Page 37 of Told You So
“I see. That’s...surprising, and a little presumptuous.” I fold my legs beneath me, settling in to hear his revelation.
He watches me skeptically.
“Are you going to tell me what it is? I’m on pins and needles over here.”
Nick smirks and scratches the side of his face. When his lips purse, I start to worry a little. “I don’t know if you’re going to like it, but it’s a really good idea.”
That’s somewhat frightening. I tuck my hair behind my ears. “Might as well come out and say it.”
“I’m still working at Sam’s ranch a couple days a week,” he says.
My palms begin to sweat, even though I have no idea where he’s going with this. “Okay...”
“Look, I know the two of you don’t really get along, but I’m remodeling her barn for my final project—converting it into an office, actually—and while I was just going to do the conversion for my final, we could work on the interior together for Murray’s class, doing Sam a solidandgetting our project finished with bonus points on top of it.”
I blink at him.
“We already have my plans and schematics of the structure, and we could throw in before and after photos, not just a mockup from AutoCAD.” He leans onto his knees and looks me in the eyes. “You were worried about your grade the other day, and I heard you. So, this is my proposition. I have to get this project done anyway, and Sam is going to need all the help she can get.” He shrugs. “I think it’s a no brainer.”
“But?” I hedge. He seems too hesitant for there not to be a hitch, other than my issues with Sam.
“We’d just need to make sure everyone is on board.” He drapes his arm over the back of the couch and waits for me to respond.
“Ah, got it. Sam knows nothing about this proposition.”
“Not yet. I wasn’t going to ask her until I knew you were in.”
Tapping my pen against my notebook, I peer around his apartment. I do need this grade and, as much as I dread having to interact with Sam, an easy project would be a lifesaver right now.
“You know your stuff, Bethany,” Nick adds, and even though I know he’s trying to butter me up, his expression is sincere. “You might not ever make it to class on time—”
“You just had to sneak that in there.” I roll my eyes.
“But,I’ve seen your vision boards and I think Sam would like your style, which makes it ten times easier on you.” He tosses down a stack of barn photos, what looks like ‘before’ the remodel. It’s a big space, and depending on the changes he’s made, it has a lot of potential.
Sam and I haveneverbeen friends. I hated her for the Mike thing, she hated me, but even before that I knew she didn’t like me. “You realize she’s going to hate this idea, Nick. She’s gonna say no.”
He shakes his head. “No, she won’t. I’m going to use my charm to get us this job. Consider it taken care of.”
I doubt Nick batting his eyelashes at her will soften her up enough. I try to ignore my curdling stomach at the thought of having to work with her and her hateful stare. “You better get her liquored up first.”
“You don’t know Sam like I do,” Nick says, almost defensively, like he can read my thoughts. “She has her reasons for feeling the way she does about you, but she’ll overlook them to help me out.”
His resentment toward me is obvious, even if it’s misplaced. I meet his gaze. “She thinks she does, anyway.”
Nick stares at me, his eyes narrowed, like suddenly my presence is riling him up. The last thing I want is a repeat of the other day in class.
“Look, Nick, let’s get something crystal clear. In spite of what you all seem to think, I didnotsteal Sam’s boyfriend—I got screwed over, too. And I think you know that.”
He frowns. “Do I?”
I grit back my instinct to curse him for thinking I would do something like that to begin with, but then, if the years we’ve known each other have proven anything, it’s that we’ve never really known each other at all.
“I believe your exact words the first and only time I brought Mike around my friends were, ‘Looks like your new boy toy is awesome. He’s already hitting on Sam.’”
The creases in Nick’s brow deepen. He might have a difficult time remembering that day, but his words have haunted me because, apparently, they were true.
“You said he wasn’t your boyfriend,” he finally says, and I’m shocked he remembers.
