She shook her head. “Not sure. He didn’t really say much beyond that.”
“When is...your appointment?” I asked, pausing when the waitress appeared and filled our three glasses with water.
“Two weeks from now. Anyway, enough about me. Are you nervous?” she asked, wrapping her fingers around the menu.
I nodded even though I wasn’t sure if Ainsley was telling me the whole truth about whatever was going on with her eyes. “Yes.”
“You know what this is like, right?” She tugged the menu to her chest. “This is like a date.”
My stomach dropped all the way to the floor. I shook my head.
“Yes. Yes,” she reiterated. “It’s just like a date. Like a practice date.”
Practice dates? Were there such things? I started to ask her, but she continued, “Okay. Let’s look at the evidence here. From the moment you two saw each other, he has made every attempt to reach out to you, right? He’s skipped class to have lunch with you. When you freaked out in class, he left to make sure you were okay and then showed you that graffiti stuff. He helped you with your speech, and he actually came over to meet Carl and Rosa. That means he’s interested.”
It also meant he could just want to be a part of my life, but before I could point that out, I saw him. Rider was here. He turned sideways and scanned the restaurant.
I stiffened. His gaze locked with mine and a slow grin appeared on his face. He didn’t look like he had last night. More like he did every day at school. Worn jeans. A black henley instead of a T-shirt and beat-up sneakers, but goodness, I couldn’t think.
Okay. Not true. I could think, but I was thinking things I really had no concept of. I was thinking about those full, slightly curved lips and how they must feel in places...other than my forehead or cheek. I was thinking about his hands and how strong they were and the oddly pleasant calluses on his palms. I was thinking about...about a lot of things—things that now didn’t feel so wrong since he was actually single.
Noticing my near-prone position, Ainsley looked over her shoulder. “Oh, my good God almighty,” she murmured. “That’s him?”
“Yes,” I whispered. That was so him.
She whipped back around, her blue eyes wide. “Mallory. Wow.”
I couldn’t respond, because I was focused on Rider. He walked through the center of the restaurant with a confidence that oozed from him. An older woman sitting with her husband looked up as he passed her table. She smiled, her gaze following him.
And then he was at the table. I might’ve stopped breathing as he stepped around and pulled out the chair beside mine and sat. “Sorry,” he said, looking at me. “I’m a few minutes late.”
He was?
“Hector gave me a ride in,” he continued. “He’s around here somewhere. Didn’t want to crash our lunch, though.”
Had Rider invited him? If so, did that change the fact that Ainsley thought it was a practice date? Did those really exist? Did any of this matter?
Ainsley jerked forward, smiling at Rider. “I’m Ainsley. Hi.”
Rider cocked his head to the side, grinning at her. “I’m Rider.”
“I know,” she said. “You are definitely Rider.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
She ignored me. “I’m so glad to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Really?” He lifted his brows, glancing over at me. “What have you been telling her, Mouse?”
I opened my mouth, but there were no words. The right side of his lips kicked up. The dimple came out. Oh, Lord.
“Mallory has said you’re an amazing guy,” she said, and I wasn’t quite sure I’d ever said that in those words. “And you two grew up together. Best friends?”
“Yeah,” he murmured, still looking at me with that...that damn grin. “We were best friends.” Pausing, he finally looked over at Ainsley. “But I think I’ve been replaced.”
“You have,” she quipped. “It’s a good thing I like to share.”
He chuckled. “I guess so.”
My heart pounded fast and I knew I needed to say something. Anything. “Have...you eaten here before?”
That kind of sounded lame.
Rider shook his head, unfazed by my lameness. “No.” He glanced down at the menu. “But the burgers look good.”
Suddenly, I thought about the Firehouse. The small-time diner was more his style, laid back and well-worn. This place, with all the glass and shiny white tabletops... It was the kind of place Ainsley and I ate at all the time now, but I would’ve never set foot in before Carl and Rosa.
Did Rider feel out of place? Did he even care? Or was I just being stupid?
Probably stupid.
“Their hamburgers are awesome,” Ainsley advised. “So is their hummus.”
“Hummus?” Rider tipped his head back and laughed. “Not my style. Give me meat.”
“Have you tried hummus?” she asked. “On meat?”
My nose wrinkled.
“No.” He laughed again. “I’ve never tried that.”
“You should,” she replied.
“You shouldn’t,” I said.
When the waitress arrived, Rider ordered a hamburger without hummus. I got the same and added a Coke. Ainsley went for the hummus appetizer that she would consume all by herself.
Rider and Ainsley fell into an easy conversation. She asked him about school. He asked her about homeschooling, and by the time we’d finished our lunch, they were chatting like they’d known each other for years. I chimed in, but stayed quiet, which wasn’t a surprise. I relaxed, but was hyperaware of every movement Rider made and every time he looked in my direction.
