Renegade Path

“Frank,” he corrected, sliding into the seat next to me. “I didn’t spend much time on the field this year.”

“Uh…” I shot a confused look across the table at Vienna, but she was too busy talking to Doug and Jameson

“So, you’re graduating tomorrow, right?” Frank asked. “I heard you’re number three. Congrats. You excited?”

How’d he know that? I shrugged and half-smiled at Frank. “I guess.”

“Cool.” He grinned and nodded like a happy Golden Retriever puppy.

The guys started talking football and baseball. I tuned them out, focusing on my pizza. Vienna ignored every one of my scowls.

Frank nudged my elbow and leaned in closer. The warmth of his body felt so wrong, I inched away.

“Not into sports?” he said against my ear.

“Not really.” I shrugged and swiped my napkin over my mouth again.

“Got plans for graduation weekend?”

I flicked my gaze across the table. “Vienna’s supposed to have a party.”

“I’m throwing the party.” Doug thumped his chest as if it was some great achievement. “You two can come.”

Ignoring him, I nudged Vienna under the table with my foot. “I need to get home.”

“I can give you a ride,” Frank offered, sliding out of his chair.

“No thanks.” I nudged Vienna with my toe again. I loved her but good God, it was like her brains slid out of her ears any time a boy paid attention to her.

Finally, we made our escape.

“I thought you hated Dougie,” I hissed at her as we walked back to Macy’s.

“I do.” She clasped her hands in front of her, letting her shopping bags slide down her arm. “But I was thinking, wouldn’t it be total revenge if I hooked up with him at his party and then ghosted him after?”

That was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. “Revenge for who? I think he’d be getting exactly what he wants. The only one you’d be screwing over is yourself.”

“So wise, little grasshopper.” She patted my head. “Well, Jameson’s off-limits. He and Chloe just broke up. I don’t want to be that girl.”

“Good.”

“What’d you think of Frankie?” She nudged me with her shoulder again. “He’s really cute.”

I couldn’t even remember a single detail about his appearance.

“He seemed really into you,” she persisted.

“I’m not…I can’t.” I swallowed hard. Date someone else? I couldn’t picture it. Even though the situation seemed bleak, I wasn’t over Roman.

I’d never be over him.

Roman

Now that I was a free man with a job lined up, I needed to get serious about my future.

Our future.

Maybe it was an excuse to delay things, but I fired up my new ride and took the long way to the mall.

Showing up at Juliet’s house empty-handed wasn’t an option.

When I got there, I circled the parking lot twice before going inside. What the fuck do you get your girlfriend when you’re not even sure she’s still your girlfriend? Hallmark probably didn’t sell hey-honey-I’m-not-going-to-prison-still-wanna-be-my-girl cards.

A dazzling display caught my eye. I wandered into one of the mall’s jewelry stores and went straight to the case with the engagement rings.

Under the store’s bright lights, I felt as conspicuous as a flea on white velvet. I shifted and hooked my thumbs in the back pockets of my grubby jeans.

If I wanted to propose, I was gonna need to know how much money I needed to save.

“Looking for a gift for someone special?” the clerk asked me.

“Yeah.” This dude was probably two seconds from calling security on my grungy ass. “I’m, uh, not sure how much…”

He launched into a long speech, explaining more than I’d ever need to know about diamonds—cut, color, clarity. Blah, blah, blah. My gaze wandered over the glittering rows, landing on a small one in the corner. I leaned in closer.

It had a small center diamond with what looked like shimmering leaves fanning out around it. A solid, glittering daisy. “How much is that one?”

“Oh, excellent choice.” He pulled the ring out of the case and held it up in front of me. “The center gem blooms like a spring flower with its glittering leaves.” He wiggled his fingers over the ring like a magician. “Very understated and elegant.”

Understated must’ve been code for “not expensive.”

“She likes daisies and that kind of reminds me of one.”

His face broke into a wide grin. “It’s called the Daisy Duchess.”

“The ring has a name?”

“Oh yes.”

“Well, how much to take her highness home with me?”

He chuckled and named a price.

My eyes bugged.

He leaned in closer. “I can probably get my manager to let me take a little off the price for you.”

“Can I put it on hold?”

“Absolutely.”

I pulled the envelope of money out of my pocket and plucked a crisp hundred-dollar bill out of the stack.

He wrote up a receipt and some paperwork. I stared at the number at the bottom. It could take me most of the summer to earn enough money to pay off the balance.