Page 14 of Love and Other Champagne Problems

“Oh,please, we only hit one hundredonce. We’ve been sitting at a calm ninety-five?—”

“Just slow down,” Sumner repeated for the millionth time, but only then did he tack on, quietly, “please.”

I lifted my foot off the gas pedal and shifted the gearstick, the car slowing with the speedometer following suit. Sumner loosened in his seat, as if melting into it. A part of me loved that I could draw out a reaction, while another part—an irritating part—felt a little guilty. “Because you and your sorry excuse forbusiness casual, we’ll most likely have to eat somewhere else. The place I made reservations for would rather close its doors than let a sneaker as dirty as yours touch their floors.”

Sumner still didn’t open his eyes despite the decline in speed. “You should’ve told me we’d be eating at a Michelin Star restaurant for breakfast.”

“It’sbrunch.” The correction came out exasperated. “And you should’ve told me that you didn’t have more than one pair of dress pants.”

“What, you would’ve lent me some of yours?”

“I’m not sure if I’m flattered or offended if you think my pants will fit you.” From the corner of my eye, I looked down at the gearshift—at his curved fingers. “How long are you going to hold my hand for?”

Sumner’s eyes popped open, focusing down on our hands in shock, as if he thought he’d been gripping the gearshift itself the entire time. Hesnatched his fingers back as if I burned him. “Your parents hired me to be your shadow,” he said, bringing back what I’d said at the country club. “They hired me because you have crap people skills, which—yeah, I found that out within five minutes of knowing you. Having to follow around a rich girl because she can’t keep herself from causing trouble isn’t really ideal, I’ll be honest. We could fight this, and be bickering for the two weeks until your fiancé comes to town, or we can actually try to be… pleasant with each other.”

Again, that word.Pleasant. I listened to his self-proclaimed honesty with a straight face, my sunglasses shielding my gaze. Though his voice was firm as he spoke, his hands fidgeted in his lap, fingers tracing his knuckles. Something about the way he looked at me now, the way he spoke while attempting to hide his nerves, reminded me of last night after my parents left us alone. Like these were his true colors.

It wasn’t as if the casual, teasing nature of hiswasn’this true self, but this was Sumner Pennington when his buttons were pushed.

“I’ve thought about what I want,” Sumner went on, staring straight through the windshield. “In exchange for letting you kiss me.”

I curved my fingers over the leather of the steering wheel. “Go on.”

He hesitated. “You said it could be anything I wanted.”

“I also saidgo on.”

“Instead of me being your secretary,” he began slowly, “I want us to be friends.”

I’d been anticipating some sort of outlandish request, due to his hesitation, but the direct way he spoke once more caught me off guard.Friends. A nonchalant, easy word that slipped off his tongue, one that was near alien to me. The word felt as if it only could apply to Destelle, who was however many miles away from me.Friends. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Did Nancy talk to you?”

Sumner blinked. “Who?”

I knew the old lady had a strangeness to her, but it was uncanny that Nancy pushed me toward Sumner and here he was, meeting me halfway. He was a stranger to me—granted, a stranger I’d kissed.

I fought a smile. “Interesting.”

“W-What is?”

“You are.”

“I thought you said I was disappointing.”

“I suppose the jury’s still out.” I glanced over at him. “Trying to find out which side you’re on is what’s interesting.”

“I’m not on anyone’s side,” he said, but it sounded like a lie.

And even if it was a lie, I didn’t mind it. I didn’t know what was so different, a secretary or a friend, and why he requested the latter, but it worked in my favor. My parents might’ve had the influence of money over Sumner, but they weren’t the ones spending time with him, after all. I was. I slowed even further as we entered Bayview city limits, allowing myself a small smirk. “Good. That means I can still sway you over onto mine.”

CHAPTER FIVE

It didn’t take too long to find a parking space, since most weren’t exploring this side of Bayview on a weekday morning. I parallel parked on the street and Sumner practically stumbled out onto the sidewalk, leaning a hand against the roof of my car. I slid from the driver’s seat and dusted a hand down my dress shirt, smoothing out the wrinkles from the drive over.

“I guess we know who’s going to be driving from now on,” Sumner said as I rounded the car. “And it isn’t going to be you.”

“Poor little thing,” I said without affection, chuffing him on the shoulder. With my key fob, I locked the car with a beep. “Come on. Let’s see if I can bribe the staff of Pierre’s to let you in.” It was a doubtful longshot, but my craving for their avocado toast was enough to make me desperate. At the very least, I might’ve even been willing to risk my parents’ wrath and ditch Sumner at the entrance for it.

With my gesture, Sumner began walking down the sidewalk first. Just a half step behind him, I let my eyes travel down to the back of his pants, at the slight curvethat stretched the denim material. I wasn’t about to pull my phone out and take a photo, but I could report back to Nancy: he did have a nicetush.

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