Page 18 of Rule 5: Never Crush on the Captain
“Were you expecting someone?”
“Maybe Dr. Novak decided to stop by.”
“I’ll check.” Vinnie gets up and opens the door. “Isaiah? And, um...”
“Jasmine,” Isaiah says.
“Come in!” I get up from the table, hating the momentary dizziness that comes with the movement. I inhale. “Er—welcome.”
Vinnie leads Isaiah and Jasmine to the dining room table. “Did you eat? I can get you something.”
Their eyes round.
“This looks awesome,” Isaiah says.
“And very elegant,” Jasmine adds.
“Get them plates,” I tell Vinnie.
Vinnie nods and prepares food for them both.
Isaiah’s eyebrows are raised higher on his forehead than before. “Did you call a caterer?”
“Vinnie cooked!” Stella announces.
“You take nursing to a whole new level.” Isaiah plops onto a dining room chair. “I knew I didn’t need to check on you.”
My eyes dart to Vinnie. His demeanor is stiffer, his face more rigid, and almost...embarrassed.
CHAPTER SIX
Vinnie
“Dude, this is super fancy.” Isaiah’s eyes slide to me. I’m not used to him looking at me in suspicion. In fact, he mostly doesn’t look at me at all, just how I like it. I’m there early for every practice but talking isn’t something I do. If people have a hard time wringing proclamations about the weather from me, they’re not going to expect me to confide in whom I’m dating.
“It looks absolutely lovely,” Jasmine says, exchanging a glance with Isaiah.
I swallow hard.
I don’t know what they see. They can’t seethat.Can they?
My heart feels exposed, and I feel ridiculous.
I shouldn’t have volunteered to come here. I shouldn’t be acting like I’m in a fucking relationship with Evan.
Stella’s babble about breakfast only appears like I’ve been inserting myself into Evan’s life.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” Evan says.
Isaiah winks. “We always enjoy being a happy surprise.”
Jasmine smiles along with her boyfriend, but her large eyes scrutinize me, and her black lashes, thick with mascara even at this time of day, swoop up and down. “But perhaps we should have called.”
“Nonsense. I mean, you’re Evan’s friends.”
“Yeah.” Isaiah gives me that strange look again.
Maybe I wasn’t as discreet as I thought in avoiding Evan.
