Chapter 2 #2
“I know,” I said, then went all rom-com wedding on him. “But take comfort from the Corinthians! Love is patient, right?”
“Mmm,” Henry mused. “Yes, unless…”
“Unless what?” I asked, something flipping in me when Henry’s brown eyes brightened. What he was about to suggest would either be brilliant or brilliantly stupid—
“Will you go out with me?”
Okay, or just plain absurd.
My water went down the wrong pipe. “Oh my god,” I said after I’d coughed my way to recovery. “Did you seriously just ask me to go out with you?”
Color creeped up Henry’s neck. “Yes, Sabrina, but I don’t mean it like that…”
“How do you mean it, Hank?” I asked, confused. He’d been wallowing over Ellie five seconds ago.
Henry shot me a stone-faced look. “You know I hate ‘Hank.’”
“That’s a shame,” I said dryly. “Because I think it has a certain je ne sais quoi—especially if we’re going to start dating. Nicknames would really sell it.”
“Exactly.” Henry snapped his fingers. “We wouldn’t actually be in a relationship; we’d be selling one.”
Oh, I thought. Henry didn’t want to mix business with pleasure—he wanted to start another business.
“You want to pretend,” I deduced. “You want to make Ellie jealous.”
“Jealous sounds half-baked,” Henry said. “I thought we’d spin it as us helping her realize who she truly loves.”
“And you think us dating will accomplish that?”
Henry nodded.
I took a beat to think, blinking hard as I imagined Henry’s fingers lacing through mine and tugging me toward him for a—
“Okay, no,” I blurted, fueled by a sudden hot pulse. “No way, no thank you, absolutely not.”
“Really?” Henry slowly raised an eyebrow. “Absolutely not?” He held my gaze until I started squirming—something in my gut requesting I reconsider.
Or at least help him realize how flimsy this scheme was.
“What would be in it for me?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest as if to hide my hammering heart. “Beyond potentially watching you reunite with the love of your life.”
For all of three seconds, I thought I’d stumped him.
But then a stupid smirk spread across his face.
“Two words,” Henry said. “Griff Keeler.”
I felt my face warm but rolled my eyes.
Henry didn’t buy it. “You have a crush on him,” he continued. “I know you do, Holly.”
“At least half of Essex Harbor has a crush on him,” I countered. Not only was Griffin Keeler incredibly handsome, but he was also friendly, funny, and a glass-half-full guy—so damn delightful that girls were powerless against his grin.
And girlfriend or no girlfriend, he was a huge flirt.
“He thinks you’re cool,” Henry said. “Cute, too.”
“He does?” I semi-squeaked. Griff and I weren’t really friends at school, but we were pretty close from cater-waitering. He hung out with Henry and me after work and sometimes visited the hot shop. “When did he say that?”
“It was a tangent during a tutoring session.” Henry gave me a look. “Honestly, being with someone—well, in this case, being with me—might put you on his radar.”
“He’s still more or less with Libby,” I pointed out. “Spring break in Scottsdale, remember?”
“Yeah, and he came back lovesick because he got a maybe for prom,” Henry reminded me. “Griff Keeler wants what he can’t have.”
Hmm…
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the couch cushions, thinking about Griff.
I wouldn’t say I had an all-consuming, overwhelming, can’t-eat-or-sleep crush on him, but I was far from immune to his charm—and I liked the layer beneath said charm.
I would never forget a couple of months ago, he’d stopped me in the hallway and asked for a favor.
“Next week is the anniversary of my grandpa’s death,” he confided.
“And Gram is in rough shape right now. I want to surprise her with flowers, but none of the florist’s vases are special enough.
” He glanced away for half a second, as if nervous.
“Would you be able to blow something one of a kind for her?”
The project had taken a full weekend, and it was the first time Griff and I hung out alone together.
He’d been there every step of the process—from the initial sketch to blowing the vase to setting it in the annealer—and, later, his grandmother had commissioned three identical vases for her children.
Who needs Simon Pearce? she’d written in an unexpected thank-you note. You are going places, Audrey!
“Come on,” Henry tried, his voice a little hoarse. “What do you say?”
I snuck a peek at him from beneath my lowered lids. He looked hopeful, yet also full of despair.
Eh, what’s the worst-case scenario? I wondered. You and Henry discover you’re the worst couple ever and stage a dramatic breakup?
That didn’t sound not fun…
Although I wasn’t sure it was worth the risk.
Henry and I were strictly friends, but what Ellie saw in him wasn’t a secret.
I got it, and even I’d felt the pull into Henry Chen’s orbit.
