Page 116 of Ripped & Shipped
“That one,” she says definitively, pointing to a pair of cut-off white denim shorts and a red eyelet lace top with puff sleeves.
I’ll wear my navy espadrilles if I choose that one. I look over the three outfits one more time and decide she’s right. That one is casual, but sexy, and somewhat playful. It’s borderline Daisy Duke without putting too much out there. I’ll be keeping Chris on his toes—maybe pushing him just a little to notice me. I don’t know where we stand, and the uncertainty is making me slightly crazy.
“So, Chris is picking you up?” Meg asks as I slip into my shorts.
“Yep. He is.”
“This is getting a little serious between you two. Don’t you think?”
“Serious how?”
“I mean, a lot of what you do goes beyond faking. Pulling the charade off happens in public. But he stops by, or he calls. You call him, or you two, oh, I don’t know, go out of town for the night with no one else around. That seems serious.”
“He invited me to meet some friends of his. We’re friends now. All this faking has led to a friendship between us. I like him.”
“I can tell.”
I pop my head through my shirt and look over at her. She’s waiting for me to spill everything.
“Okay. Yes. I like him a lot. And, also yes. He and I have a lot going against us here. Besides, I don’t know how he feels.”
I still haven’t told Meg about the kiss in Cincinnati.
“I know how he feels. It’s pretty obvious he’s into you.”
“Well, until he makes that obvious to me, we’re friends.”
“Okay. But you know, you could make it obvious to him. The guy doesn’t always have to be the one to make the first move.”
I consider Meg’s words. I know she’s right. I’ve made the first move before—when it didn’t matter so much. But with Chris, it’s different. He matters—a lot. I don’t know if I could take putting my heart out there and having him turn me down, even if he let me down gently.
“I think I need him to make the first move.”
“Okay, well. Here’s hoping he does that soon.”
Joe’s knock on our front door carries upstairs.
“I’d better get going. I’ll see you there,” Meg says.
“Yep. See you.”
I finish dressing and put my hair up in two pigtails, styling them so they fall in big curls. Then I look in the full-length mirror. This top is all wrong. I take it off and head to my closet.
My phone buzzes with a notification. I pick it up off the bed and carry it into my walk-in closet while reading the message.
@DrakesDaMan
Thinking of you. What do you do on the 4th of July? I’m heading to the beach to watch fireworks over the water. Have you talked to Genesis yet? I’m looking forward to introducing you to people when you’re out here.
Drake’s pretty presumptuous, but then again, it’s flattering that he still wants me to come to the bash—and that he wants me there so badly that he keeps reaching out. I shoot him a quick response.
@Fab-U-lous_EllaMae
I used to be Miss Corn Husk every 4th of July. Don’t ask. It’s like being the queen of our parade. But I’ve passed that honor on this year. So, I’m just going to the local street fair and fireworks with friends. I’ll get a hold of Genesis this week.
I need to reach out to Genesis. I should make this trip out west happen. It sounds like a great opportunity to connect with a lot of influential people and to network. Besides, I’m feeling so sick of this town. Ever since Chris and I extended our fake dating into Bordeaux, I’ve been the recipient of more judgmental stares than ever, and I’ve even gotten some unsolicited comments from people.
Not to mention that confrontation with my mom. It went better than I’d hoped, but it still drained me. Getting away might be just the thing to give me a break from being under the local spotlight. I haven’t faced my dad yet. I won’t even touch that hornets’ nest unless Chris and I actually start dating.
