Page 17 of The Obvious Check

She doesn’t go to Covey U. Apparently, her brother was too much of a hotshot there to make it appealing, so she attends Southern Collegiate, and this diner just so happens to be right in between them.

“Want a refill?” Chloe asks, gesturing to my cup as she heads over to take my empty plate.

“I’m okay.” Chloe and the guys at the diner are good to me, offering me a free meal whenever I drag my sorry ass through their doors, but I don’t want to become a burden on them, so I try to limit my appearances to when I’m one hunger pang away from fainting.

As Chloe picks up my plate, she freezes, her eyes locking on the two crisp tickets sitting on the table. The ones I’ve been staring at for the last two hours, unsure of what to do. “What are those?”

“Tickets.”

“To…” She draws out the word with interest.

“A game.” My face starts to flush as memories of Cade awkwardly shoving these my way come back. “My, uh…” How do I finish this sentence? What the hellisCade to me? My potential stalker? My midnight fantasy? Maybe both? “Friend got them for me. He’s playing in it.”

Even calling him my friend doesn’t sound right. We’ve barely talked outside of our study group, but he still invited me.

“A friend?” Chloe says with an amused lilt that makes me want to crawl under the table. “What’s yourfriend’sname?”

I hesitate for a second because saying his name makes this more real than I can comprehend. “Cade Bright.” I’m relieved when I finally say it, but that quickly washes away when I see Chloe’s face. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s not what you think it is.” It’s so much more pathetic than whatever she’s imagining.

“It’s not?” She takes no invitation to slide into the other side of the booth, tossing her rag on the table and motioning to Joein the back. “I’m just taking my ten-minute break,” she says and Joe nods in response.

“Why are you taking your break now?”

“Because I’veneverheard you talk about a friend, no less aboyfriend.”

I close my eyes, willing the ground to swallow me whole. “No. It’s not like that. He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Not yet,” she singsongs.

“Not ever.”

“Well, why’s he giving you tickets if he doesn’t want you to watch him play?” She rests her elbows on the table, studying me. I don’t know what to say.

I stare at the glossy paper, my thumb tracing over the embossed lettering. “That’s what I was hoping you could explain.”

“I might need a little more context if you’re expecting anything profound from me. I’m a college student moonlighting as a waitress, not a psychic.”

“I know him from class. We sit next to each other and are in the same study group.”

Chloe nods, taking it all in.

“We’ve only ever occasionally spoken, although recently, he’s been talking to me more.”

“What has he been talking to you about?” She leans in closer, practically salivating for details about my nonexistent love life.

“Nothing major. Just wants to know how I am and mentions some of the stuff we’re doing in our study group. He’s asked me out for coffee a few times, but I’ve always been busy with work.”

“He’s asked you out for coffee?” Chloe looks shocked and when I nod, her eyes nearly pop out of her head. “So he likes you.”

“No. Not like that.”

“How do you know?” She crosses her arms, challenging me.

“Because he’s Cade Bright.”

“What does that mean?”

My hands start shaking just thinking about how inadequate I am compared to him. “He’s smart, and people like him. Not to mention he’s probably the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen in real life. His dimples alone make my heart stop, and now I’m rambling about a guy who doesn’t even see me.”

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