Page 101 of Told You So
“Holy hell,” I rasp and drop my jacket at the door. “What the hell did I do to deserve this?” I step inside, unable to contain my smile.
She walks over to me, cheeks flushed, like she’s embarrassed, but it makes me want her all the more. “You did all this for me?”
“No,” she says, “Chris Evans is on his way, I thought he might like it.”
I frown. “What?”
“Captain America—never mind. It was a joke.” She wraps her arms around me. “Chris already left.” With a wink, she leans in for a kiss.
“Hey now.” I growl against her mouth, making her laugh. “No teasing me.” I pull her in for another kiss, inhaling her scent I’ve been deprived of.
“Wait,” she says, pressing her hands to my chest. “Before you get too excited, I have something for you.”
“I thoughtyouwere my surprise.”
“Only part of it.” She winks again and trots into the kitchen. She returns with a cocktail glass in each hand. “Please, Mr. Turner, have a seat.”
She nods to the couch, and I sit down. I’m not sure what the hell is going on as I take my glass from her.
My eyes widen. “Is this the pickle martini?”
“Try it and see.”
I bring it to my nose, knowing it doesn’t smell right but then Bethany isn’t a bartender, so I don’t say anything. Tentatively, I take a sip. I cringe as the liquid goes down, and nearly spit out the contents.
“Say cheese,” she says and snaps a picture of me with her phone. She’s laughing uncontrollably, and I realize I’ve just been duped. “You sneaky sphynx. You gave me a Manhattan?” I shake my head, incredulous. She knows I don’t like vermouth.
“I have proof your scrunchy-face was worse than mine. I think that means I just won the bet.”
“The outfit is your apology, then?” I wipe the taste of it from my lips. “Trickery,” I mumble.
Bethany leans in. “There’s one more thing,” she says and hands me the cocktail she had in her other hand. “Thisis the martini. I promise.”
She climbs off the couch and hurries down the hall.
“This better be a legit drink or you’re going to be sorry,” I call. I take a sip and moan. “Muchbetter.”
“Here’s your surprise,” she says behind me, and I turn around to find her holding a metal placard the size of a baseball diamond that’s etched with a black and red serif font – Shortstop.
“What the hell?” I breathe, and get up from the couch. I’ve been thinking a lot about the bar, but until tonight, I hadn’t decided anything. I take the sign from her, the weight of it in my hands giving me chills. “You made a sign for me?”
She shrugs. “Mac, Sam, and I thought you might need a bit of motivation. So, they helped me pull some strings.”
“They did, did they? And what, may I ask, makes you think I’m actually going to do this?”
“Because you want to and there’s nothing stopping you now,” she says so sure of herself.
My heart is hammering in my chest at the possibility, and I can’t get a single word out before I pull her into my arms. I barely register the sound of the sign hitting the ground as I take her lips in mine and kiss her senseless.
That’s when it hits me. “The outfit,” I say. Bethany bats her eyelashes at me. “The drink...” It’s my fantasy—well, a joke, anyway.
“I won’t hold it against you that you didn’t pick up on it sooner. You’ve had a long night.”
I kiss her again, more gently this time and breathe her in. “Well, it looks like we have another project to work on after graduation.” It’s both a declaration and a warning—she better get out now, while she can.
“Good.” Her stormy gray eyes search mine. I worry for a split second that I’ll find a shred of doubt in them, but there is none. Her smile widens instead. “This is really going to work, isn’t it?” she asks, like she’s realizing for the first time what I’ve known all along.
“Of course it is. I told you so, didn’t I?” I take a step back, ready to boast my victory, then remember the whole reason she was coming over tonight. “Wait, you haven’t even mentioned your test...did you get your score?”
