Page 91 of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

‘Oh no!’ she hisses, pulling me away from people mingling around us. ‘You already slept with her, didn’t you?’

‘What? No.’ I rub the back of my neck nervously. ‘Why would you think that?’ This isn’t a conversation I want to have with her mother.

She gasps. ‘You’re rubbing your neck. I’d know that nervous Nellie move anywhere. Youdid!’ she exclaims before lowering her voice, her tone changing. ‘Youdid?’

‘No,’ I say firmly. ‘Ididn’t.’

I can tell she doesn’t believe me. She stares into my eyes, cocking her head slowly. ‘Maybe you haven’t.Yet. But something is going on, isn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ I say. ‘We’re competing in a flower competition together.’

‘That’s not it,’ Penny says with a wide smile.

‘Seriously.’ I hold up a hand. ‘As much as I wish I were back home andnothaving this conversation, I can truthfully say Hollyn and I have never slept together.’

At least not without clothes. Yet. Something her mother needs to know exactly nothing about.

‘Word to the wise: if you suspect it may happen, talk to River first. I’ve heard him talk about the bro code thing. He’d take it better if he heard it from you first.’

Or, I could pretend I’m not as close to her family as I am, do what I want, and ask for forgiveness later. That seems easier. Probably the way River would play his hand.

‘I’ll keep that in mind.’

Is itthatobvious something is going on between us? There’s no way. We’re literally barely anything at this point. But if Penny suspects it, maybe River will too. I’d planned to talk to him tonight, then I convinced myself not to because my inner teenage coward has resurfaced.

Penny meanders away from me, heading onto the makeshift dance floor where John is currently busting a move.

‘Finally,’ Mercy says, approaching me. ‘Someone I know. What the hell is this? I thought it was a small-ish friends and family watch party?’

‘They duped us.’

‘Well?’ She looks up at me. ‘Did you win? Or are you a big fat loser?’

‘I find out with the rest of you with the live results.’

She rolls her eyes.

‘You’ve been voting for me, right?’ I ask, busting her balls a little.

‘I’m voting forHollyn,’ she says with a glare.

‘It counts.’

‘Where is she anyway?’ she asks, glancing around the yard. ‘I have her phone; she left it in my car last night.’

Jake and I went golfing yesterday, then he convinced me to have a few drinks, which then turned into half a dozen, so I didn’t get home until well after midnight. I’d forgotten Hollyn went out with Mercy.

I considered knocking on her door when I got home, but I was tipsy, and tipsy Dax is known for doing dumb shit. I couldn’t chance it. Thankfully, Jake and I knew we’d probably drink, and we took an Uber there and back. Hollyn has no idea I spilled my guts to Jake – again – while drinking away my frustrations.

‘Can I show you something?’ Mercy asks, stepping closer to me and pulling Hollyn’s phone from her pocket. She taps the screen, typing in a code so fast I couldn’t crack it if I wanted to, pulling up her text messaging app.

She looked through Hollyn’s phone? Thank god I didn’t text her what Jake suggested I text her last night. That would have been biting me in the ass right now.

‘Did she tell you about Victoria yet?’

‘She did.’

‘That bitch has been texting her. It’s all so vague.’ She scrolls through the texts. ‘Tristan cheated, ya know? A lot.’

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