Page 61 of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

How does he know it bothers me?

‘Like I said, I’m totally cool. I’ve got plans anyway. Mercy and I are going out.’ I’m now trying to save face and lying my ass off so I don’t have to acknowledge whatever this is. ‘I’m not a total loser. It’s not like you’re myonlyfriend.’

He lets out a sigh, looking a little disappointed. ‘I’ve never seen you as a loser. If anything, I’ve spent too much of my life wishing I was more like you.’

‘What?’

‘Don’t act surprised,’ he says with a smirk. ‘You were always cooler than me although that wasn’t exactly hard. Truthfully, I was shocked to hear you mention you felt like you had no friends earlier.’

‘I wasn’t cool,’ I protest. ‘Maybe by default, but that wasonlybecause of my mom.Momwas cool. Nobody but Mercy ever wanted to hang out with me. They wanted to hang out with Penny Candy.’

He shakes his head, clearly disagreeing. ‘Iwanted to hang with you. Still do. Thought I made that clear on the beach earlier.’

The flight attendant I begged to bring me a drink stops at our aisle and hands me a glass. Dax pulls his hand from mine to pass it to me.

With one swallow, I down the contents which I’m pretty sure is straight vodka. Yuk. Gross.

‘Seriously, Dax, have at it if you want to knock boots with some chick in your delivery truck.’

He raises an eyebrow, now flipping through theSkyMallmagazine. ‘Doesn’t your mom have a song about knocking boots?’

I glare. ‘You know as well as I do it was Candyman with a knocking boots song. Not Penny Candy.’

Suddenly the woman in front of us stands from her seat, turning to face me. ‘That’show I know you! Your mom is Penny Candy! The singer?’

I shake my head, pretending I’ve never heard of her, ignoring the fact that I’ve just said her name at least twice.

‘Gawd,’ she says. ‘You look just like her. Think I could get a photo?’

I glance at Dax almost frantically. This is what I didn’t want to happen when I came home. I don’t want photos or questions or people asking for my autograph. I’m not famous. And I don’t want to be recognized.

‘She’s not who you think she is. Sorry,’ Dax says to the random woman after he picks up on my silent plea.

‘Oh.’ Her face drops. ‘I thought I heard you say—’

‘Nope,’ he cuts her off, shaking his head.

‘Sorry. You should look her up. You look just like her.’ She finally turns around, leaving Dax and me in awkward silence.

‘Thank you,’ I say quietly.

He lifts a single shoulder, tapping the screen of his phone before turning it to me, the volume very low but the notes of ‘Knockin’ Boots’ by Candyman now playing as he grooves in his seat like a total goofball. He’s mouthing the lyrics. How the hell does he still remember them?

I laugh. ‘Sometimes, I wish Ididn’tlike you so much.’

‘Good to know.’ He winks, still mouthing every word.

It’s like a superpower he has. He has always somehow just known the words to every ridiculous song from my mother’s time on stage, and he wasn’t even born until 1994.

Finally, I give in and dance with him in my seat until the guy next to us gives us a dirty look. Dax stops the song.

‘Party pooper,’ he whispers in my ear.

* * *

Later That Night…

I waited until I heard multiple doors closing before I bolted from the apartment to the Uber I had ordered on the way home from the airport. I’m meeting Mercy at The Rosewood, the drag club her brother owns. The music from within blasts through the door before the bouncer even opens it for me.

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