Chapter 7
Maverick
I climbed into Jory’s big truck, smirking at Damon’s reaction. He really wasn’t happy to see his prank backfire so spectacularly. I’d have to thank Jamie for his brilliant idea to go along with the matchmaking.
Jory jogged around the truck and climbed in. “I hope it’s okay we’re going out of town?”
“Sure,” I said, tugging my phone out. “But I’m going to text some friends to make sure I don’t end up dead in a ditch.”
He chuckled. “Fair. I just couldn’t stand another night in this tiny town, you know?”
“Riverton isn’t that much bigger.”
Our high schools were rivals because they were in the same division.
“It’s just the vibe,” Jory said. “Granville is so quaint, with its cutesy business names. Riverton is more…”
“Gritty?” I suggested. Riverton was an industrial town, with a big factory near the river and a warehouse district.
“Lively,” Jory said.
“Ah, yes. They do have more of a nightlife.”
I’d hit the clubs there a few times, until my priorities changed. Hooking up with strangers was a good way to blow off steam, but commuting for overpriced drinks and orgasms got old. I wanted to build a life with someone.
Besides, I liked Granville. What it lacked in clubs, it made up for in shopping. I should know. One of those cutesy business names was mine.
I shot off a quick message to my group chat with Jamie and Silas.
Maverick:
My first date is Jory. He’s taking me to a club in Riverton.
Jamie:
Jory is that hottie on the landscaping crew, right? OMG, you’re so lucky. Have fun!
Silas:
But send an SOS if you need us to call and give you a reason to end the date early.
Maverick:
Thanks. I think I’ll be all right.
Jamie:
Better than all right!
Jory slanted a look my way as I shifted to pocket my phone. “Did I pass the friend test?”
“Oh, it’s way too early to figure that out,” I teased.
He laughed good-naturedly. “Fair. I guess I better stay on good behavior a while longer then.”
“So, where are you from?” I asked to pass the time on the trip to Riverton. It wasn’t a long drive—about fifty minutes. But I figured once we got to the club, talking wouldn’t be that easy.
“I’m from Omaha. Hoping to get back there soon, actually.”
“Oh, yeah?”
So much for a love match. There wasn’t much point in getting to know Jory if he had one foot out of town already. I’d worked too hard to open Rainbow Garden to abandon it. Besides, my whole family lived in Granville.
I liked its quaintness. It got a little claustrophobic sometimes, what with everyone in everyone’s business, but I knew from my time at a state university in Omaha that I didn’t like the anonymity of a larger city.
“A buddy of mine tipped me off about an opening on the crew in Granville,” Jory continued. “I needed a job, but between you and me, I also needed a little distance from my clingy ex.”
Clingy.
Jory was just full of red flags, wasn’t he?
“Well, I guess you don’t need to worry about me being clingy,” I said lightly. “Not if you’re leaving Granville soon.”
He grinned. “I guess not.”
“Why’d you do this matchmaking thing?” I asked. “If you’re not planning to stick around?”
“Oh, well, I’m new in town, and Iola can be very persuasive.”
I laughed. “That’s an understatement.”
“She was a little scary, actually, and my boss told me that I shouldn’t fight the inevitable.”
“Was that Wes or Beck?” I asked.
“Wes,” he said. “But his husband was right there, nodding along.”
Funny. It was the first time I’d heard someone refer to Beck as Wes’s husband first. Usually people still called them the stepbros.
They’d stirred up quite a bit of gossip when everyone found out they got married in Vegas, but in the end, they were one of us and nearly the whole dang town had turned out for their renewed vows when they got properly married again at home.
Because Granville was a family. Something Jory didn’t appreciate.
“Anyway, if you weren’t just looking for a good time, I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t intend to mislead.”
“That’s okay,” I said. “My arm was twisted a little too. My neighbor set me up as a prank.”
“Your neighbor who was crazy jealous back there?”
“Oh, he wasn’t jealous,” I said with a laugh as we pulled into a lot in front of a place called Equinox. “He was just mad that I seemed happy to be going on a date.”
Jory looked skeptical. “If you say so. I figured you two had hooked up before or something. The way he looked at you…”
My heart skipped. “What do you mean?”
“That man is hungry,” Jory said. “And I’m pretty sure his mouth was watering for you.”
I reached for my door handle, shaking my head. “You’re trouble, Jory. I can tell already.”
He laughed. “I just call it like I see it.”
“Uh-huh. Well. Damon is straight, so…”
He raised an eyebrow. “And we all know straight men never get curious, right?”
I rolled my eyes and hopped out of the truck. “Shut up and buy me a drink before you give me ideas I really don’t need in my head.”
Monday evening, I met Silas and Jamie for our regular Happy Hour at Taco Loco.
They were on me like sharks on blood the second I sat down at the table.
“Well?” Jamie asked, wiggling in his chair.
“How’d the date go?” Silas asked, as if I wouldn’t know what Jamie was after.
I shrugged. “It was okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?” Jamie said, sounding disappointed.
“I knew that matchmaking business would be a bunch of crap,” Silas said so loudly I was worried the whole restaurant would hear him. Luckily, they had the music blasting as per usual and no one looked at us. “What did he do?”
“He didn’t do anything bad,” I said. “We just aren’t right for each other. He doesn’t want to stay in Granville, and he’s just looking for some fun.”
“Fun is better than love anyway,” Silas said. “Did you hook up?”
“Silas!” Jamie smacked his arm.
“What? We’re all consenting adults here.” Silas scooped up some chunky guacamole on his chip and took a bite. “If Mav wants to share with the class, he can.”
“There’s nothing to share,” I said.
Not that I would, anyway. That was more Silas’s style, though he’d been rather quiet on that front lately.
“We danced at the club. It was fun. But once we got there, it was pretty obvious I’m not really Jory’s type. He’s into more masc guys. Just one more reason we weren’t meant to be.”
“That’s so disappointing,” Jamie said. “But you can’t really expect to find your dream man on the first try, right?”
“I guess not.” My mind drifted back to Damon’s reaction, and I smirked. “At least I got to rub it in Damon’s face.”
“He didn’t like it, huh?” Silas said, a speculative look on his face.
“No.” I laughed. “He was so gobsmacked when Jory came up the walk. His eyes nearly fell out of his head.”
“At least you guys can end this pranking now,” Jamie said. “You got him back without actually doing anything.”
“Maybe,” I murmured. “He did seem rattled.”
“Serves him right,” Silas said. “That guy has been nothing but a dick to you.”
I fought the urge to defend Damon. He had been a dick ever since he moved in. I’d complained to Silas and Jamie about it nonstop ever since.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jory had said. About Damon eating me up with his eyes. Or about the fact that the living room light in Damon’s place had been on when I got home after one a.m. Saturday night.
Damon never stayed up much past ten, not with the early hours he kept. Not even on the weekends.
Damon might have stayed up in the hopes he could get back at me for going on the date in the first place. Maybe he thought he could interrupt my goodnight kiss and sabotage the end of the night.
Or maybe…just maybe, my asshole neighbor—the thorn in my side for the past two years—had waited up to make sure I got home safe.
And if he did, then what the hell did that mean?