She looked as though there were a thousand places she’d rather be and I dreamed of how I might be the one to take her to any one of them.
“Don’t be fooled by her moping act.” I turned and saw Claire by my side. “She was never into Cooper.”
“I think you need to convince her of that,” I argued.
“She’s a smart girl. She’ll figure it out.”
I looked back at Claire’s beautiful best friend through the window and winced.
“It would take a little while for her to get over all of this nonsense on her own, but I think a little help from the right guy could have her over it by tomorrow.”
What was that supposed to mean? Was she encouraging me to go after Payton? “What are you telling me, Claire?”
She took a drink from her glass, peered over the rim at me and then nodded in Payton’s direction. “I’m telling you to be the right guy. Be the one that makes her see that she never cared ‘bout Cooper and she’s mourning something that was never there.”
I was sure I looked like a deer in headlights as I stared at her and I wondered what Jessie would say about all of this. “Why would you encourage me to go after your best friend when I know Jessie has told you about me? I’m not known for being inexperienced.”
“It doesn’t matter what Jessie has said because I’ve seen the way you look at her.”
What could she possibly know about the way I looked at Payton? “And just how do I look at her?”
“The way Jessie looks at me.” A feather could have knocked me over as she described her observations to me. “Like just now when you were watching her through the window, you were smiling and I bet you didn’t even realize it.”
No, I hadn’t realized I was smiling, but I had realized how happy I was to find her.
I was sure that Claire didn’t know about the things Payton and I had discussed last night. Her best friend didn’t want me because of the way I had treated girls in the past and I didn’t blame her. She had no guarantee she wouldn’t become the next unidentifiable number and it was my own stupid fault.
“I asked her out and she turned me down cold.”
“So, you’re gonna accept her first refusal and give up on her, just like that? I didn’t take you for such an easy defeat.”
In no form or fashion was I an easy defeat and I recognized a challenge when I heard one. “No, I hadn’t planned to give up. I just hadn’t made a plan B yet. Since you seem to be so determined I do this, do you have any ideas for me?”
She didn’t hesitate. “It drives me insane but she’s a total textaholic. I think you should send her a cutesy message.”
I shook my head at her. “No way. I don’t do cutesy messages.”
She cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t ask for my advice if you’re not going to take it.”
Yikers, this side of Claire was a little scary. “Okay, I’ll send her a cutesy text,” I relinquished and then realized I had no idea what constituted cutesy. “Explain cutesy.”
“Are you kidding me? Jessie told me you were a ladies’ man. Do you really not know how to woo a girl?”
“I don’t do wooing because I don’t have to.”
“Payton wants and needs someone romantic, so wooing will be a requirement. Be prepared.”
Wooing. What a ridiculous word, but I guessed I could go along with it. “Any more suggestions?”
“Sorry. Here comes Jessie so you’ll have to figure it out on your own.”
7 Is Bullshit One Word or Two?
Payton
I still felt like crap and it really sucked to be a drinking party when you couldn’t drink. I was debating blowing the whole thing off when my phone vibrated with a new text from an unknown. “U look beautiful 2nite.”
My forehead unconsciously wrinkled as confusion and curiosity set in. 555-9143. I didn’t know who the number belonged to but I recognized it as the number for the missed call I had this morning.
I could ignore it, but I was like a cat too curious for its own good. “How would U no?
My phone vibrated. “Cuz I CU.”
Okay, I didn’t know if I should feel flattered or creeped out, but I was leaning more toward creeped out. “Who is this?”
A few seconds later, “Saint Nick,” appeared on my phone.
A smile crept across my face when I remembered calling him that last night. I also vaguely remembered something about him telling me he didn’t like it and I wondered why he was so touchy.
I looked up from my phone to scan for him, but he wasn’t in the kitchen so I slid off the countertop and walked into the living room. No luck. He could see me, but wasn’t making an appearance, so that meant he was hiding from me.
I quickly texted back,“Where RU Stalker?”
I continued looking around the house as I waited for his next text.
Buzz. “Outside.”
I never liked hide and seek. I went outside to the backyard and didn’t see him anywhere. I made my rounds through the crowd of people until I passed the pool and still didn’t find him. He wanted to be chased, but I wasn’t into that kind of thing and he had wasted enough of my time.
“Don’t CU. I’m leaving.” I hit the send button.
My phone quickly beeped and vibrated again. “Front of house.”
Yeah, I thought he’d get more specific if I threatened to leave. Guys were so predictable and like putty in girls’ hands.
Rather than go back through the house and come out the front door where he expected, I walked around the side of the house so I could catch him off guard; just the way I wanted him. I was all about equality. If he could spy on me, I could spy on him.
I found him casually leaning against a column on the front of the house as he waited for me to come through the front door to meet him. He tried to look nonchalant with his arms folded across his chest but he was entirely unsuccessful because there could never be anything casual about how sexy he was.
I huffed at my inner thoughts and mentally slapped my own hand. Gah! Why did I have to be so attracted to this guy? He was a street racing man-whore and I’m sure the only future he looked forward to was his next race and his next lay.
The music was loud so he didn’t hear me sneak up behind him and I couldn’t resist the urge to goose him so I reached out and poked my finger right into that ticklish spot everyone has on their ribs. “Here I am! Now what are your other two wishes?”