Page 31 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
Aspen pokes me. “Now what are they saying?”
“Shhh,” I admonish. “They’re talking about me.” Aspen leans over so she can hear too, practically pushing me into the plant. Her craft gin with eight botanicals spills onto my leg.
“She’s pretty good at everything,” Reid says, making my pulse quicken. I bring my glass to my lips for a sip and remember his tongue slipping between them earlier tonight. My stomach flips wildly.
“Oh really? Are you two friends?”
“Yeah. She lives across the hall from me.”
“How nice,” Kandace says in a voice that tells me she does not really think it’s nice at all.
“For me, it is. Willow is the best cook in the world. I’d probably starve to death if it wasn’t for her.”
Kandace laughs politely but there’s not much squeak to it. She leans over to the table and picks up her glass of white wine for a long swallow.
Reid, meanwhile, keeps talking about me. “She makes this Doritos casserole that’s so good,” he tells her.
“I don’t really like Doritos,” Kandace says.
Strike two, I think.
“She makes other stuff, too. Chicken parm, chili, baked ziti, this eggplant dish that I didn’t think I would like but she forced me to try.”
“Wow. Sounds like you two are pretty close.” Kandace sets her wine glass down and shifts her position, moving a little closer to Reid.
“We are.”
“Is it romantic between you?”
Reid doesn’t answer right away, and I realize I won’t be able to breathe until he does. I don’t even know how I want him to answer, but somehow everything between us is hanging in the balance with her question. Aspen must know this, because she grabs my arm and squeezes tight.
“No,” he finally replies. “It isn’t.”
The weight of it crushes me for no good reason. After all, it’s the truth. It’s not romantic between us. That kiss today was a mistake. That little wrestling match on my floor last week was a near miss. I shouldn’t be upset about this.
Aspen sighs and sits back in her chair, sipping her drink, but I’m still paralyzed.
“Good,” Kandace is saying, and now she’s reaching over and touching his leg. “I don’t want to get in the way if something is going on with you guys, but I’m having a really nice time. I hope you are too.”
“Sure,” he says without much oomph. “This is great.”
“And not awkward at all,” she goes on. Then she pauses. “Of course, it could get awkward later, if you’re wondering whether you should kiss me goodnight.”
Silence. I lean farther into the plant, pushing leaves aside so I can see Reid’s expression.
He looks slightly taken aback but recovers quickly, one brow cocked up. “Yeah, I guess it could.” After a sip of his drink, which looks like maybe an old fashioned, he asks, “So what’s the verdict? Should I?”
A loud noise escapes me, a sort of frightened shriek. It’s so loud that Aspen claps a hand over my mouth from behind.
“Definitely.” Kandace’s squeaky laugh is back, and she sways toward him. “But why wait? Why not get it out of the way right now?”
I want to hit her. Seething, I lean even deeper into the plant for a better view.
How could I have thought this was a good idea?
Nine
Reid
