Page 61 of Betting on You

“Bay, you know so little about men,” she said, finally sounding like herself again. “My little sweet baby.”

“Screw you,” I said around a laugh, mostly because she was right. I knew very little about men.

Except for Zack. I knew everything about him.

Nekesa laughed—and then sniffled again—before saying, “I just mean that your dad hasn’t been around since you’ve been old enough to date, so you’ve been spared male stupidity.”

Nekesa was being helpful and sweet, but her succinct summation of just how long my dad had been absent caused a pinching feeling in my sternum.

I swallowed and pictured my dad’s face. “I suppose that’s true.”

“There’s this primitive, cavemanish thing that happens to fathers when they see guys they don’t like around their daughters. They become like hissing cats, peeing on your sweaters.”

“I don’t. Even.What?”

“And even though Scott’s not your dad, since he already hates Charlie, Theo and I predict he will go full-on defecating-on-every-cardigan if he sees Chuckles holding your hand.”

So why did those words continue to make my stomach dip? Why did just imagining it feel like I was treading into deeper waters? Even if it wasn’t real.

But maybe more importantly—Nekesa and Theo had discussed me and Charlie? Had she brought it up, or had he? And why would Theo be weighing in at all?

“And don’t you think—even if his presence does nothing to forward the Scott agenda—that Charlie would be fun to vacationwith? I mean, this is the guy who created Garbage Tether, a game that makes us fight for trash duty because it’s so fun. He makes you enjoy taking out the trash, Bay! He’d be a riot on a mountain retreat.”

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice rising an octave at the situation’s absurdity. “Why does it feel like you’re trying to set something up with me and Charlie?” My Spidey senses were tingling.

“That’s not it, Bay—trust me,” she said, and I could hear her little brother in the background. “I’m just trying to think of a way for the mountain weekend to still be good for you.”

“Hmm,” I mumbled, not sure I was buying it.

“And he reallywouldbe a blast on the road trip.”

She wasn’t wrong. AsCharlieas he could be with his cynicism, he reallywashilarious.

Hell, an entire house party had essentially broken out into applause at the sight of him.

I could hear Nekesa’s impatience growing. “Sooooo…?”

I took a big breath, the weight in my stomach getting heavier at the thought of this, at the realization that I was seriously considering this. Traveling with Charlie felt wildly intimate—regardless of what Nekesa said—and I wasn’t sure how to be casual about it.

“Soooo… for starters, I’m not sure I know how to ask him. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”

Honestly, if he said,Do you want to go to Colorado for the weekend with me and my family?I’d definitely be concerned that he was into me. And—God—I would hate it if he thought that.

I woulddieif he thought that.

Charlie wasn’t even comfortable calling me his friend. We werecoworkers onlyin his mind, even though we both knew it was more than that, because that was the only way he could cope with the reality that his hypothesis was wrong.

“I’ve got you,” she said, sniffling again.

“And what doesthatmean?”

“Theo and I have… uh… actually been texting him in a group chat since we came up with the idea a half hour ago, so I think I can safely say he’ll respond well.”

“What?A half hour ago?” I sputtered. “How come you went to them with all of this before coming to me?”

“Because I know you, Miss Overreaction,” she said, and I could hear a smile in her voice. “I wanted to come up with a plan before I told you so you didn’t freak out about having to go with just Scott and your mom.”

“Nekesa!” My heart was hammering in my chest, panic rising. “Not cool!”

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