“There’s a coffee shop right down the block, why don’t we go in and warm up a little?” he suggested.
“Someone must have told you my weakness.”
He laughed. “No, that would be seeing how many cups of it you went through at the Habitat site.”
Busted.
Wait, but that would mean he’d been watching me that day. I peeked up at him, but his face revealed nothing. There I went, overthinking things again.
We entered the coffee shop minutes later and sat down at a booth. The warm air smelled delicious—a mixture of fresh-brewed coffee and cinnamon and pastries. My mouth watered.
Chance slipped off his coat and set it next to him. He leaned in. “So, please tell me you’ll share at least one of those desserts I see over there with me.”
I grinned and said, “Sure, that sounds great.”
Seeing him leaning over the table to talk to me, his voice all warm and teasing, made it hard to remember that this wasn’t really a date.
Until Hannah and Josh walked in the door and my happy bubble burst.
Chapter Fourteen
Chance
Don’t stop believin’
Hold on to that feelin’ ~ Journey
Everything had been going well. Great, actually. We’d been talking and laughing, and I’d started to feel like Sarah was actually seeing me for me, not as the ghost of some ex-boyfriend, who I now knew was Doug. One minute she’d been smiling and we’d been talking about what dessert to pick, and the next minute…boom…that shutter came down, and the smiling Sarah was gone. Just like that.
I flopped down on my bed. We’d hung out at the coffee shop about another thirty minutes, but it wasn’t the same as before Hannah and Josh came in. Even though they’d sat at a table across the room, it was clear Sarah felt self-conscious again, and it made any attempts at conversation stilted at best. We finally gave up and went our separate ways after an awkward back-and-forth over who would pay for the check. I’d won that round.
Right as we’d stood up to leave, Josh popped over to our table to let us know we could just keep the mics with us. That way we’d have them ready to go for the start of each of our next dates. He’d handed both of us a small charger and told us to just plug them in when we weren’t using them.
The worst part of the “date” was after we’d left the coffee shop and stood outside the glass doorway. Hannah and Josh stayed inside, I guess to give us some semblance of privacy. Pretty funny, considering.
We’d just stood there looking at each other, until Sarah had stuck out her hand and said, “Thanks.” With a handshake.
It wasn’t like I was expecting some make-out session. Hell, I wasn’t even going to kiss her. But the way she’d looked all freaked out and then shook my hand like my grandpa would after church was just too much.
I groaned and pulled the pillow over my face. Why were women so freaking complicated?
…
“So you can see this includes varying frequencies on the electromagnetic spectrum, from light to radio waves.” Mr. Hubert droned on, but I tuned him out. I couldn’t stay focused today, even if I had any interest in the electronic spectrum, or whatever he was talking about.
I glanced at my phone, which I’d tucked beneath my desk so Hubert couldn’t see it. Not that he’d notice it anyway; he was too excited about pointing things out on the SMART Board at the front of the classroom.
At least I’d remembered to get Sarah’s phone number. I’d used the excuse that we should have a way to reach each other in case something came up and we needed to change our plans or whatever. She hadn’t seemed to think it was too weird and had plugged her info in my iPhone without raising an eyebrow.
And while that excuse did make sense, another part of me just wanted her number.
I stared at her name in my contact list, my thumb hovering over it like a ball before it landed in the net for the winning game point.
Should I text her? Just really casual, a simple hi.
I shoved the phone back in my sweatshirt pocket. It was stupid; there was no reason to send her a text. We had one more date this week, today was only Wednesday, and she had said she’d get in touch with me about it. I was acting like a freaking twelve-year-old.
I rolled my shoulders and pulled my notebook back toward me. I had to get my head on straight. And Sarah clearly wasn’t in the place to want or appreciate distractions, either. She’d been more than clear on that point from the get-go.
The bell rang about ten minutes later. I ran into Eli and Jeff in the hallway. “How’s it going?” I asked them.
“Dude, wait til you see the wicked new play I worked out,” Jeff bragged. “You will bow down and worship me.”
“Let me guess, it has you dribbling the ball, passing to yourself, and scoring?” I joked.
“If I could, I would, man. One of us has to handle things.” Jeff slapped me on the shoulder, grinning.
“I’m not worthy.”
“You know it.”
Eli shoved his bag over his shoulder and called hi to someone we passed. “How’s the raffle thing going?”
“Eh, it’s okay. Pretty much what I expected. You know.” I shrugged. “No big deal.”
He nodded.
“So you really get to go out with Sarah for six weeks?” Jeff asked. “Damn, I wouldn’t mind that.”
Something about his grin ticked me off, but I tried to ignore it. “Yeah, she’s cool,” was all I said in response.
“Well listen, I gotta get out of here. I have some stuff to get done before I go to work tonight,” I told them. It was a lame excuse. Usually we’d run some drills together even when we didn’t have after-school practice, but I just needed some breathing room. I wanted to get home, maybe go for a run and clear my head a little. It wasn’t a complete lie, I did have work later.
“Catch you later.” I grabbed a few books from my locker and headed out. I didn’t spot Sarah anywhere, although several times I thought I saw her, until I got closer and realized it was just someone else with long dark hair or wild curls.
