Page 82 of The Pass Protection
“Besides, I don’t want to have to worry about cameras watching me change or, god forbid, when it’s Tuesday night, and your father and I crack open a bottle of wine, lower the lights, curl up on the couch…”
I gag. “Stop, please don’t go any further than that.”
The laugh she lets lose vibrates through the earpiece. “Your mom has jokes, too, sweetheart.”
“Remind me not to sit on the couch,” I grumble, pressing off the counter and carrying the can of Coke with me to my room. Light filters in from the windows, illuminating my room. The white wallsfeel extra bright. I can’t wait until I have my own space and I can paint the walls to darken my cave. Moving closer to the bed, I go to plop down on my mattress when a brown oversized envelope halts my movement. Sitting on my pillow, I see ‘Rebel’ scrawled in Crew’s scratchy handwriting. A smile plays on my lips.
Mom’s voice brings me back to our call. “Bret, sweetie, did you hear me?”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s okay. I was just talking about Thanksgiving prep. Are you coming home this year? What about your roommates? They come every year.”
“Yes, Mom, the four of us will be there.”
“Aw, honey, that makes me so happy.”
A knock on the door draws my attention away from my mom, who is rambling about the menu and how many pounds of potatoes she has to order. Considering how many men will be at the house, it’s ungodly.
Leaving my room, I head to the front door, where I look through the peephole. Chloe stands on the other side, wearing a purple dress and holding a plastic bag. Turning the lock, I open the door.
“Hey!” Chloe greets.
“Hey, come on in.” I step aside, welcoming her inside as I shut the door behind us. “Mom, my friend came over for dinner. Can I call you later?”
“Of course. I’m holding you to that returned phone call.”
“Yes, Mom.” Rolling my eyes, I shake my head.
“Love you, honey.”
“Love you, too, Mom.” Ending the call, I let out a long exhale.
I love my mother, I really do, but the constant contact can get overwhelming. Even though I haven’t actually taken the time to callher, she sends many text messages. Grant says she does the same to him. I told Dad she needed a hobby away from us kids and her role as a coach’s wife. She needs to find something that makes her happy so she can focus on that.
Chloe is standing by the dinner table, pulling out packages of subs. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you were on the phone.”
Shaking off her apology, I go to sit next to her. “Don’t apologize. Thanks for grabbing dinner. As excited as I am to have you over, I’m slightly surprised.”
“Yeah, I might have an ulterior motive.” Chloe scrunches her nose as her cheeks pinken.
Quirking my brow, I pull out a chair, sit down, and start unwrapping my sub. “I knew it.”
“I promise I want to hang out with you. We haven’t had a chance to spend one-on-one time together. I mean, dancing at the bar doesn’t count.”
We both dig into our subs—mine a toasted chicken, bacon, ranch on Italian and Chloe a toasted meatball sub on Italian. I groan as the perfectly seasoned chicken hits my tongue. There’s just something about a CBR that makes my stomach happy.
“This is so good,” Chloe mumbles around a mouthful.
I nod my head in agreement. Silence falls over the table as we both spend the next few minutes devouring our subs. I must have been starving because I inhaled this sandwich as if I were one of the guys.
Wiping her face with a napkin, Chloe breaks the silence first. “So, have you met anyone on campus?”
“Met anyone? I’ve met lots of people.”
She wiggles her brows. “No, like,met someone.”
My face heats as I glance down at the remainder of my sub. Only the end of the bread remains. I’m so tired of sneaking around. Keepingsecrets will be my death, and after last night’s close call, we are bound to get caught.
