Page 28 of Call My Bluff
Wow, she wasn’t going to make it easy, was she?
“No, but still. Just trust me.”
She chewed on one side of her lip and shifted her weight to the other foot. “But—”
Noah reached out and tweaked a piece of her hair that had fallen around her face—a motion that only made Olivia brighter in his mind. “Enjoy your party, Misty,” he said, and he offered a smile before turning toward the door. He’d already been away from the registers far longer than he’d intended, and he didn’t need to stick around to watch Misty process the rejection.
He hurried back toward the registers, pushing the broom ahead of him. Normally he would zigzag his way through the store from front to back, sweeping as he went, but that would probably mean running into Misty as she left, which he definitely wanted to avoid.
“Where have you been?” Riley hissed as he pushed the broom past her register. “I was about to send out a search party!”
“Have you had customers?” he asked.
“No, but Simon’s been out here barking orders like a drill sergeant, and he knows you were missing. What happened?”
Noah saw motion at the edge of his vision and looked up to see Misty hurrying out the front doors, her head ducked down inside the collar of her jacket. He nodded discreetly in her direction, and Riley followed his gaze. “Misty cornered me in the stockroom and made me an offer I had to refuse.”
Riley turned back and looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
“Poor thing.” Riley lifted onto her tiptoes to peer through the front windows, as if she could still see the other girl’s retreat. “She’s really sweet on you, you know.”
“Oh, really? I hadn’t figured that out,” Noah said dryly. “She invited me to a party at her place.”
“And you have plans?”
“Well, no.”
“But you’re not interested?”
“Well . . . yes.”
“Yes, you’re not interested, or yes, youareinterested?” Riley repeated, and Noah felt agitation rising in his chest.
“Would you stop?” he snapped. “I don’t do the girlfriend thing, and Misty has ‘girlfriend’ written all over her. It’s just a problem waiting to happen.”
“Alright, alright,” Riley said, her hands up in surrender. “I get it. No need to bark at me.”
Noah pushed the broom past the end of her register and up the other side before returning to his starting position. “Sorry,” he muttered. Then he sighed loudly. “Maybe I do need to blow off some steam.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she said. She scrubbed a wad of paper towels against a shiny spot where something had spilled on her conveyor belt. “You could come out with Bryce and me tonight,” she added.
“And third-wheel it? No, thanks.”
“No, we’re going to a party,” Riley explained. “I don’t even know who’s hosting; some girl from Bryce’s nutrition class sent a blanket invitation to the whole department. Apparently, she’s got a huge place somewhere on the other side of town and is pretty well-known for her events.”
Noah grimaced at the thought of a stranger’s loud, crowded house. “Eh, I don’t know,” he hedged.
“Well, you could also go home and marinate in the Simon-ness of this night,” Riley said thoughtfully, as if she were really weighing the options. “But at least this way you’re not drinking alone.”
Noah and his broom did another circuit of the registers, weaving back and forth between each one while he consideredthe invitation. His mind wandered back to Olivia and the many questions he’d asked himself since she’d left town. Was there something specifically wrong with him that had turned her away? Was he not good enough somehow? Did she already have somebody else? He shook his head hard to banish the thoughts before they could take hold. If he went home alone, he’d have almost no choice but to consider the possibilities—an option that was even less desirable than Misty’s offer. Finally, he made his choice.
“Alright,” he told Riley as he passed by again. “But I’ll drive myself.”
“Deal,” she said.
Noah turned and pushed the broom toward aisle one, ready to start his winding path through the store before closing. He already felt like he might regret his decision, but what was done was done.
