Johnny stood at the end of my driveway, a grin on his cute face. “How’s it going, Riley?”
Had it come to this? Was I forced to ask an undercover detective out on a date because I wanted to prove something to Nate?
I couldn’t decide if it was more sad that I had this much trouble finding a date or that I was willing to go to such lengths to prove Nate wrong. Even though I was standing there, ready to ask out Johnny, Nate was still the one who occupied my mind.
No more. I would ask Johnny out, have a great time with him, and forget all about Nate.
“You okay?” Johnny’s voice brought me back to the present. Oh, that’s right—he’d asked me how I was doing.
“Yeah! Actually, I was wondering if you were free tonight. If you wanted to grab dinner or something.” I smiled, but it felt forced.
He leaned back, the look of shock on his face painfully clear. This was the part where I crawled under my trailer and hid for the rest of my life. I’d never asked someone out before, and it didn’t seem like a good place to start when I was doing it strictly to make someone else mad.
“I actually have plans,” he drawled.
My stiff smile cracked and fell into shattered pieces at my feet.
“But I’m free after nine!” His smile was contagious and quickly restored my mood. Why couldn’t I want this man? It didn’t even bother me that I didn’t know his real name, which is something that should bother someone with a crush. He was good-looking—turn-around-for-a-second-look type of good-looking—but he wasn’t Nate.
“That sounds great! I know a great new place in town that’s open until eleven, if you want to give it a try.”
“Perfect.” I smiled.
“What’s perfect?”
I gasped and turned around to see Nate standing there. Why couldn’t he just give me a little space?
A minivan pulled to a stop behind Johnny, and Wren jumped out. I waved hello to Macy and her mom before they pulled out. Wren walked up to complete the little square-off.
“What’s going on?” She looked between the three of us warily.
I planted a hand on my hip. “We’re going on a date.”
“We are?” Johnny asked.
“You are?” Nate barked.
The simultaneous question from the two of them made me wish for a giant hole to swallow me up. Wren just rolled her eyes.
“Yes! Believe it or not, I can have a date every once in a while. I told you I had a life!” I stepped between the two of them.
Nate folded his arms across his chest and glared at Johnny over the top of my head. When I grunted, he turned the full force of his glare on me.
“What do you even know about this guy?”
“That he’s a mean lawn mower racer!”
“What? I didn’t see him racing.”
“That’s because you were too busy screaming to notice that he was the one who won! Besides, what more do I need to know than that?”
“How about where he goes all day, and why he’s always carrying a gun?”
Wow. Okay. Well, maybe Nate was more observant than I thought.
“Everyone has a gun! It’s a trailer park.”
“Really? I don’t like the guy.”
“Oh, come on, Nate. You’re just upset that I’m not as pitiful as you thought.” Unfortunately, I was as pitiful as he thought, but I didn’t want his pity.
Nate leaned back in surprise as he glanced rapidly between Johnny and me. Johnny stepped closer to me. I glanced up at him—story of my life: I always had to look up. I was currently surrounded by three giants. Five-foot-six should not be considered short. But Wren had me by five inches, and both of the guys had me by over seven. It wasn’t fair.
Their egos settled down around my head. “Why don’t you two stop staring at each other like that? Nate.”
Nate sighed and relaxed his posture. He spoke to Johnny in a friendly tone. “You know she’s just using you to make a point, right?”
“Why would you say that?” Johnny asked.
I caught Wren’s second eye roll in five minutes, and so did Nate, by the chuckle he let out.
“Because she’s trying to prove she has a life.”
To my everlasting, unending, and vast horror, Johnny laughed. “But she’s always here. She doesn’t have a life.”
Then both of them busted up laughing hysterically.
“On this happy note, I’m going inside,” Wren said as she fought a smile. Smart girl. She knew better than to let me see her laughing at me.
“Are you done?” I asked when Wren slammed the trailer door and the two men were still laughing.
Someone’s phone started ringing.
Johnny pulled out his phone, read the screen, then swore under his breath. “I’ve got to go. Sounds like you don’t need me for that date anyway.”
I crossed my arms and tapped my foot on the ground as I watched him run back to his motorcycle parked in front of Eldon’s and peel out of the trailer park.
“Riley, I—“ Nate started to say.
I held up a hand and pursed my lips. My wild eyes widened to the point of me thinking they’d fall out of my head. I spun on my heel and marched down the street.
I needed a minute to collect myself. I couldn’t look at Nate’s face. I might do something I’d regret. Like something that might earn me some jail time. Hey, I could finally spend some quality time with my mom.
Once I reached the end of the street, I turned around and headed home. Stomping past Kristin’s kiddie pool full of rubber ducks. Past Eldon’s new beer can wind chime. Past my Jeep and to my small patio.
I needed to change the layout