Somehow I just couldn’t get her out of my mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Sarah
I’m awake, I’m alive
Now I know what I believe inside ~ Skillet
Are you for real???
Okay. So maybe my idea for our next date wasn’t the most romantic in the world…but really, let’s be honest, I’d won my dates with him in a school charity raffle. It wasn’t exactly Prince Charming and Cinderella material here.
I texted back, Yes I’m for real. Why not??
The amount of time it took for his response could mean I was about to receive the text version of War and Peace, or that he felt my question didn’t even deserve an answer. I bit my lip. Maybe suggesting that we use Saturday’s Habitat volunteer hours for our next date wasn’t the best plan. It wasn’t meant to be insulting, just…practical. And I’d decided that was the best course of action. It had been too easy to think of our time in the coffee shop as…well, I wasn’t sure what, exactly, but not just as arranged time set up by someone else. I had to stay focused.
My phone pinged.
Ok. See you there.
That was it. Nothing more, though I wasn’t sure what I expected. The last time we were together, Chance had been so lighthearted and, well…fun. I guess I’d almost come to expect his casual teasing. His response now was direct and to the point.
I tried not to be disappointed. After all, I had no reason to be.
…
The sun shone bright when my mom dropped me off at the work site on Saturday. The only difference this time was that I had a microphone attached to me and knew there would be a photographer showing up to document the day. Totally normal. Josh couldn’t be here, but he’d dropped off the recording box at my house earlier and shown me where to turn it on, with instructions to give it to Hannah when she left.
I told myself to pretend the mic wasn’t there and to just ignore it. A
fter a few minutes of orienting myself on what work needed to be done and talking to a few of the other volunteers, it worked. It helped that I didn’t see Hannah anywhere yet.
“Do you want the rest of these stacked over there?” I called to Rick.
“Yep, that’s fine, thanks, Sarah.” He hurried away to help another group trying to hoist a frame into place.
“Need a hand?”
I didn’t have to turn around, I knew that voice already. “Sure, thanks.” I smiled when Chance bent down next to me.
His strong arms stretched out beside mine to grab two boxes. I grinned when I heard him grunt with the effort of lifting them.
“They’re filled with tile,” I explained.
“I knew that.” He grinned.
I laughed. “Sure ya did.”
He winked.
I reached for a box of my own, and we worked together to move the tiles to the designated area for the people who would lay them later. We talked some as we worked, but it wasn’t forced.
“How did you get started doing all of this?” Chance motioned across the yard.
I shrugged. “The usual. For the graduation requirement.” I tilted my head and smiled. “I think it shocked me more than anyone how much I love it.”
He grinned back at me. “That doesn’t shock me at all.”
A pleasant warmth filled my belly at hearing his words. It felt good to know he saw worth in something I was so passionate about.
“So, you told me you like movies. What’s your all-time favorite?” I asked.
When I learned he was a closet geek who also loved the Lord of the Rings series, we spent the next twenty minutes or so discussing our favorite characters and scenes.
Work was busy, since a few volunteers were out with the flu. We moved steadily from one job to the next, working together, until we finally decided it was time for a break. I grabbed us each a bottle of water, and we flopped down on the ground under a tree. I twisted the cap off my water and took several long swallows.
“I really think it’s awesome what you all do here,” Chance said.
I looked up, surprised. “What do you mean? You’re doing it, too. You’re as much a part of this as any of us.”
He gave a half nod. “It’s different. You’ve been doing this what…a year, two years?”
I nodded.
“See, that’s what I mean. You talked about soccer being my passion. Helping others, that’s your passion, Sarah.” He looked right at me. “I admire that.”
I couldn’t say anything. I didn’t know what to say.
We sat quiet, not speaking, neither of us looking away.
“C’mere.”
“What?” Startled, I didn’t know what he wanted me to do.
He grinned and motioned for me to turn around. I looked at him quizzically, which made him laugh. “You aren’t very trusting, are you? Just scoot around.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and maneuvered me so that I was sitting facing away from him. I peeked over my shoulder at him.
He leaned in. “Relax.”
I turned back around quickly. He was too close that way.
“Can I take this off?” He tapped the sleeve of my sweater.
“What?” I looked over my shoulder again.
“Trust me, would you?” He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows.
“Okay.” I nodded. I did trust him, I realized. Which shocked me. When had that happened?
He slipped my heavy cardigan off my shoulders and used his hands to run the sweater down my arms, where it pooled around my waist. I couldn’t believe how such a simple action felt so hot. I was glad I wasn’t facing him, I was afraid my cheeks were on fire. I swallowed.
His hands returned to my shoulders, where his thumbs kneaded the soft tissue at the base of my neck while the rest of his fingers massaged the tops of my shoulders. It felt like heaven. I closed my eyes and fought to hold in a moan.
“Does that feel good?” he whispered close to my ear.
You have no idea.
I nodded, afraid if I spoke, I’d blurt out something completely inappropriate.
“Now this is more like it!”
Chance’s hands froze on my neck.
My eyes popped open.
