Page 47 of The Young & the Sinner

His statement didn’t help with my red cheeks. Brody couldn’t be much older than Mason or Max. Probably somewhere in between the two. And if Max thought Brody was way too old for me, what would he say if he ever found out about my feelings for Mason?

I rolled my eyes. “You think I’m too good for everyone.”

“That’s right. And don’t you forget it, either.” I smiled, even if I was a little embarrassed about the compliment. “In all seriousness, would you like to come?”

“To lunch with you, Mason, and Brody?”

He nodded. “We might see some of his teammates there as well. I can’t promise how clean their language will be, but I think you’ll enjoy it. And I’ll even promise not to say anything to Brody.”

I shook my head. Lunch with a bunch of dudes I didn’t know sounded intimidating as hell. If I was as fearless as Lizzie, or even social like other normal teenagers at my school, I might say yes, but I wasn’t any of those things, and my social ineptitude tended to make its appearances at every social gathering I ever showed up to.

“I’m good. I think I’ll just stay in and read.”

Max frowned at this. “Are you sure? I don’t like the idea of you staying in by yourself so much.”

“Don’t worry. I do it all the time.”

“Okay. But if you change your mind, I won’t be leaving until Mason gets here.”

I began to nod, then the rest of his sentence came into focus. “Mason’s coming here?”

“Yeah. He wants me to go help him pick out some furniture before our lunch. As if two guys know what the hell they’re doing at a furniture store.”

“What happened to all his furniture?”

“Ah, when he moved back to Chicago, all of his furniture stayed in New York.”

“New York?”

“Yeah, he, uh, left most of his furniture behind in storage, but now his, uh, ex-girlfriend is using it.”

What happened between Mason and this infamous ex-girlfriend of his? And did he still have feelings for her? My interest was piqued, but it wasn’t like I could show it. That would be too obvious. Besides, I had a more pressing matter to attend to. Mason was coming here. And I hadn’t washed my face this morning yet. Or brushed my hair. Or teeth!

How was I going to leave the kitchen to get ready without making Max think I was getting ready solely for Mason?

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat, then I grabbed my plate and placed it in the sink. “Since you cooked, I’ll do the dishes. But I think I’m going to head upstairs and ready myself for the day first, okay?”

“Why? You can just do the dishes now, since you’re already downstairs. Wouldn’t that be more convenient?” It would be, except Mason could walk in at any moment.

“Oh, yeah, it would be but…” What kind of reasons could I give that would sound believable? My heart beat hard in panic and I said the first thing that came to mind. “We should let the dishes soak awhile.”

Max frowned. “Let them soak? I hardly think an omelet meal requires soaking.”

Why was he so insistent on making me do the dishes now? What the hell? Max was usually more easygoing than this.

I stared at him, not knowing what to say. Then he grinned and I knew he was pulling my leg. “I’m just kidding, Olive. You can go get ready.”

I didn’t say anything. I practically ran up the stairs. Did Max know about my feelings for Mason? Was it that obvious?

I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to know. It was just like that saying Lizzie liked so much: Ignorance is bliss.

I wished to remain ignorant to the fact that I might not have been so subtle when it came to hiding my feelings for Mason.

I hid my face in my hands and let out a loud groan.

Great. Just great.

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