretty in it—but I did.

“All right.”

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