Page 24 of The Love Raffle

All the guests looked towards her.

Amber stiffened at the attention. She gulped then frowned at the girl. “Hey! Just because I gave him my number doesn’t mean—”

“He asked for your number?” A girl sitting in the corner with her family stood up and screamed.

At first, Amber had thought it was a happy shriek but then the kid’s eyes lit with fire, revealing what that screamactuallymeant.

“No, no, it’s not like that.” Amber got up and backed away from the table. “We’re just friends!”

The young girl was marching up to her with her mother following. “Lisa!” the mother called.

Crap.Amber held her hands out as the aggravated teen was held back by her mom. Of course, all this drama led to more cellphone appearances. Bright lights were everywhere. “I just gave him my number, okay? That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Wow, look at you acting all high and mighty! What? Are you too good for Levi Marks, Amber Sheridan? Is that it?” Lisa barked with her mom’s hands on her arms.

Her mother groaned. “Stop acting crazy, Lisa. You’re causing a scene! That Levi man isnotyour property.”

“He could be!” Lisa shrieked. “If they gave me the chance to meet him!” She screamed again.

Amber had no idea how to handle this so she decided not to even try. “Yeah, I’m just going to head back to the kitchen now. You girls enjoy your meal.” With that, she ran off before things could get any worse.

* * *

Conner and Elouise were in stitches. The street was barren due to the hour of the night. It would be another fifteen minutes till the bus showed up. None of them could afford their own transportation right now. After the rent was paid, there was barely anything left.

Amber put her phone in her pocket then groaned at the idiots. “It’s not funny. That could have endedwayworse if I hadn’t skedaddled.”

Conner felt sweat on his brow from all the laughter. It was a warm evening, and the air was still. “I can picture the headlines now.”

“What? Love Raffle Star Amber Sheridan throws down with a fourteen-year-old?” Elouise clapped her hands and doubled over with laughter.

Amber stood there with her forehead creased. “Are you kidding me, guys? How old are you?” She folded her arms and pushed a strand of hair from her face. “There will be no headlines because my five minutes of fame are quickly running out.” She blew air from her mouth. “I mean, the date’s passed so…”

Elouise wiped a tear from her eye then held Amber’s arm. “You’re forgetting that you were on the same episode as Levi Marks.”

Conner seemed to cool down too. He fanned his face. “True. He’s hot stuff.” He stood before Amber with hands in his uniform pockets. “His last Captain Evolution movie was a hit, right? And it was released what? Couple of months ago?”

“And let’s not forget who he asked for their number,” Elouise sang. She pressed her lips to Amber’s ear. “You.”

Amber giggled at the sensation of her breath against her skin. She kicked a stray Styrofoam cup onto the road and sighed. “Yeah, but what are the odds that he’ll actually call me? The guy’s busy and probably doesn’t even remember what happened last night.”

Conner and Elouise exchanged silent glances.

Amber didn’t get it. “What?”

“To me he seemed pretty into you based on how you described the date, but what do I know? I haven’t dated anyone since the dark ages—that is my teen years—so I guess I’m out of touch.” Elouise whipped her vape out of her pocket to take a few hits.

Amber felt her stomach twist but in a good way. “Just because he was nice enough to take me to the hospital and then drop me home after doesn’t mean anything. If he was into me, wouldn’t he have called by now?”

“After a day? The guy doesn’t want to look desperate, Ambs.” Conner walked up to a lamppost and leaned his back against it. “Plus, like you said, he’s probably busy. But I bet he’s thinking about you.” He winked and danced with his shoulders.

Amber got that ticklish feeling in her stomach again. “Well…I don’t know, guys. Don’t make it into something it’s not.”

Elouise removed her vape. “Why didn’t you ask forhisnumber, huh? Even if by some miracle he somehowdoesn’tlikeyou, you should have at least gotten it for the connection. You’re really bad at this.”

Amber buried her face in her hands. “I know. I wanted to ask but didn’t want to seem pushy.” She lifted her head and dragged her hands down her cheeks. The busy streets beyond brought car honks to her ears. “He’s a person, you know.Notjust a connection.”

Conner came closer again. “We keep saying it, Amber. You know how things are.”

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