Page 100 of Told You So
“That’s what Nick said.” She splays her hands out on the tabletop. “So, this is where we’ll be meeting with boarders now, huh?”
I shove a ball of plastic wrap and used zip ties into the trashcan. “If you want. Alison will be upstairs, I’m assuming, so you can do whatever you want down here.”
“Oh my God!” Mac gasps from the photo wall. “I haven’t seen this picture in years.” She looks over at us, mouth parted and gaze set on Sam. “Have you seen these?”
My heart thumps a bit too wildly for my liking, and I hold my breath as Sam walks over to the photos. They both stare at the wall—at the old pictures of them as kids, Sam and Mac on horses, some with Sam’s dad around the ranch.
Sam looks at me. “Where did you find these?” Her voice is barely a whisper, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
I swallow. “Um, in an old box of office stuff I was going through that Alison brought out last week. I had a few hundred dollars left in the budget, so I got them all matted and framed. I figured they were a part of this place and they should be displayed, not discarded in a box somewhere. I hope you don’t mind.”
Gaze fixed on the wall, Sam slowly shakes her head. “I love it,” she breathes. Then she looks at me again, shoving her hands in her back pockets. “Thank you, Bethany.”
I feel my cheeks burn a little. “You’re welcome.” Sam reaches out and touches the frame of the largest photo—the one of her dad—and my heart breaks for her a little bit.
With a subtle smile and what looks like gratitude in her eyes, Mac walks back to the conference table, leaving Sam to her thoughts. “You want to do my office next?” She looks at me, hopeful.
“Maybe after things calm down a little,” I tell her. I still have graduation and grad school to worry about. “I can’t really take on another project right now.”
“Drats. Well”—she shrugs—“if you change your mind, let me know. I have to warn you though, Sam tells me I’m high maintenance, so you’ll havethatto deal with.”
“Thanks for the warning,” I say with a chuckle. I appreciate the pleasantries, but I’m still trying to figure out why they’re both here, exactly.
“So,” Sam starts, as she joins Mac at the table. “What are you doing tonight, Bethany?”
Her question surprises me. I brush my hands off on my jeans and glance between them. They look a tad uncertain and expectant. “Hopefully celebrating my GRE score. I get the results in about an hour.” They look at each other, and I swallow. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, we wanted to invite you up to Mac’s rooftop tonight,” Sam says.
“Why, are you going to push me off,” I say glibly, but they don’t laugh at my joke.
Instead, they look at each other again, and Mac takes a few steps toward me. “Look, we’re sorry about what happened at the beach. We were total assholes—Sam, specifically.”
Sam rolls her eyes. “Thanks.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“You guys, you don’t have to apologize,” I tell them, waving the impending awkwardness away. “It’s fine.” I don’t want to go back and rehash the past, not when I feel like things are finally moving forward.
“No,” Sam says, coming closer. “It’s not fine. And, as a true apology, we wanted to invite you to our super-secret, girls only, rooftop drinking and stargazing night out. It’s tradition when the weather starts getting warmer...We thought it would be nice to add another girl to our group, seeing how it’s always been just the two of us.”
Mac looks at Sam and puts her hands on her hips. “Twoispretty pathetic.”
Sam nods and looks at me. “So, what do you think?”
In all my life, I never thought I would be invited into Sam and Mac’s personal circle that’s only ever consisted of them. It’s touching and makes me happy, which is why I hate that I have to say no. “Can I take a rain check? I’m meeting Nick tonight when he gets off,” I explain.
“Yeah, but that’s at like, two,” Mac says with a scoff. “We can get in plenty of girl time before then. Besides, I have a ton of questions I want to ask you.”
“Well,” I say, unable to resist a smile. A night of interrogation isn’t on the top of my bucket list. “As awesome asthatsounds, I’m working on a surprise for Nick, and I have a lot to do before he gets off.” Then it hits me—between the two of them, they know everyone. “Actually...” I take a step toward them. “Maybe you guys can help me.”
Fifty-Five
Nick
I ignore my exhaustion as I hurry up the stairs to my apartment. I know Bethany’s there, waiting for me. She’s probably asleep, but other than working on the barn, I haven’t seen her in a couple days, and I’m jonesing to feel her in my arms.
The living room light glows through the curtains, and selfishly I hope she’s still awake, even though it’s nearly 3AM. Better than that, when I open the door, I’m greeted with Bethany wearing a slinky baseball outfit that hugs her in all the right places and exposes her legs for days and a heart-stopping smile.
