Page 52 of Make it Real
I’d thought he might meet my announcement with a grin or a thank you, but a line formed between his eyebrows. “I’ve got it.”
“You’ve paid for everything we’ve done so far, it’s only fair.”
He didn’t seem to have a lot of interest in the fairness of it. “That’s not really how dating works with me.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “So you’re very attached to gender roles in dating?”
Now his grin did make an appearance. “I’m very attached to taking care of the woman I’m out with.”
I grinned back, but it faded away as the thoughts I’d been blocking out for weeks now crashed into my brain like the Kool-Aid Man. He dated around, I’d always known that. What were the women like? Just how short-lived were his relationships? Were we talking a few weeks or one date only?
I didn’t care. I did not. None of that had anything to do with what we were doing here. We were doing this to get Gran to Florida and me into a new house, not to soothe my insecurities. I needed to focus on this fake date with my fake boyfriend and ignore all those very real concerns.
“You take care of a lot of women.”
That’s not how ignoring things works, Callie.
His grin froze, and that line reappeared on his forehead.
“I’m sorry, that came out wrong. It’s just that you seem to have had a healthy share of romantic interests.”
He stared at me two whole seconds, making sweat prickle over my back before he burst into laughter.
“I’m writing that down. You have a way with words, Callie Lou.”
“Never mind.” I should have kept my big mouth shut. Why was I bringing this up now? Couldn’t have had anything to do with the little rejection earlier, could it? What was so wrong with me that he had no interest? On second thought, I really didn’t want to know.
Looking around the diner, I pretended deep fascination in the decor in here. Yeah, because I was so great at pretending.
“Right now, I only have the one romantic interest.”
His soft voice didn’t soothe. We’d gotten tangled up in this because I’d asked, and let’s not forget, he’d said no at first. Maybe he’d even been mildly horrified by the suggestion. And if I’d started to think that maybe there could be something real between us…well, that was all on me.
“Why did you join the Army?”
His mouth thinned like he saw my question for the distraction it was. But what else would I say here?I know I said I’d never fall for you, but I’m kind of probably definitely developing a crush on you and it’s making our fake dating arrangement super inconvenient, my bad?
To quote Jed,Absolutely Not.
“I’m just curious. You’re not exactly the usual military type. You’re a lot more…Jed.”
He shook his head at me. “It’s like you see my healthy ego and think, ‘I can take that down a peg’.”
“Pretty sure your ego will survive.”
“Oh, guaranteed.” He watched me a beat, a silent stare-down in the middle of the diner. “It’s not the best story. Your opinion of me will only drop lower. Is that still possible, or has it reached rock bottom?”
Ha. If only he knew.
“Come on, I want to know. If it’s not private or something.”
Our waiter came by to drop off our platters of food. Homegrown’s portions were absurd, our massive burgers and mountains of golden fries enough to feed at least three more people, but we dug in. And, fine. Their burgers might be impossible to eat without getting ketchup all over your face, but they were worth every messy bite.
“The story?” I prompted when I wasn’t funneling fries into my maw like a duck eating bread.
He wiped a napkin across his mouth. “Senior year of high school’s coming to an end, I’ve got nothing planned. No college, no trade, not even really set on staying home to help Mom and Pop around the farm. Just…nothing. So my history teacher asks us our career goals, mostly because she wanted to rain on everyone’s parade and point out our unrealistic expectations. For some reason, I pipe up with ‘I’m joining the Army.’
“The teacher laughed straight in my face. Said that requires discipline, respect for authority, and that I wouldn’t make it two weeks in Basic. Obviously, I had no choice but to enlist and prove her wrong.”
