Page 87 of Obligation
“You’re too smart to be this stupid, sis.” Cory tilted his head, his laughter gone. “Go with Bradley. There. Problem solved. You’re welcome.”
“It’s not that simple.” She groaned, shuffled over to her bed, and flopped down on the mattress. “He wants me to meet his entire family. And he wants me to lie to them and pretend to be his girlfriend.”
“So, don’t lie,” Tiffany said. “If you don’t want to lie to his family, then go as his actual girlfriend. Make it official.” She shrugged. “See? Another problem solved. Next?” She raised a brow, daring Carissa to come up with another weak excuse.
But she was fresh out of excuses.
Thankfully, she was saved from having to say anything else when a knock sounded on the door. She glanced at Tiffany, but she simply shrugged as if to say, “I have no idea who it is.”
Carissa got off her bed and opened the door, fully expecting to see Danny standing there. She wouldn’t be surprised if he showed up multiple times between now and Friday, demanding an answer from her.
“Bradley?” she said, equal parts shocked and thrilled.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Hey,” Bradley said, his voice wavering. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“No, it’s fine,” she said, tossing a glance over her shoulder at her friends. “We’re done here anyway.” She stepped aside. “Come in.”
“Uh…” Bradley hesitated. “No, it’s okay. I can come back later.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Carissa grabbed his arm and practically dragged him into the room; then she shut the door behind him.
He stood awkwardly near the head of her bed, hands shoved in his pockets. His face was flushed, and his expression was wary. He looked frazzled. She wanted to ask him what was wrong, but she had a feeling he didn’t want an audience for that conversation.
“Y’all having a party?” Bradley asked with a nervous laugh, his southern twang coming out unexpectedly.
Tiffany grinned, her gaze dancing from Bradley to Carissa, and her smile widened. Carissa narrowed her eyes and gave her friend a warning look. Not that a scathing look would do any good when Tiffany got into one of her moods.
“More like an intervention,” Cory said.
Bradley’s eyebrows shot up. “An intervention for what? And who?”
Tiffany laughed, her mischievous glee ringing out clearly. “For Carissa.”
“Tiffany!” Carissa snapped, but there was no stopping her friend now.
Holding up her hand to silence Carissa, Tiffany turned her entire focus onto Bradley. “It’s a relationship intervention. We’re trying to tell her that her break up with Danny is a good thing, and that she can’t cave just because he’s having some sort of personal crisis.”
Groaning with embarrassment, Carissa buried her face in her hands. She wished she could plug her ears, too, and drown out the rest of Tiffany’s words.
“I’m confused,” Bradley said.
“Danny’s father was in an accident, and he’s in the ICU. Doctors didn’t give a very good prognosis, so Danny’s rightfully upset. He’s leaving Friday to go home for a while,” Garrett explained.
Carissa lowered her hands and dared to peek at Bradley, but his attention was on Garrett, not her. That was a small relief.
“That explains a lot,” Bradley said after a moment. “I just saw Danny at the house, and he wanted me to tell y’all that he’d be gone for a while.”
Bradley’s gaze shifted to Carissa, pinning her in place. His eyes were an icy shade of blue-gray that she’d never seen before, and a shiver raced down her spine. She shifted nervously on her feet, but she couldn’t tear her gaze from his, even though she wholly uncomfortable in that moment.
“He also told me Carissa was going with him.” Bradley crossed his arms and leaned one shoulder against the wall.
Carissa winced.
“And that is exactly why we’re here,” Tiffany said. “We’re trying to talk her out of going with him.”
Bradley nodded slowly. “Is it working?”
