Page 38 of Choosing Her
“I promise I’m not making fun of you,” I said between laughs. “I love it.”
“No, you don’t.” She scowled at me again. “And you’re being a jerk.”
I sobered up a little at those words. I wasn’t trying to be mean—I just genuinely struggled to imagine her wanting to braid her horse’s mane.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I was just surprised. Do you want to go do it now?”
If looks could kill, Saylor’s would now. I quickly backed down, pulling my textbook toward me.
“Or we could study,” I said quietly. “What page?”
She sighed and pulled the textbook from me, thumbing through it quickly. I watched her carefully as she did, feeling bad about how annoyed she looked. I thought it was cute that she liked to braid Bourbon’s mane, though I was sure if I tried to tell her that, I would end up with a pencil in the eye.
“I could help, you know,” I said.
“Help with what?” Saylor asked, sounding distracted.
“With the braiding,” I said. She lifted her head slowly and narrowed her eyes at me. I held my hands up in surrender. “Just an offer. You don’t grow up with four younger sisters and not learn how to braid hair.”
The corner of her mouth twitched up like she was fighting back a smile. I wondered if she was thinking of the same thing I was—that night in the laundry room, when she hadn’t believed me when I told her about all my sisters.
“Fine,” Saylor said.
I raised my eyebrows. “Fine?”
“I guess you can help me.”
“Well, don’t act like I’m doing you a favor or anything.”
The smile dropped off her face again. “You’re not doing me a favor. You can join me because you feel like it or you can not show up at all. Doesn’t matter to me. But it’s not a favor.”
Of course I wanted to show up. Of course I wanted to spend time with her and Bourbon. I genuinely couldn’t think of a way I wanted to spend my evening more than braiding her horse’s hair. But I also didn’t want to sound too eager, so I decided to change course by nodding at the iced coffee in her hand and asking what she thought—as if I didn’t already know.
Her face cleared. “Oh, it’s good, thanks. What was the flavor today?"
“It’s a new one. Why, what’d you think?”
I already knew she loved it, which only made it all the more hilarious that she shrugged like it was nothing and said, “I guess it was fine. Now let’s get to studying.”
I hummed to myself as I took back the textbook, which she’d turn to the right page. But as I grabbed it, it flopped open further and a piece of paper that had been stuck in it fluttered out.
Crap.
She caught it before I did, and just as I expected, she began to read it before handing it back to me. Her eyes narrowed.
“What is this?” She asked.
“Uh…”
She turned the paper toward me, the top held in a tight grip, as if I didn’t already know exactly what it said.
ICED COFFEE FLAVOURS
Hazelnut - yes
Caramel - yes (favorite?)
Vanilla - no