I knew that voice, too, and it was one I’d totally forgotten about in my enjoyment of the last few minutes. When she hadn’t shown up, I thought maybe she wasn’t coming at all. Of all the times to make an appearance.
Hannah.
What was I thinking? We were supposed to be working, not…well, whatever the past few minutes had been. I jumped up, embarrassed, yanking my sweater back on.
“Sarah, wait!”
I ignored him; I couldn’t face him.
I should have never allowed that to happen. There were lines, and I’d crossed them back there. I didn’t blame Chance; I blamed myself. I kept walking.
I heard the click-click of Hannah’s camera and wondered what she could possibly be photographing now. I didn’t look back to check, I just kept moving.
Julie caught sight of me marching her way. “Whoa, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing, I’m good.” I wasn’t. I wasn’t good at all. I was an idiot.
She tilted her head. “Ya sure?”
“Yep.”
Rick came striding my way, Mr. Marringel right next to him. Neither looked very happy.
Julie shot me a look.
“Sarah, may we speak with you for a moment?”
“Um, sure?” I looked from Rick to Mr. M. Both wore firm expressions but said nothing more. I finally glanced back in time to see Hannah shrug, her camera for once not connected to her face. Chance stood next to her, looking worried.
“I’m going to go see if, um…Steve needs any help,” Julie said, clearly understanding they wanted to talk to me alone. She raised her eyebrows at me as she walked away. I waited, confused, to hear what was going on.
Rick and Mr. M motioned for me to follow them. We walked to the far side of the site.
“Sarah, while we both certainly appreciate all the hard work you’ve put in over the years, that doesn’t allow for exceptions to rules.” Mr. Marringel spoke in a solemn tone, more serious than I’d ever heard him. Rick nodded.
I had a sinking feeling I knew what he was talking about.
“I can explain.”
“I’m sorry, Sarah, but you broke the rules,” Rick said. “When you came on board, you signed an agreement saying that you understood that you could not bring anyone on-site who did not have prior authorization and, even more important than that, they need to be wearing the proper safety equipment.” He frowned. “The rules are in place for a reason. It could be a very serious safety hazard. We could lose our permit to work here.” His eyes looked sad.
The blood drained from my face, and my stomach felt sick. They wouldn’t hold it against me, would they? Just for having Hannah by to take some pictures? I wondered how long Hannah may have been wandering around the site before she found us. “I’m really sorry, I just wasn’t thinking. It was—”
“Sarah, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. We simply can’t make an exception, regardless of how much we like you.”
“We have to let you go from the program,” Mr. Marringel said gently.
Omigod. No. I couldn’t breathe. My palms began to sweat, and my stomach churned. I shook my head. “But…I’m really so sorry,” I said.
Rick nodded and reached out to touch my shoulder. “I know, I believe you. I’m really sorry, too. Still, we have to follow protocol. But Tom came to me about it after that girl with the camera nearly caused an accident on the site when she wasn’t paying attention because she was taking photos. It simply wouldn’t be fair to the others if we allowed a clear infraction to slide.” He dropped his hand.
This couldn’t be happening.
“So, there’s nothing I can do?”
Rick paused. “I can present it to the volunteer committee, explain to them how much you’ve he
lped over the years. Let me see what I can do.” He shook his head. “But for right now, you have to leave.”
A thought struck me. “Wait, what about Chance? Does he have to leave, too? He needs these hours to graduate. He didn’t have anything to do with arranging for Hannah to come in, that was all me, I swear.”
Rick looked at me doubtfully, but then nodded. “Okay, Chance can stay. When I talked to the girl, she told me it was you who reached out to her about coming to the site today.” He paused. “I hope you understand, if you had come to us first, gotten the authorizations ahead of time, and if she was wearing the required gear…”
I understood. I was devastated, but I understood.
I nodded. “Thank you for letting Chance stay.” I paused. “Could you please not say anything to him about this? About me, I mean? I don’t want him to feel bad.”
He gave me a long look and nodded again. “We’ll miss you.” He wrapped an arm around me for a hug. “Good luck, kiddo. Knock ’em dead, whatever you do.”
Tears filled my eyes. “Thanks.” I offered a wobbly smile. “Well, I guess I’m out of here. Thanks for everything, I mean that.”
Mr. M stood quietly to the side while I said my goodbyes to Rick, who had become a kind of second father to me. I knew I’d see Mr. M again in school. I wondered if it would be awkward after this. I hoped not.
Rick nodded. “Do you want to say goodbye to the team?”
I shook my head. That would be too hard. “Just tell them I’ll miss them.”
“I will. They’ll wonder where you went. I don’t know what you’d like me to say.” I could tell he was being kind enough to try to offer me a graceful exit, and I was grateful.
“Maybe just that I’m not able to volunteer for a while, for personal reasons?” I paused. “Is that okay?”
He nodded and smiled. “Yeah, that’s okay.” He tousled my hair. “All right then, try to stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try.” I smiled back, tears still filling my eyes. I’d really miss all of this, the group, my group.
I took a minute to call my mom and ask her to come pick me up early before I looked around and spotted Chance across the yard. I approached him slowly, trying to figure out what I was going to say.
The Boyfriend Bid (The Girlfriend Request) Page 8