Piper raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “Ollie.”
I fought the need to roll my eyes. “Fine. I just felt like you needed another friendly reminder not to show up tonight.”
What Piper failed to realize last night was that I could read her like a fucking book. Her sudden agreement after I told her not to come to the races raised some serious red flags. She didn’t back down easily, and I saw the motive right behind her eyes.
“I already told you I wasn’t coming.”
I laughed. “And I’m honestly surprised you thought I bought that.”
A small puff of air flew out of her mouth as she stormed past me, all but ignoring that I was right. I chuckled the entire way down the alleyway, following after her. The tightness in my chest from walking down the narrow path to the side doors was hard to miss, but as soon as we were inside, the tightness lessened.
“Did you really think I bought it?” I asked, swooping in behind her, shooting my words down her neck.
Piper jerked out of the way, flipping her red hair over her shoulder. “You should have. I’m having a girls’ night with Hayley. Go ahead! Text and ask her!” I stood back and watched as Piper began pulling her hair up into a bun on top of her head. She hastily walked over to a tall cabinet, smiling briskly at the other volunteers who were eyeing me suspiciously, and pulled out something from a small box. She was back in front of me within a second, holding out a net.
“What’s this?” I asked, taking it from her hand.
She rolled her eyes, clearly not pleased. “It’s a hairnet. If you’re going to hound me, you might as well do it while passing out food. Put it on.”
Piper didn’t give me a chance to argue; she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me standing in a room with a bunch of strangers.
I sighed, slipping the stupid net onto my head. I don’t remember having to wear this years ago.
After walking down the hall and entering a giant room full of people, I spotted Piper. My heart came to a sudden stop because she was simply glowing. She looked adorable, scooping out mashed potatoes with a giant ladle into Styrofoam containers. Her cheeks were flushed, and her smile was wide. Something in my heart tugged, and before I knew it, I was standing right beside her.
“Well,” she said, glancing at me between patrons, “grab a ladle and help.”
My tongue darted out to lick my lips as I followed her instructions like a lost puppy. Piper could have j
ust told me to cut my arm off, and I probably would have done it.
After filling several rounds of Styrofoam containers, not speaking to one another, things began to slow. The people coming in were few and far between, and when I glanced up at the clock hanging across the room, my jaw fell.
“Jesus, fuck. It’s 11:30?”
Piper laughed. “Times flies when you’re having fun.” She stepped back and pulled the hairnet off her head.
I did the same, shoving it in the back pocket of my jeans. “I mean, I wouldn’t really consider this fun, but time did fly.” I shrugged. “I really just came to give you a little in-person reminder to not come tonight, but somehow you roped me into feeding the homeless.”
She rolled her eyes again but not before I caught the tiny glimpse of a smile. “I told you; I’m not coming. In fact…” Piper pulled out her cell phone, walking back to the far wall, away from the food line. I followed after her, my eyes tracing her backside in the faded jeans she was wearing. “You can read the text between Hayley and me about our girls’ night tonight.”
I leaned my shoulder on the wall, waiting patiently as she scanned her phone. Panic set in when her mouth fell open and she flicked those vivid green eyes in my direction. “Did you…” Piper was stunned. Her mouth was hanging open as she looked down to her phone and then back to me.
Pushing off the wall, I asked, “Did I what?”
“Did you threaten Cole?!” Piper’s voice was rising with anger, and I snapped my mouth shut. Shit. “Ollie!”
“What?” I asked innocently. “Did he say I threatened him?” He couldn’t even keep his mouth shut. Bad seed, that one.
Her fingers flew over her phone before she gave me a glare. “I’m going to kill you. He told Andrew!”
I played stupid. “He told Andrew that I threatened him?”
Somehow, a million emotions flew over her soft features within one quick second. “He told Andrew about me being at the races!” Her eyes clenched, and she dropped her head. “Fuck!”
“Who cares if your cousin knows?” I asked.
Her jade eyes were somehow even greener when they flew open. “He’ll tell his parents, and then they’ll tell mine.”