Page 15 of Pucking Matt
I think I need her to come to the party now, so I’ll bank on the idea that Harvey will follow through with asking her. And I know exactly what I’m going to do.
Chapter 5
“Is this some kind of sick joke?” I blurt out, staring at the guy in front of me like he's got Matthew as a devil on his shoulder.
Harvey – at least, I think that's his name – looks confused. “What? Why would this be a sick joke?”
I take a deep breath, trying to calm the rage bubbling up inside me. “It's $20.75 for the sandwich and shake,” I say through gritted teeth, ignoring his question entirely.
As Harvey fumbles for his wallet, I can feel my blood pressure rising. This has Matthew Pearson written all over it. That arrogant, insufferable jerk actually had the audacity to send his friend to ask me out to a party. Un-fucking-believable.
“So, about that party.” Harvey starts again, but I cut him off.
“Look,” I say, slamming my hand on the counter with more force than necessary. “I don't know what game you and Matthew are playing, but I'm not interested. Tell him to find someone else to torment.”
Harvey's eyes widen. “Whoa, hold on. This has nothing to do with Matt. I just thought–”
“Save it,” I interrupt. “I'm not going to any party where Matt might be. In fact, I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon than spend another second in his presence.”
Harvey nods slowly, looking like he's regretting every life choice that led him to this moment. Good. Maybe he'll relay the message to his asshole friend.
As soon as he's out the door, I whip out my phone and fire off a text to Riley.
Me: You won't believe what just happened.
Riley: ??? Spill the tea, girl.
Me: Matthew freaking Pearson sent his friend to ask me to a party. Can you believe the nerve of that guy?
Riley: Wait, what? He sent who? How do you know Matt sent him?
Me: Why else would Harvey be asking? It's obviously some kind of setup.
Riley: Maybe this guy just wanted to ask you out? You know, of his own free will?
I pause, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. No, that can't be right. Why would anyone associated with Matthew want to ask me out?
Me: That's ridiculous. Matt hates me, so his little gang of hockey players is probably in that same boat.
Riley: Amber, everything that happened was so long ago. I bet none of his teammates know anything about you.
Amber: So you think Harvey asked me out to ask me out?
Riley: (Laughing emoji)
Riley: You need to get back into the dating scene again, so why not say yes and go have some fun, lawyer.
Amber: (Rolling eyes emoji) I’m not a lawyer yet.
Riley: Just saying, maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions. You might have just scared off a perfectly nice guy.
I put my phone away. A perfectly nice guy who is best friends with Matt? Yeah, right. I don’t believe in coincidences. The evidence is clear in front of me. Maybe I’m stubborn as hell, but I won’t let Matt get away with this one. He’s going too far.
The rest of my shift passes in a blur of sandwich orders and half-hearted small talk. By the time I'm changing out of my apron, Mr. Robinson has left me multiple voicemails saying he needs me at the office as soon as possible. By the time I get to my desk, I've almost managed to push the whole Harvey incident out of my mind.
At the firm, I'm immediately swept up in a whirlwind of activity. Mr. Robinson dumps a stack of files on my desk the moment I walk in. It’s dark out, so panic starts to set in.
“I need these reviewed and summarized by tomorrow morning,” he says, not even bothering with a hello. “And don't forget, we have the Daniels deposition at 3.”
