Page 8 of Sweet on You
My heart sank, the rapid-fire beating slowing and dropping to my stomach. I’d heard a lot of excuses to not go out before. But this? It was a terrible lie. Did she forget what a tiny town this was? How everyone talked and how everyone knew everything about each other? “You don’t have dog, Ronnie.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Really? Because I’ve never seen you with one.Ever. You don’t even seem to like your family’s dogs all that much.”
“I love dogs. I just don’t love drool. And fur.”
“Well, that tends to come with the territory.”
“Not with my dog. He doesn’t drool and he’s, um, hypo-allergenic.”
I studied her carefully. The way she bounced her knee nervously, shaking the car with the movement. The nervous way she nibbled on her bottom lip and picked at her cuticles. “What’s his name?”
She looked down at her hands. “Penny.”
“A boy dog named Penny?”
She cleared her throat. “Yep. It’s sort of a nod to A Boy Named Sue.”
I exhaled a breath. “Ronnie,” I said quietly, “it’s okay if you don’t want to grab a drink. You don’t have to make up a dog—”
“I’m not making him up!”
I didn’t want to fight her on this or back her into a corner. But it felt like we had a lot to hash out. So, gathering all the bravery I could, I inhaled slowly through my nose, ready to be honest with her. Two years was long enough to bury these secrets I’d been living with. You could only become so close with your friends if you were hiding things like I was. “Last month, when you asked me out, I didn’t say no because I didn’t want to go out with you—”
“Lex, we don’t have to talk about this,” she said quickly and looked out the window, avoiding my gaze. “I’ll take a raincheck on that drink. But I really do need to take my dog out before dinner with Yvonne.”
I swallowed and nodded as I pulled up to the gym, deciding it was best to let it drop. She didn’t seem like she was open to chatting, regardless. “Okay. Raincheck, then.” I gave her a weak smile as I stopped the car. “Give me a couple of days and I’ll get you the money for your windshield. I promise.”
Her face softened at that. “Lex, that’s a lot of money. I bet insurance will cover it—”
I shook my head. “Let me try to get the money first. I can afford it.”
That was a bit of a stretch, but Ronnie didn’t need to know that. “Have fun with Yvonne tonight.”
“Good night, Lex.”
