Page 28 of Rival Season
I ignore him, shooting Ally a look that hopefully sayssave me.
“I’ll order another of your favorites, codfish from The Marina,” Chadwick drones on, oblivious. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath. I’m not a seafood person. The Marina ishisfavorite. Opening my eyes again, I shoot him a placating smile.
“Sorry, she already has dinner plans…with me,” Ally cuts in, apparently sensing my desperation.
Chadwick’s eyes move to Ally like he’s just realized she’s standing there, then they drop slowly down her body before he gives her a lecherous smile. “Well, hello, Hazel’s friend. You’re more than welcome to come on in and join us.”
Ew. This man is despicable.
“No thanks,” Ally says in an overly sweet tone. “I’m actually over my lifetime quota of hours spent with skeezy men.” She wiggles her fingers in a wave. “You ready to go, Hazel?”
I smile and rush to grab my phone and purse before sweeping past Chadwick, whose mouth is still gaping open, and out the door.
“I owe you,” I tell Ally.
“No worries.” She shrugs, and I get ready for an onslaught of judgy questions about my gross ex-boyfriend. Which would honestly be justified. But instead, she changes the subject. “I know a good place within walking distance.”
A brisk twenty-minute walk later, we’re seated in a booth at a local diner with a blinking neon sign outside that says Moe’s Place. The smell of greasy fries permeates the air and has my mouth watering.
The waitresses are wearing 1950s style pink dresses with white aprons, and one comes to our table chewing gum loudly. She’s probably in her late forties, and her hair is teased to blend in with the theme of the restaurant.
“Hey girls, I’m Donna; what can I getcha?” She blows a bubble with her gum while she waits for us to order.
Ally and I both order the classic burger and fries with vanilla milkshakes, and Donna takes off.
“So,” Ally starts, leaning forward and steepling her hands on the table like a mob boss. “You and Penn are hanging out?”
A blush rushes to my cheeks and I’m not sure why. It’s not like she caught Penn and I in bed or something, and I’m not even really dating him. It’s just pretend, so I have nothing to be embarrassed about.
“Yeah, it’s new,” I answer. Very breezy, very casual, very demure.
She grins. “Okay, I’m so excited about this. It’ll be nice to have another couple around.”
Couple?Oh, right. Me and Penn. We’re a couple.
“Penn has never brought a girl to the loft, so this is big. He must really like you.”
I squirm in my seat, causing the sparkly pleather bench beneath me to squeak. “I don’t know about that.” I force a laugh. “I’ve only been in the loft because I live right below you.”
Ally cocks a brow as if doubting my logic. Donna unceremoniously drops our milkshakes on the table and rushes off again.
Ally takes a long sip from her straw. “So, I’m dying to know, how did you go from being annoyed with Penn all the time to dating him?”
Using my index finger, I casually swipe a line of condensation off my glass. “Oh, I don’t know. Chemistry is a mystery…maybe yelling at him was like foreplay.” As soon as the words are out my eyes widen, and I slap a hand over my mouth.
Ally’s head drops back as she laughs hysterically. “Hazel, you’re a riot!”
Yeah, that’s me…a riot.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” she says, her laughter slowly calming as she takes in my expression. “Life can’t be all work and no play. Even genius girls like you need to unwind with a tattooed bad boy once in a while.”
I think of Penn’s full sleeves of ink and how they seem to make his arms look even bigger and more muscular. Feeling suddenly overheated, I take a few gulps of my milkshake to cool myself down. “Mmm,” I hum. “This is delicious.”
“Right? Moe’s has the best shakes of all time.” She smiles thoughtfully, staring out the window beside us. “My boyfriend, Noah, eats super healthy. But even he can’t resist a Moe’s shake.”
“You miss him when he’s gone, huh?” Something in my chest tugs. I never missed Chadwick like that.
“Like you wouldn’t even believe,” she says in a sigh. “They’re coming back tomorrow, and I can’t wait… but of course, you already know that.”