“Are you guys doing something after lunch?” he asked, dropping his arm along the back of my seat. “Movies or something?”
“Actually, I can’t go to the movies. I have to... My parents have something for me to do this evening, so Mallory is completely free,” Ainsley said in a rush.
I stilled. What? She never mentioned having to change the plans.
Rider’s gaze flicked between us. “But I thought you two were hanging out all day?”
“Nope,” Ainsley replied quickly. “Just for a few hours. She’s all yours for the rest of the day, and word has it, her curfew is, like, eleven p.m.”
My eyes widened. Oh my God. What was happening? I looked at her and she smiled innocently at me. A heads-up would’ve been nice.
One side of his lips kicked up as he picked up his drink. “Sounds good to me.” He tapped his fingers off the back of my shoulder. “You want to head to the garage?”
The low rumble of his voice sent my heart racing into overdrive. Ainsley was staring at her empty plate. Before I could formulate a response, a cell phone rang at our table.
Rider shifted, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He glanced down at it and stood. “Be right back.”
The moment Rider was out of earshot, Ainsley turned to me. “Mal, he is hot.”
I flushed as I picked up my drink. Rider was hot with two extra Ts. There was no questioning that, but it went beyond the physical hotness. Underneath all of that good stuff was a really...really good guy. A shiny heart.
“You were not kidding when you described him.” Ainsley grinned as she sat back in the chair. “Are you going to go with him? I mean, you kind of have to because I totally just threw you out there—but I threw you because you want to be thrown. You need to be thrown.”
Blinking, I nearly dropped my glass as I looked at her. “But I’m...hanging out with you all day.”
“We had our hang. Even if I couldn’t convince you to try hummus. Now’s your chance to hang with someone else. A very hot someone else.”
My stomach twisted, the feeling not unpleasant and all too familiar. “But—”
“Rosa and Carl think you’re with me. So as long as you get home by whenever, they’ll never know. It’s not like they’re going to talk to my parents.” Her grin was sly. “Especially considering they’re do
ing their own thing tonight. Date night or something.” Her nose wrinkled. “So, it’s no problem.”
I glanced up to where Rider stood and the twisting motion increased. My mind wheeled. I couldn’t believe I was actually considering this. Yes, I’d left school without Rosa and Carl knowing and Rider had been over to the house without them knowing, but this...this would be different. It was like some kind of invisible line that I was stepping over. The Rivases thought I was with Ainsley, but I wouldn’t be.
I would be with Rider.
On a Saturday afternoon and maybe evening. The practice date felt like a real date.
This did seem like a major step.
If I got caught, they would say it was Rider and that he was a bad influence, but in reality, he didn’t know I wouldn’t be allowed. Hell, I didn’t even know if I wouldn’t be allowed, but I sure as heck wasn’t asking.
I wasn’t even sure if I was doing something wrong and I wasn’t going to ask, because that sounded like a really stupid question to ask.
Rider lowered his phone, slipping it into his pocket. Could I even do this? Go hang out with him? I hastily picked up my drink and took a huge gulp. Why was I freaking out about this? Rider and I grew up together. Sure, there were years when we didn’t see each other, but we were friends and he’d just gotten out of a relationship. This wasn’t a practice date.
And I could do this.
“You...you think I should go?”
Ainsley’s blue eyes were wide with excitement. “Yes! Oh my God, yes!” She smacked my arm. “This is the perfect time for alone time.”
I frowned. “But we...we have a lot of alone time.”
She stared at me a moment and then rolled her eyes. “This is a different kind of alone time, Mallory. This is Saturday alone time.”
My brows rose.
Shaking her head, she picked up her drink. “Trust me. It’s different.”
I was going to have to trust her with that.
“You’re interested in him, so just a heads-up—I think he’s interested in you, too. I mean, come on, why wouldn’t he be? But guys are kind of dumb sometimes, so he’s probably gonna play it cool and act like he’s not interested.”
I opened my mouth.
“That’s what Todd did. He acted like he wasn’t into me until we were alone and then he made his move.”
Would Rider make a move? My heart started to swell with the possibilities of it and then my stomach twisted again.
Ainsley was practically rocking in her seat. “I know this is all new for you, but just take a couple of deep breaths and have fun. Maybe he’ll do more than hold your hand.”
Oh my God, this was too much. I should’ve never told her about Rider holding my hand. I so needed an adult.
