Page 38 of Cross Check Hearts

A few minutes later, Hannah emerges from the locker room with her still-damp hair tied in a ponytail—and her face flushes when she sees me. Her eyes widen a little, as if she’s suddenly realizing how small this place is and how likely it must be that I overheard the entire conversation she just had.

“You heard, didn’t you?” she asks, her voice low.

I shrug. No sense in denying it.

She sighs and twists the end of her ponytail between her fingers. “It’s just dinner, not a real date. I didn’t even want to go, I just said yes to get my mom off my back. She really wants us to get back together.”

Her words come quickly, almost desperately, as if she wants to make sure I believe her.

I step closer, and her throat bobs as she swallows. The air in the studio thins, charged with electricity that makes the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Energy crackles between us, like her body is a magnet responding to the proximity of mine.

“What doyouwant?” I ask, and although I can see conflict warring in her eyes, she doesn’t say anything for several moments.

Her eyes lock with mine, vulnerability and desire battling across her features. For a heartbeat, I think she might actually answer honestly—might say the words I’m desperate to hear.

“It’s just dinner,” she finally whispers, shaking her head. “That’s all.”

I take a step back as the breath I’ve been holding leaks out.

“Right,” I say, forcing a smile that I don’t feel. “Just dinner.”

Chapter18

Hannah

As I lift my eyeliner to my face to apply it, I stare at my reflection in the vanity mirror with a strange sense of disconnect.

I’m doing my makeup the old way, the way I know Aaron used to like it. But it’s not Aaron who’s on my mind at all. With a sigh, I lower the pen and stare at my reflection, almost like it’s going to start talking to me and tell me what to do or something.

How did I end up here again?

I don’t want to go to dinner with Aaron tonight—I refuse to call it a date—but I already told him I would, and I really don’t want to deal with the fallout with my mom if she finds out I canceled on him. Not that it’s ultimately up to her who I do or don’t date, but she clearly has a bias toward Aaron, and I don’t want to do anything that might upset her. Not ever, but especially not this close to the anniversary of Casey’s passing.

She was miserable when I met her and my father at their place for dinner a few nights ago, and I don’t blame her for feeling that way.

That day is always tough for all three of us, but there’s something about the ten-year mark that makes it feel impossibly heavier. I tried to cheer her up, but nothing at all got through to her—until I mentioned Aaron and she started asking if I was going to see him again soon. That’s a big reason why I said yes. I knew it would make her happy, even if for a little while, and I just wanted to give my mother a reason to smile.

I’d do almost anything to ease her pain, even if it means one awkward evening for me.

It worked, but it came with a cost, because now I’m stuck in this impossible situation. And I know Declan overheard my conversation with Aaron setting up this dinner while I was on the phone in the locker room at the studio the other day, although he didn’t try to talk me out of it. He just asked me what I wanted… and I think he knows the answer. It was burning on the tip of my tongue, but I still couldn’t bring myself to say it.

I glance at my phone to check the time, blowing out a breath when I realize it’s way too late to back out of this now. For better or worse, I’m going to dinner with Aaron, so I might as well get this show on the road.

I do the rest of my makeup quickly, pat Ralph on the head on my way out the door and climb into my car with a knot in my stomach.

The knot only tightens on the drive to Altitude, the high-end restaurant downtown that Aaron picked out for us. It opened about a year ago with a ton of reviewer awards and buzz, and it’s been booked solid ever since. Part of me is shocked Aaron managed to get a reservation at all, especially since he apparently didn’t realize we might need one and waited until the last minute.

When we were together, it was always up to me to handle things like that. He swore it was because I was better at logistics, but I think it’s more that he just couldn’t be bothered.

Some things never change, but I guess there’s something comforting in that predictability.

Regardless, I would’ve been far happier going somewhere lower key, even if it meant going back to Sideline. People find it hard to believe because of who my dad is, but I’ve never been into all the glitz and glamour. I haven’t been to Altitude yet, but I’ve seen enough online to know that it’s not my style.

But Aaron has never been the type to do things quietly. He probably thinks this is the one big shot at winning me back he’s been trying so hard to get, so he’s pulling out all the stops, but even as I park and walk to the entrance in my best little black dress, I feel like I’m playing a part in someone else’s story.

The host, who’s dressed in a full suit, meets me at the door and opens it for me. The clink of dishes and the quiet hum of conversation meets my ears from the dining room.

“Do you have a reservation with us tonight?” the host asks.

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