Page 41 of A Perfect Match
Phew.
I’m at least beatinghim.
Now I need to beat dishes one through four and hold the lead.
The front door swings open.Griff sticks his head out and frowns.
“Piper!You’re supposed to be cleaning!”
I huff and get to my feet.“I needed a break to check the Best of Bayshore results.”
His eyes light up.“Are you number one yet?”
“Number four.But that’s better than yesterday, when I was at six.”
“I vote every day and you know the rest of the fam does too.We just gotta get more people on board.I’ll tell the team tomorrow at practice.Oh, I know, I’ll get my assistant to make a post on my public page about the contest too.”
“Griff—”
“Piper, you’re gonna be number one.Don’t you worry.I’ll take care of it.”
I offer him a small smile, biting my tongue.He means well.I’d rather say nothing than get into the pulsating heart of the matter, which has my heart racing and my chest tight:nobody trusts me to be able to do a damn thing.
I tuck the feelings away deep inside.I don’t have time for them right now.It’s easier to march forward with the day, to clean, to prepare for Bella and think about Kru in the periphery.I get back to my subpar cleaning assistance: porch tidying, hallway sprucing, a quick bathroom clean.We share an easy lunch of deli meat sandwiches, during which I try not to think about all the ways Kru would have made them exceptional, and then I head to my room to get changed.While I’m pulling on leggings, Griffin shouts from the living room,
“They’re here!”
I rush to the door, taking a deep breath before pulling it open.A shiny black car is parked in the driveway, right behind Griff’s.I see Bella in the passenger seat, and I squeal.
I barrel toward the car, shrieking in lieu of a calm greeting.Bella turns and watches me with a bright smile through the passenger window.I am distantly aware of Jackson Bedd’s confusion in the driver’s seat as I arrive at the passenger door and begin knocking on the glass.
“Bella!Open up!”I demand.
She peers up at me through the window, acting like she can’t hear me.
“Oh, stop it right now,” I tell her.
She shrugs, looking over at Jackson like she has no idea who I am.I groan loudly, pulling at the car door.It doesn’t budge.I can see her cackling from inside the car.
“Come onnn,” I whine, knocking on the glass.
She continues taunting me from inside.I huff, crossing my arms.
“You’re mean,” I inform her, and then I stomp away.
The car door clicks open before I reach the porch, and I spin to look at her.“Finally.”
Bella leans against her car door, her warm, familiar smile erasing all of my annoyance.It’s like no time has passed at all as she holds out her arms for a hug.I zip back over to her, and we hug for a solid ten seconds.I don’t care that her boyfriend is a famous rock musician and is probably wondering what the hell is wrong with this woman’s family.I need my Bella hug.
“I missed you, Pipe Cleaner,” she says.
“I missed you too, Sweet Pea.”I pull back and smile at her.And then I notice the towering, long-haired hunk just past her shoulder.I straighten, feeling my cheeks heat up.
There is a frickin’ celebrity in the driveway right now.
“Time for introductions,” Bella starts, just as Jackson comes up to her side.“Jackson—”
“Jackson Bedd.Yes, I know.”I hold out my hand, but quickly recoil it.“Do we shake hands?Or—”
