Page 4 of Pretend to be Mine
Savannah’s eyes move up and down my chest, and it’s only now that I realize that I’m not wearing a shirt because I got too hot unpacking. She nods and wets her lips. “Good, really good. Anyway…” she gives her head a little shake as if to clear her thoughts. “I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner.” She motions toward her house with her thumb.
“Oh,” I stammer, straightening my back. “Um, thanks for the invite, but um…” How can I let her down easily? This is not a good way to start a friendship. “I’m new to town and just trying to settle in so I’m not really looking to start anything up.”
She lets out a nervous laugh and her whole face turns red. She pulls her eyes away from mine and they fall to the ground between us. “Oh, no. It’s nothing like that!” Her eyes move back up to mine and she can’t keep the grin off her face. “I just made a batch of spaghetti and, as always, I made way too much. I figured that since you just moved in, you probably didn’t have everything unpacked yet to make any meals for yourself.” She shrugs. “Figured you could take some of this food off my hands and it would give you another day to unpack. But it’s no problem, you don’t have to if you’re busy.” She shows me her hands, palms facing me.
I let out a nervous laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know—” I motion between the two of us.
Savannah backs away nervously. “It’s fine.” She waves me off.
“No, actually, you’re right. I don’t have everything unpacked yet and I ordered takeout last night, so if the invitation is still good—”
Her brows lift unexpectedly. “Yeah, of course!”
“Okay, just let me throw on some shoes and a shirt and I’ll be over.”
Her smile widens as she nods, but her teeth clamp down on it. “Okay. See you in a few,” she says, walking away.
I close the door between us and turn around to head to my bedroom for some clothes. I’m embarrassed that I jumped to conclusions from her invite, but I try to shake it off as I pull on a T-shirt and a pair of tennis shoes. I stop in the bathroom and put on some cologne, not wanting to smell like sweat from unpacking all evening, and then I lock up and walk over.
