Page 36 of The Perfect Steal

“Whoa, what’s going on? Since when do you have time to tidy up the house?” John leaned forward, grabbing the remote to change the channel.

I snatched it out of his hands and turned the TV off. “Since now. I have someone coming over to do homework. Don’t you have some of your own to get done?” My tone was more pleading than I wanted it to be, but I figured I needed to do something so he would leave.

John shook his head. “Nope, I’m good. Just need to relax here on the couch.” He ate another Cheeto and then asked, “Who’s coming over that would care about a messy living room?”

I stood up straight, not wanting to reveal who was coming over or that I was secretly ecstatic about it. “Nate is coming over to work on our project.”

“Oooo,” John said, wiggling his eyebrows. “You really do have a crush on him, don’t you?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head to convince him. I didn’t need him to start teasing us when Nate came around. When he wouldn’t stop laughing, I picked up one of the throw pillows and chucked it at his face. “Come on, can’t you just clean up a little?”

John waved to the table. “I’ll clean up all this if you let me still watch my show when he gets here.”

I closed my eyes, trying to decide what to do about the situation. Having John sitting here, just feet away from the kitchen table, was not ideal. But maybe that would be a good thing. It wasn’t like Nate was interested in me like that. Or was he?

I thought about his texts, and either he was bored or he really wanted to see me.

“Fine,” I said, turning to grab my books and get things out on the table. I rummaged through the cabinet, pulling out a half-eaten bag of tortilla chips and some salsa. Hopefully, my mom had really gone to the store while she was gone, because our options were slim for the rest of the week.

The door from the garage opened, and my dad walked in. Great, that’s all I needed. Another Miller man to tease me about liking a guy.

“What’s the chips and salsa for, Brynnie?” he asked, dropping his notebooks and jacket on the counter.

“I just thought it would be good. I have to work on an assignment with a classmate, and we don’t have a whole lot to offer.”

My dad opened the snack cupboard and then went to the fridge. “Has your mom gone to the store lately?”

“She said that’s where she was going today. We were supposed to get pedicures, but she hasn’t texted me about the time yet.” I walked over and grabbed my phone, seeing no new messages. Disappointment flooded me.

The doorbell rang, and I froze, glancing up at my dad. “Please don’t embarrass me, Dad. You either, John.” I turned to glare at him.

My dad placed a hand over his chest, his jaw dropping in mock disbelief. “Me, embarrass you? I never do that.”

“I’m serious,” I said, taking a few steps toward the front door. “Just go watch some basketball film or think about plays or something.” I waited with my hand on the door until he moved from his spot.

“Don’t worry, I can come in later and make sure you two aren’t smooching or something.” He laughed, and as I looked at John for help, all I saw was him mouthing the wordsmoochingwith disgust on his face.

As much as I was the typical teenager, annoyed with her father, I was grateful my dad seemed to be in a good mood. Maybe getting him with my mom when they were both happy would help their relationship somewhat.

“Hey,” I said, finally opening the door.

Nate grinned, holding a grocery store bag in his hand. “Hey. How are you?”

The sincerity on his face made me want to spill all my emotions right then, but I figured I shouldn’t scare the guy off.

“Good,” I said, nodding. I waved for him to come in and then led the way to the kitchen table. Our house was nowhere near the size of his, but it was mostly up-to-date, and I wasn’t too embarrassed by it. More like the people in it at the moment.

“What’s in the plastic bag?” I asked, sliding into the bench seat.

Nate grinned and said, “I stopped by and bought some ice cream. I wasn’t sure what kind you’d like, so I got four different flavors.” He pulled out four pints of ice cream and set them on the table.

“Nate,” John said from the couch, grinning at me. “What brings you to the Miller house?”

Nate had slipped the backpack off his shoulders. “Believe it or not, homework.”

“That is definitely something I have to see to believe. Don’t let my sister work you too hard. And is one of those for me?” He pointed toward the ice cream with a hopeful look.

I gave a short laugh. “You don’t have to do much to please us Millers.”

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