“What do you and Cade talk about, Tasha?” Meanness flashed in his eyes. I took the opening rather than defend Cade to this asshole.
“We don’t talk much.” I resisted the urge to punch the air when one of Tony’s eyes twitched. Wasn’t that like a cheater? He didn’t want me to have anyone else, even though he’d banged half the girls I knew while we were dating. “I prefer to spend our time on oral therapy.” Immature, but I said those last two words slowly.
On that zinger I strutted away from my ex-boyfriend, knowing that the idea of me with another man bothered him all the way down to his Italian loafers. My strut continued out of the school, across the lawn, and into my final class for the day. Nothing like standing up to the person who’d wronged you in the first place.
Until you run into his current girlfriend.
Dianna lingered by the fountain, taking advantage of a bright, sunshine-filled day by doing her homework outside. I guessed that’s what she was doing. She was bent over papers, the wind blowing them and kicking her dark hair over her face.
I picked up the pace and darted by, not wanting her to see me. I had mentally cut her down as a dwarfish petite girl with giant googly eyes, but the inner, less confident me inventoried her body and compared it to my own and found her inching ahead.
One “session” with Cade in front of his mirror hadn’t been enough to completely vanquish that demon. I shook it off and went to class.
Things went well considering I hated my teacher, there was a pop quiz, and Carrie (former friend) was in class as well. I had no idea why we weren’t friends. She hadn’t slept with Tony and wasn’t close with my other friends who had. But after the breakup, she and I quit speaking. Sort of mutually. Or whatever.
I liked to think I didn’t care, but sometimes I did in spite of myself.
On the way to my car, I received a text. I was halfway down the sidewalk again and foolishly feared that Tony was now texting me instead of merely accosting me on campus.
Instead, the two words on my screen, and the guy they were from, made my heart soar.
I’m here.
I lifted my head to look around when a honk drew my attention to the right. There Cade sat, in his car. The top was off, and his elbow was leaning on the open window, his sunglasses perched on his nose. His arm tattoos and a wicked, delicious grin drew me closer.
He got out of the car and ambled over. I met him halfway, looking over his shoulder to admire his car. “So she runs now?”
“Blue 2,” he introduced, with only the slightest hesitation over the B.
“Well, she suits you.”
He slid his fingers into the front pockets of his jeans in an adorably self-conscious way. My heart fluttered.
“T-take you out?” he asked.
“On a…um…On a date?” My chest tightened at the sweet offer.
He nodded.
“Oh, um…” Somehow the idea of hanging out at his house seemed safer. The idea of not dating seemed safer.
His eyebrows lowered to the edge of his sunglasses. I took that to mean he was frustrated. And really, what did I care if we went on a date? Soon I’d be graduating and helping Cade speak would be behind me. I assumed…Well. I didn’t assume anything, to be totally honest. I was trying not to think beyond our next therapy session.
Or our next kiss.
“All right,” I said. “I have to swing by my dad’s house first. Where can I meet you?”
I’d received a check to refund an overage my father had paid, and since he had written that check, I needed to get it to him. I might as well make a quick stop. Especially since I knew he wouldn’t be home. He’d mentioned his meeting ended after a dinner tonight, so stopping by without him there held extra incentive.
Hands stuffed in his pockets, Cade continued giving me an impish smile.
“What?” I asked through a laugh.
He licked his lips, and I found myself wanting his kiss. I didn’t get one, though, and I wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that we were on campus.
“Aren’t you going to tell me where to meet you?” I asked.
He shook his head, a definite no.
“F-follow you,” he said, and climbed behind the wheel.