Page 46 of Operation Prom Date
“Thanks, Cooper.” She gathered the fabric of the skirt in her hands. “I think I’ll see if they’ll put it on hold, and then, when I ask Mick, I’ll celebrate by coming and picking it up—it’ll be my reward for being brave.”
Thinking of her wearing that dress at prom as she stood next to Pecker broke the spell, the slap to the face I needed to snap out of it. “Good idea.” My skin itched, the need to get out of here overpowering me. “Hey, do you mind if I head over to the sporting goods store? It’s just a few shops down, so you can meet me there after you’ve finished up here.”
“Okay,” she said. “I appreciate you sticking around to give me your opinion.”
What she wouldn’t appreciate was my real opinion, because I might not deserve her, either, but she deserved so much better than a dude who asked her guy friend if she was into hooking up.
If it wouldn’t break her heart, I might tell her anyway. She was a smart girl, though. She knew what she was getting into.
I was the one who was in way over his head.
…
Kate frowned at her phone as I pulled up to her house.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“I suppose it’s just more the law of averages.”
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to translate.”
Instead, she swiveled her phone to face me. Onscreen, a group of people smiled, all clad in swimwear. It took me a moment to see what had her so upset. Pecker stood front and center, and his arm was around Paris, who had on a teeny tiny bikini.
Kate’s shoulders slumped. “How can I compete with that? Clearly I can’t, or he would’ve called.”
“Kate…”
She shook her head. “It’s not like we’re an official couple. I’m not sure why I expected…” Her chin quivered, and crying seemed inevitable, and I didn’t have the slightest clue as to how to handle tears—not over Mick and some other chick. “Thanks for today. I’ll see you Monday, okay?”
Before I could respond, she was out the door and up her driveway.
If she hadn’t looked so devastated, I’d celebrate. I even thought of going and knocking on the door and telling her that I’d take her to prom. Oddly enough, I found the idea didn’t seem so bad if it meant dancing with Kate while she was wearing that dress.
If it meant more time with Kate in general.
But I feared she’d consider it a pity date or a failure, and I wasn’t sure I could deal with coming in second place.
So I decided I’d at least give her the weekend. Next time we were together, I’d try to get a better sense of how she felt about me. And if she was open to it—if she’d give me a chance—I’d show her that I could be so much better than a guy who only paid attention to her when it was convenient.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kate
When my phone rang on Sunday afternoon, I carefully set down the gray and navy yarn, along with the half-formed beanie. Cooper might act like knitting wasn’t cool, but just wait until he had a warm hat to put on after a cold day of rowing next fall. Then he’d be thanking me.
I reached over to my nightstand and picked up my vibrating cell.
And nearly dropped it whenfuture prom dateflashed across the screen.Oh yeah. I still need to change that. Especially now, when it looks so unlikely.
Steeling myself, I answered. “Hello?”
“What’s up, sexy?” Mick asked, but before I could reply to that—or fully process his calling me sexy, because I’d probably end up asking if he’d dialed the wrong number—he added, “I think you and I should go see a movie tonight.”
“Really?” It sort of slipped out, but I stood by it. He hung out with Paris yesterday, and now, what? It was my turn?
But again, we weren’t dating. And technically I’d been with Cooper all day yesterday, and I’d hugged him. I’d say it was nothing more than a friendly gesture, but the way my heart skipped as I remembered it told a different story.
“Um. Yeah. Yesterday I was at the lake with a group of friends, so I missed your call. I was hoping we could hang out tonight, though. Just you and me. I’ll even let you pick the movie.”
