Page 12 of Operation Prom Date
She pulled out a notebook and my tingly happy vibes faded a bit when I saw the outlined list,Operation Prom Datewritten across the top. Which was stupid, because that was why I’d come over.
The same organizational skills that had me inwardly groaning now had come in handy during the past few days of training, just like I’d guessed they would. She’d even done some calculations on how much faster we’d have to row to beat our previous times, even though she also joked she should hide them from me so I wouldn’t “get all crazy and practically kill us” trying to do better.
“Okay, so for reals, I’m going to talk to him this week.” She tapped the end of her pen to her still-shimmery lip. The same full lip I shouldn’t be noticing. But when I dropped my gaze, all I got was an eyeful of her legs—their crossed position made her shorts hike up higher on her thighs and now I was thinking about those. “Cooper?”
I jerked my head up and swallowed. “You talk to him. Say hi or whatever. Bring up football if you want. But you’re gonna need something more to really set your plan into motion.” I racked my brain for an idea, one that would work, because I needed to stop thinking thoughts I shouldn’t. “We need to do something big.”
Chapter Eight
Kate
The “something big” hung in the air, more intimidating by the second. Cooper seemed to be deep in thought, that little crease between his eyebrows that formed when he went into Mr. Serious mode on the lake showing up. I didn’t dare interrupt, hoping genius had just struck. Especially if it was the kind of genius that’d help me not feel like such a failure when it came to my prom plans.
I also hoped it wouldn’t be scary. Big sounded scary. Plus, like I said, Mr. Serious face, and that usually meant barked orders.
Finally his gaze returned to the present day and my room. “There’s a party tomorrow night. You’re going to go with me. And we’re going to act like…”
I’d never liked cliffhangers, not on my TV shows, not in books—especially when the sequel’s release date was months to years away—and definitely not in my real-world conversations. “Like what?”
“Like we came together, but not as a couple. As in a casual thing.” He ran his hand over his jaw and then rubbed the back of his neck. “Do you think you can do that?”
The amount of oxygen I took in thinned and my gut tightened. “So I’d go with you and just play it cool?”
“Yeah. But also, I might put my arm around you, or stand really close. Maybe make it look like we could be more than friends, but not like we’re in a relationship.”
“That seems like a very odd limbo to be in.” I frowned at the idea of being tugged around like that, thinking a guy was into me, only to find out he acted like that with other people, too. But that was what everyone did these days, right? It certainly fit in with Mick’s usual MO. He and the girls he “dated” were together one night, not the next. Sometimes they were even hanging on other people or kissing them in the halls within the same week.
“We can try to think of another way if you’d be uncomfortable,” Cooper said.
“No.” I put my hand on his arm, vaguely noticing it was, in fact, as firm as it looked when I sat behind him every day on the lake. “I’m overthinking, as usual. It’s just pretend, so it’s not like it matters.”
He nodded. “Just pretend. Once we take some of that serious edge off, then guys will see you as the easygoing chick they’d like to take to a party.”
“And then totheparty.” I needed to hear the end result, because the part of me I didn’t realize was so opinionated hated the thought of people thinking I skipped from guy to guy so easily.
Eyes on the prize. I just need Mick to see me first. I’m sure if he met the right person he’d want more, and that person’s going to be me. This is the way we’ll be able to get to know each other and get to that point.
I pulled my notebook to me and scribbled “Mick and I go to prom together” in giant letters. Staring at them helped soothe my nerves.
Then I looked up at Cooper, whose hazel eyes were fixed on me. That made another calming wave rush over me. It wasn’t like it’d be hard to act like I found Cooper attractive. Flirting with him would be almost natural, like how natural it was for my mom with complete strangers. Maybe I needed a guy I trusted on the other end of my pretend flirting, but practice made perfect, right? In no time, I’d be managing it with the guy who rendered me incapable of speech with one of his sexy smirks. Or you know, by simply looking my way.
“Let’s do it,” I said.
With that out of the way, I figured we could get on with our Friday night. I flipped my notebook closed and tossed it aside.
“So that’s that?” Cooper asked.
“For now.” I glanced at the time. I hardly ever had plans on the weekend. Even Mom had gone out tonight—I’d practically had to shove her out the door, but I knew she needed nights out with her friends. She was more of an extrovert than I was. As much as she accidentally flirted, she never dated. For her sake, I wanted her to move on, but for mine, I was glad I hadn’t had to deal with it yet. I wasn’t ready for some strange guy to come in and change everything; to make that feeling of Dad never living here again that much more permanent. “Did you have somewhere else you needed to be?”
“Need? No.”
Ever since the pretend-we’re-more-for-the-party discussion, the vibe had turned a bit weird, and I wanted back the easy one Cooper and I normally shared. “We could watch a movie or something? But if you’ve got more exciting plans, or—”
“I’m down for a movie.” One corner of his mouth kicked up, way too mischievousness in the curve. “But I get to choose it.”
My fingers curled around my remote protectively. “Giving out movie choosing privileges isn’t something I do lightly.”
“Well, I don’t hang out with the Mother of Dragons lightly. Especially when the dragon’s been giving me dirty looks for the past five minutes.”