“Look,” she said, lowering her voice as she reached over, placing her hand over mine. “Only go if you’re comfortable with it. If it’s something you want to do. If you don’t, it’s not a big deal. I just know you like him as more than a friend. I can tell because of the way you look at—” she paused, glancing over her shoulder “—him. Holy hell, who is that?”
Brows knitting, I followed her gaze and saw that Rider wasn’t alone anymore. Hector was standing with him at the entrance to the café. Concern rose. Their heads were low and the hard set to Rider’s jaw said they weren’t talking about something fun.
I glanced out the front windows, expecting to see Jayden, but he wasn’t out there. Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Jayden at school the last couple of days.
“Do you know who that is?” Ainsley asked.
Swallowing as I placed the glass down, I nodded. “His name is...Hector. He’s Rider’s friend.”
A slow smile curled her lips. “He’s yummy.”
Just at that moment Hector laughed at something Rider must’ve said. The sound was deep and it traveled, turning several heads in the café. Hector was yummy. No doubt about that, but my gaze strayed to Rider. He smiled slightly, the dimple in his right cheek playing peekaboo. His lips moved and Hector glanced over at our table.
Surprise flickered over his face and then his full lips kicked up when his gaze settled on Ainsley and stayed.
“Me likie,” she whispered. “Does he have a girlfriend?”
I shrugged, wondering if she still had a boyfriend. I wasn’t sure if Hector had someone serious. I’d seen him with a couple of girls at school, but I didn’t think he was dating any of them.
Rider and Hector made their way to our table. Rider reclaimed his seat next to me while Hector sat beside Ainsley.
“Esa chica esta bien caliente.” Hector laughed as Rider shook his head. Ainsley stiffened across from me. She was pretty fluent in Spanish and even though Hector was Puerto Rican, I had a feeling she was getting the general gist of whatever he was saying and she was not happy about it. “Me gustaria a llevarla a mi casa y comermela.”
Ainsley cocked her head to the side as she brushed her long, blond hair over her shoulder. “Gracias! Pero no hay ni una parte de mi que tu te vas a comer.”
Hector’s eyes widened.
Rider threw his head back and burst into laughter. “Oh, shit. Priceless.”
“What?” Ainsley blinked big eyes at the stunned Hector. “You think some white chick can’t possibly understand another language so you’re going to sit in front of me and talk about me like I’m not here?” Her smile was brittle and fake. “Bitch, please.”
“Man...” Hector sat back, slowly shaking his head as he stared at her. “You’re...brutal.”
“Damn straight,” she replied, her eyes like chips of blue ice. Whatever yumminess she’d seen in Hector was completely out the window now. “And you’re a mal criado.”
Hector’s eyes narrowed.
“I really like your friend, Mouse.” Still chuckling, Rider winked at me. “She basically called him a classless ass, and I agree.”
Oh dear.
Ainsley arched a brow as she eyed Hector’s worn shirt. “If the shoe fits...”
“Que carajo...” Hector muttered. “Nena, you don’t know me.”
She raised a shoulder. “And I don’t want to.”
Oh. Oh, wow. This was going downhill fast even though Rider looked like he wanted a bucket of popcorn.
Ainsley twisted in her seat and faced me, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Are you going with Rider?” she asked, voice low but still audible.
“Where are you guys going?” Hector asked, gaze still fastened on her.
She ignored him, and my stomach was doing cartwheels again. “I was going to take her to the garage,” Rider said.
Hector’s lip curled. “Sounds legit.” He smirked when Rider lifted his hand and extended a long middle finger. “You’re not going to Ramon’s tonight? Big party.”
Rider’s gaze met mine, and there was a hitch in my throat. “Not if Mallory’s going to go with me to the garage.”
“You can bring her,” he said, and then looked at Ainsley with a smirk. “I would invite you, mami, but it’s probably not classy enough for you.”
“If you’re involved, probably not,” she replied drily. “But I’m not interested anyway, so whatever.”
I barely recognized that Hector and Ainsley started arguing at that point, most of it in Spanish. A party? As lame as it sounded, I’d never been to a party before. Nowhere even near one. My pulse fluttered in my neck like an out of control hummingbird. Dropping my hands to my legs, I ran my palms over my thighs.
What would I do there? I’d be clinging to Rider like an octopus. I would be expected to talk—to mingle. To drink. The only time I’d ever tasted alcohol was when I was nine and I’d ended up spitting it out. I could barely speak in front of multiple people right now, let alone hang out at a party.
Rider’s gaze met mine, and I knew I must’ve looked panicked. I could practically feel the blood draining from my face. “Nah, I’m not really feeling up to a party tonight,” he said when there was a break in the two arguing. “You okay with that, Mallory?”
Part of me knew he was saying that just for my sake, because I was sure a party had to be more fun than him trying to teach me how
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