Page 76 of I Knew You Were Trouble

Anger bubbles through me, and I try to keep it at bay. “Do I ever say something I don’t mean?”

“All the time.” A laugh breaks through, and I wish I could regret all the teasing I’ve done to her, but I don’t.

“I can’t teach you anymore, because I don’t want you to change.” How can I make myself clear? How can I let her know that I’ve fallen for exactly who she is? “I like your lectures and your rule-following. I like how you can’t stand messes but also hate when things are too clean. I like how you manage to help on a farm without getting dirt on a single item of clothing. I like that you’re kinda tearing up right now.”

She slugs me in the arm with her free hand, then swipes a finger under her watery eye. “What else?” she says, and I laugh.

“You want more?”

“Unless that’s all you’ve got.”

Not in the least. I tap the brim of her hat, pushing it upward so I can get a better look at her face. “I love that you boss me around, demand my attention. I love that you bought my sisters presents. I love that you’re terrified of motorcycles, but you giggle the entire time while we ride. I love how you can be completely yourself around me, how I can be completely myself around you. I love that we’re so wrong for each other on paper, but that I can’t stop thinking about you or wanting to be with you, or the fact that I look forward to work only when I see your name on the schedule.

“I do that, too,” she says, and my brain unravels more, my thoughts getting clearer and clearer. “I rearranged it a lot whenever it didn’t work out.”

“I thought that was just to get more lessons out of me.”

“And to be with you.” Her hand twitches in mine. “I didn’t know it at the time, but the more I think about it… I was totally changing my shifts just to work the same zone as you.”

“Even though your heart was on Zach?” I can’t help but bring him up. I don’t want to be second choice, but with how I’m feeling, second doesn’t feel so bad if I get the girl.

“My focus might’ve been on Zach, but that’s not where my heart was.” Her eyes meet mine, the watery wall still up across her irises. I love that about her, too. “It just took a minute for my brain to catch up.”

“Mine too,” I admit.

“Darn these brains.”

“We should fire them.”

“Or turn them off for a bit.” Her gaze drops to my lips, and she inches her way closer to me, not quite up on her tiptoes yet, but she tilts her head. “Hey, Pete?”

“Hmm?” My brain’s already starting to turn off. Just when I was getting that Rubik’s cube down, too.

“You’re fired.”

I jerk back with a laugh. “Excuse me?”

“Well, I can’t be dating my teacher. That goes against so many rules.” She flips her hair, exaggerating the movement. “Andyousaid you liked my rule following.”

“Guess I’m out of a job.”

“I have nothing against dating co-workers though.”

“What happens if I get promoted?”

“I’ll be promoted way before you.”

I reach out and tickle her side, and she dodges me like she knew all too well it was coming.

“In case you were waiting for me to say it…” she says through her laughter, “I like you, too.” She gives me a giant, teasing grin. “A lot.”

I find her other hand and lock it in mine. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you list a bunch of reasons why.”

She wrinkles her nose, and I close the gap between us, cutting off any argument she may have had for me. I did need to hear it, and now I’ll be on the high of knowing how she feels for the rest of the night.

Candace

The break room door clicks behind me and Pete, and I completely lose all sense and jump on him.

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