Page 37 of Better Than the Movies
I squeezed in between them and stepped toward the door. “That’s probably Wes.”
I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob and braced myself. What were the odds that Wes would keep his mouth shut and not sic Jocelyn and Helena on me with talk of our collusion?
I pulled the door open. And tried to communicate the situation with only my eyes. I hoped they were sayingDon’t make this worse, but it’s likely that I just looked twitchy. “Hey,” I said.
Wes was smiling, but as he looked at me, his smile changed into a weird thing, like the smile of someone who’d just discovered something. It slid up into a wide grin, and he said, “You’re a good listener.”
I slammed the door.
“Um?” Joss pursed her lips and Helena furrowed her brows. “What’s the plan here?”
Sighing, I opened the door again and held up a hand. “Don’t talk. Seriously. Can you just not say a word until we’re in your car? Or maybe, like, ever?”
“Hi, Wes.” Helena gave him a little wave. “I take it you found Liz this morning?”
He gave me a look that was the equivalent of a tongue stick-out and beamed at Helena. “I did—thank you. I don’t think Liz appreciated my presence at her workplace, but I got there just the same.”
Jocelyn tilted her head. “So you went to her work to ask her to go with you to the game tonight?”
“I did.”
A casual observation: Wes had grown into a pretty attractive guy. I mean, I wasn’t personally attracted to him, but the faded T-shirt he was wearing showcased some well-defined biceps. Combine the muscles with his mischievous smile and heavy-lidded dark eyes, and he was pretty fine.
Just not my type at all.
“Liz?” Joss gave me a loaded look. “Can I see you in the bathroom for a minute?”
Not a chance.“We really have to go, actually, but I’m sure—”
“I’ll wait.” Wes came fully inside the foyer and swung his keys around his finger. “Take your time.”
Jocelyn grabbed my elbow and pulled me all the way to the tiny bathroom that sat just past the kitchen. As soon as the door closed behind us, she said, “I thought Wes’s car was dead this morning.”
“What?”
She sighed. “You told me that he needed a ride to the mall because his car was dead. But Helena just said that he drove to Dick’s to find you.”
Holy crap—Helena said that? Was I so distracted by Wes that I’d totally tuned them out?Craaaaap.I cleared my throat and said, “No, his car diedatDick’s.”
“That’s not what you told me at the mall.”
How was I supposed to remember what I told anyone anymore? Not only was lying an uncool thing to do, but it was also hard to keep on top of. “Yes, it is.”
She sighed. “Whatever. The bottom line is that you are about to go on a date with Wes Bennett, girl.”
“It’s really more—”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “For someone super into love and shit, you’re kind of clueless. Now listen to me. Wes came to your house this morning, and when you weren’t here, he drove all the way to your work to ask you to go to the game with him when he knows you are clueless about sports.”
Oh no—no, no, no. She was getting the wrong idea, and if she heard the rumor thatIactually, you know, started at the party and hadn’t had the guts to tell her about yet, I was screwed. “Hey—”
“You know it’s the truth. And then he pretended to need your shopping help. This is adate, Liz. A date.”
I wanted to tell her what was really going on, but I was a coward. I knew she’d act like I was Michael’s obsessed stalker, and I just couldn’t hear it. I liked Wes’s description better, anyway; Michael was my long-lost love. I said, “It isn’t a date, but I agree that it has date potential.”
Finally, something that wasn’t a lie. Itdidhave date potential. Just not regarding Wes.
“So do you want that?”
