Page 39 of The Spider Queen
“A little,” I fibbed. “I went for a drive. Blew off all my classes. Took some time for me.”
“Good.” She nodded. “That’s good. I think you’ve been working too hard. I think it’s getting to you.”
Latching on to that idea, I felt a twinge of guilt as I nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right.”
“It’s okay to have fun, you know? Don’t work yourself into the ground. Enjoy your time with Hunter tonight.”
I grinned. “I will.”
She looked at my ratty T-shirt and jeans. “You’re not wearing that, are you?”
Chapter 13
“It’s a quarter to seven,” I said to Anita.
She looked up from her phone screen. “Guys are always late.”
“Forty five minutes late? Not Hunter. He’s not the type.”
“He’s probably standing in front of the mirror fixing his hair just to make sure it’s perfect for you.”
“He doesn’t seem like the overly primping type,” I said.
“Then what’s your theory?”
“He blew me off.”
“What? That’s crazy! He’s clearly into you. And you guys slept together last night!”
“Not really,” I reminded her. “We actually justslept. He probably thought about how much of a head case I am and decided I wasn’t worth the effort.”
Her eyes saddened. “Poppy—”
“This is why this shit never works,” I said, my voice hard. “You let someone in and then they can hurt you.” I waved a hand down my body. “I actually made an effort.”
“And you look amazing! This is bullshit. I’m calling Jonah!”
“Hold up.” I grabbed the phone from her and held onto it. “What good would that do?”
“Um, get us some information. Like where he is?” She stared at me. “You don’t want to know?”
“Of course I do. But I’m not asking your boyfriend. I want to hear from Hunter why he didn’t show.”
“What if he never calls to explain?”
“He will.”
She blinked. “You’re giving him the benefit of the doubt?”
“He let me into his bed last night, didn’t demand that I explain why I was there or ask me to talk about anything. Don’t I owe him a pass?”
“It’s your first date—and he stood you up.”
“Our first date was the night of his house party.”
“Unofficially,” she claimed. “It’s not a date unless he buys you food.”
I shrugged again. “Fine. I won’t argue with you. I’ll give Hunter a chance to explain, but I’m not giving him another chance to date me.”