Not six hours after agreeing to partner on Golightly Glass, I’d run into him at the bookstore; he was buying a guide to glassblowing.
“You should watch Blown Away instead,” I advised after he explained he wanted to immerse himself in the glass world.
“It’s a glassblowing competition on Netflix.
” I couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s a great introduction to glassblowing and also extremely entertaining. ”
In typical Henry fashion, he still bought the book, and late that night, he called me. “May I come over tomorrow?” he asked. “I finished season one and really think I can blow something…”
So much glass ended up on the floor that day, but I hadn’t laughed so hard in—well, ever. To quote many a Minted Christmas card, Henry made everything feel merry and bright. I suddenly couldn’t imagine the hot shop without him in it.
Luckily, I’d set myself straight before hearts filled my eyes—He’s with Ellie!
They’re perfect together!—but now he wasn’t with Ellie and nothing meant more to me than our friendship and business partnership.
If we pretended to date, what would happen when all was said and done?
Would we go back to being best friends? Or would this make things… different?
Maybe even weird?
I didn’t know, and I didn’t like that.
So I sucked in a deep breath, then said: “One month.”
“One month?” he asked. “One month what?”
“You can ask me again in a month,” I told him, then shrugged. “You can’t get over Ellie too quickly.”
Henry’s lips slowly twitched up in a smile. “Good point,” he said, and if he suspected I was stalling, he didn’t let on.
TONIGHT MARKED FOUR WEEKS SINCE HENRY had suggested our fauxmance, and I was embarrassed I remembered without any reminders from him or my calendar.
What does that say about me? I wondered as I folded napkins and arranged silverware.
That I think Henry’s idea is such lunacy it’s unforgettable?
Or that it actually does have some merit?
Hmm.
Thankfully, the welcome party distracted me.
After service, per usual, all the high school workers left Wicklow and drove over to Hamburger Hill.
On a side street off Essex’s main drag and open till midnight, the diner was decorated with Beatles memorabilia.
Paul, John, George, and Ringo bobbleheads greeted us at the hostess podium, Technicolor–pop art portraits decorated the walls, and every time I ordered coffee, it came in a different themed mug.
My favorite was the yellow submarine. Thankfully, the old-fashioned jukebox played more than just Beatles songs.
“Hey, gang!” Heather, the owner, called from behind the counter. “Good night?”
“The bride and groom are made for each other!” Ellie called back, as I said, “The bride is going to eat the groom alive!”
“But the truffle mac and cheese was electric,” Griff added.
Heather shook her head and smiled. “Sit anywhere you like.”
Henry chose a big booth with a Union Jack painted on the tabletop.
While I wanted to sit next to Griff, to feel his arm or leg accidentally brush against mine, I ended up sandwiched between Henry and Jared.
Jared, Mia, and Kenzie—all finishing up their junior year—were the Constellation rookies.
Mia needed to work on her eye contact (or lack thereof), Jared had to control his Super Bowl–level enthusiasm, and, per Commander Mel, Kenzie needed to stop inserting herself into guests’ conversations.
Across the table, Mia and Kenzie were all too happy to flank Griff, and Ellie took the outermost spot.
She was feverishly texting someone—Chase, I guessed—but looked up from her phone once Henry flagged down a server.
“Please tell us you haven’t run out of salmon burgers! ” Griff said by way of greeting.
“Salmon burgers?” I asked, caught off guard. Griff never wavered from Hamburger Hill’s bacon cheeseburger.
“Yeah.” Griff nodded. “Mia told me she doesn’t do red meat.”
Next to him, Mia beamed.
She was in luck, and our milkshakes and burgers arrived about twenty minutes later. “Can I have one of your fries?” Kenzie asked Griff, whose chili cheese fries took up half his plate. She blushed when he gave her permission to have more than one.
“Not to bring the mood down,” he added, dramatically clearing his throat, “but I have a little announcement.”
“You’re getting the Camaro repainted?” Henry guessed. “You’ve realized the orange is heinous?”
The table laughed. “Chen, I don’t have that kind of money,” Griff said, then shook his head. “No, I wanted to let you all know that Libby isn’t going to make prom.”
“Oh, Griff…” Ellie, Kenzie, and Mia chorused as everything around me turned to white noise.
Libby isn’t going to make prom.
“Which means I’m in desperate need of a date,” Griff continued before my heart could burst out in song. His eyes twinkled. “Let me know if you have any suggestions, okay?”
Under the table, I felt Henry’s knee nudge mine. He didn’t say anything, but I could hear his voice in my head: If you don’t do something soon, you might miss your chance…