Chapter 20 #2
For a moment, Nettie couldn’t move. Her feet were glued to the floor, her thoughts a whirlwind. Surely not. Surely Tate hadn’t…
Tiptoeing carefully so as not to wake her napping horde, Nettie slipped out the door and padded after her boss, whispering, “Shhh,” to herself like she could keep the whole world quiet.
“I didn’t want to disturb your class…” her boss murmured when Nettie caught up.
“What’s that?”
“You got flowers.”
“Seriously?”
“I believe you’re Nettie,” her boss teased, chuckling.
Nettie marched forward, heart thumping against her ribs. She turned the bouquet slightly, spotted the little envelope, and plucked the card free. Her fingers trembled as she slid it open.
I’m out of buckeyes – Tate
Her breath caught.
A smile tugged unbidden at her lips, sharp and sweet.
Her heart clenched as if someone had reached in and squeezed it gently.
He wasn’t just sending flowers. He was reminding her of that night.
The ride. Their escape. The simple joy of being somewhere with him, where the rest of the world fell away.
She glanced up at her boss, cheeks warming.
“Leave them in here away from the kids so they stay nice,” she said simply, nodding. “You’ve seemed happier – and I’m happy for you.”
“It’s nothing…”
“That bouquet doesn’t look like nothing.”
“No, it doesn’t – does it?” she whispered, staring at the staggering amount of soft pink rosebuds before her.
Taking a photo, she realized now what he’d meant when he asked if she ‘liked them’.
He thought her text was about the flowers he’d sent her.
Nodding, whispering a nervous thank you, Nettie headed back to her classroom, card still in hand, and took her seat along the wall once more, texting Tate.
The flowers just arrived.
Just now?
Yes.
I see.
Yup.
Well?
Do you like them?
They are stunning, and guess what?
Surprise me.
Her lips curved. She could almost hear his flat, droll voice, but that sparkle in his eyes hid nothing from her anymore.
I know how to make buckeyes from scratch – or we could go for a ride again, if you wanted to…
Guess what?
Surprise me…
I have two tickets waiting for you at Will Call Friday night – if you are interested?
And then the ride?
Game – and then the ride.
Her stomach flipped with anticipation.
Man, that sounds like a date…
It sounds like companionship.
You’ll know when we are dating - I promise.
“Oh crap,” she muttered openly and slapped a hand over her mouth, looking at the children nearby warily.
A few mats rustled, but no one stirred. Relief swept through her.
The last thing she needed was a toddler learning “crap” from Miss Nettie.
Thankfully, none of them noticed, and she was left with her racing thoughts.
What did that mean – you’ll know when we are dating?
And decided to ask him.
So we’re not dating?
You wanted friendship.
I do
Unless you changed your mind?
No – I want friendship.
I could ask you out on a date – if you’re interested in more than friendship.
It’s up to you
Her breath lodged in her throat. The air around her seemed too thick, too still.
They were circling each other, both afraid to step forward, both afraid to name what was already happening between them.
And truthfully? Tate had never just been Gina’s older brother.
He was Gina’s ridiculously hot, grumpy older brother—the one Nettie had harbored a stupid, secret crush on for years. Uh, don’t lie or minimize it, a voice spoke up in her head. He’s excessively hot…
Her phone buzzed again.
I guess we’ll see…
She gaped. “What the heck does that mean?” she whispered, then typed quickly.
The kids naptime is almost over – but what do you mean by ‘we’ll see’?
We’ll see means WE WILL SEE.
I’ll let you get back to work. See you Friday…
“That’s it?” she squeaked in disbelief.
Her fingers flew.
We’ll see about Friday then.
She added a tongue-out emoji for good measure. It was cute, adorable, and took the bite out of her words to make it look like she was flirting with him.
He responded with a row of laughing faces and a thumbs-up. How was this happening? How were they having cutesy text conversations?
Like a couple…
She groaned softly, shoving her phone deep into her pocket before she could text something regrettable. Tate thought he was so clever. So smooth. So… maddening.
He thinks he’s cute.
He thinks he’s smart.
He thinks he can leave me dangling. She railed with her inner voice, venting all the things running through her mind that she couldn’t yell aloud because no one would understand just how infuriating Tate could be sometimes – except Gina.
Nope—this was hers.
She wasn’t telling Gina a word.
This was private. And Nettie was keeping it that way.
Instead of talking about Tate, she pulled out her phone and quickly messaged Gina a simple text to make arrangements.
Friday – Hockey game. Tix at Will Call. You on?
YOU KNOW IT!
Smirking, Nettie smiled.
That was enough to share. Gina didn’t need to know she had no plans on needing a ride back home after the game. Her friend could fawn over her goalie all she wanted, and she would snuggle against her grumpy guy – who claimed they weren’t dating.
“In his dreams,” she chuckled, shaking her head.