I bit the inside of my cheek. I knew when he was lying. There was most definitely a reason he was asking. But I’d let it go for now.
He swallowed, then asked, “Do you think if you actually liked me our parents would let you hang in my room all the time?”
“Uh, no. Definitely not. Although it’s not like my parents are paying much attention to anything I do these days.”
“That would suck.”
I nodded my agreement and grinned. “You better keep all those feelings you harbor for me deep down to yourself, so I don’t get banned.” I wiggled my eyebrows and he laughed.
CHAPTER SIX
I popped into The Bean at precisely three thirty. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans hit me as I approached the counter and took a cursory glance around the small coffee shop. I didn’t see Carson anywhere. He mustn’t have arrived yet, and I hoped he wouldn’t be late since it was a Sunday and they closed early. I had agreed to meet him since he was finishing up some kind of swim team gathering. With a lot of foot traffic year-round, The Bean was the perfect location for the Angel Tree. It would get the most exposure there, and I wasn’t hating the idea of working on it inside the confines of the little coffee shop. It was warm and cozy with its neutral color scheme, ambient lighting, and the nutty aroma of their on-site roasted java. Not to mention, I didn’t hate the excuse to enjoy a gingerbread latte.
Maddie was working the counter, handing a customer their change and a cup of coffee as I walked up. I put my hand up in a little wave.
“Hey, girl,” Maddie said. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. Just meeting someone here,” I said, unsure of why I was being evasive. It’s not like she wasn’t going to see me with him.
“Oh, who’s the boy? Is he cute? Someone from school?” Maddie’s eyes glittered with interest.
I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “I don’t know. Cute is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. It’s Carson Brooks.”
“Definitely not cute then, because he’s a total hottie.”
Was he hot? I supposed if you considered annoying boys with broad shoulders and muscular arms hot.
An image of him as we stood toe-to-toe on his porch flickered in my head, and my cheeks caught fire as I remembered the way his long-sleeved shirt clung to his chest. I bet his abs were hard as concrete from all that swimming.
Did I really just think that?
I grunted a noncommittal response, then ordered a gingerbread latte. As Maddie got to work on my drink, she glanced up at me from behind the espresso machine. “Are you guys working on the Angel Tree thing?”
I groaned. “You heard about that, too?”
“Has anyone not heard about that?” She laughed and flicked her long hair out of her face.
“I’m going down as the crazy girl who tried to choke someone, aren’t I?”
“In truth? Most of the girls, except for the MG’s, think it was pretty awesome. I mean, the boy pummeled you with the ball and you fought back. It was savage. Now, the boys, on the other hand. . .” She trailed off as she scrunched her nose.
Great. “Fabulous. Because I totally wanted to be single my entire senior year,” I said, taking my coffee from her.
There was time for dating in college, I mused. New school. New boys.
What was I saying? They wouldn’t all be new boys. Carson and I may be going to the same school. How weird was that?
I took a hesitant sip of my latte, careful not to burn myself as the chimes on the door behind me rang. I turned just in time to see Carson stroll inside like he owned the place. When his gaze caught mine, he gave me a head nod, before saying hi to Maddie.
“See? So hot,” Maddie muttered under her breath
, and I glanced back at her with a frown.
When Carson stopped beside me, he shoved his hands in his pockets and asked, “You ready?”
“Don’t you want coffee?” Maddie asked. “I can make you something extra sweet,” she drawled.
I blinked over at her, amazed at her transformation from friendly to vixen. She leaned over the counter, ample cleavage on full display as she fluttered her lashes.