10. Chapter 10
Sadie
Alyssa twirled around, displaying a blue dress. “How about this one?”
“It’s nice,” I said, looking up from the chair in the mall.
“I don’t want nice. I want drop dead gorgeous.”
“Then that’s it.” I was so bored. Glad to be here, but bored.
“Nope. I can tell by your face.” She went back into the dressing room. I’d better look really happy with the next one or we were never going to leave.
Cole came over and sat in the chair next to me. “Are you ready?”
“Nope.”
“Wow, really? I was looking around for over an hour.”
“Yeah, I guess she’s waiting for me to get really excited. I’m ready to jump up and down with joy no matter what the next one looks like.”
I’d hated asking Cole to bring us to the mall, but we didn’t have a car. The fact that we were taking up more of his time now made me feel even more guilty.
Alyssa walked out in a purple dress. I jumped up and covered my mouth with my hands. “Yes! That’s the one!”
She smiled. “You think so?”
“It’s perfect!”
She turned, and my smile slipped. The back dipped almost to her waist. “Nope!” I said. “Absolutely not.”
She glared at me. “Come on. It’s high in the front.”
“No way. I’m not paying for that.”
She smiled. “Cole is.”
I looked at Cole, and he held his hands up. “I gave Sadie the money. She can do whatever she wants with it.”
I appreciated that more than I wanted to admit.
“The first dress you tried on was perfect,” I said. “I didn’t realize you were waiting for my reaction. I was trying to have the same expression for each dress so you would choose what you like.”
“Ugh. Then I want the first one I tried on.”
“Great, go change.”
She went back to the dressing room, and I let out a long breath. “I hate shopping.”
Cole smiled. “Maybe you should buy the purple dress for yourself. You’d rock it.”
I glared at him and ignored the flutter that followed. Compliments didn’t mean anything. Not when they came attached to a deal.
He chuckled. “I was joking. But you’d definitely get noticed.”
I paid for the dress, and we went back to Cole’s car. Alyssa had talked about how expensive the car was the entire drive. We’d have to talk about not doing that when we were alone.
When we got home, Cole followed us into our apartment. He’d done us a favor, so I couldn’t tell him to leave.
“Do you want to stay for dinner?” Alyssa asked. I cringed inside. I’d been planning on mac and cheese. Out of the box. My brain took a tally of what was in our cupboards, and it wasn’t much.
“Sure,” he said, sitting on the sofa. “Do you need help cooking it?”
“Nope,” Alyssa said. “You and Sadie can cuddle on the couch, and I’ll do all the cooking. Just let me put this dress away.” She went into her room.
Cole looked up at me. “We have your sister’s blessing. Ready to cuddle?”
I snorted. “You wish.”
He winked. “I kind of do.”
I crossed my arms, ignoring the tickle in my stomach. “I think you just want me to react.”
“Maybe. It’s fun to see you get flustered.”
“You don’t… fluster me.” I knew it was a lie, and from his grin, so did he. I refused to examine why my pulse said otherwise.
We sat in awkward silence. At least I did. It all probably entertained Cole.
Alyssa came back in and sat on the rocking chair. “Water’s boiling.” She glanced at me. “Sit, Sadie. You look stiff. You guys aren’t fighting, are you?”
“Of course not,” I said, sitting next to Cole. He put his arm lightly around my shoulders.
Alyssa’s mouth turned down. “Sadie looks uncomfortable. I think you’re fighting and you don’t want to tell me.”
I wasn’t sure, but I might have seen a small twinkle in Alyssa’s eyes. As soon as I spotted it, it was gone.
“Definitely uncomfortable,” she said. “You have the same look you had when Peter Tomlin kissed you.”
“Oh my heck, Alyssa, I do not.”
“You totally do.”
“I’m just tired. Go make sure your water isn’t boiling over.”
She rolled her eyes and went back to the kitchen.
Cole grinned. “Tell me about Peter Tomlin.”
I shuddered. “I tried to block it out.”
“That bad?”
“Yep.”
“And I make you have the same expression?”
I smiled. “I’m not sure. I didn’t see my expression either time.”
“So you want to make out while we’re waiting? Just so you can compare me to poor Peter?”
“I did not make out with him. He kissed me and it lasted about two seconds.”
His eyes sparkled. Great. He liked to tease. That was all I needed. I wondered what he would do if I took him up on it. I wouldn’t, but it might be funny.
“I think Alyssa suspects something,” he said quietly.
“No way.”
“She senses you don’t like me.”
“Why would she think that? She knows I wouldn’t marry someone I didn’t like… in theory.”
He laughed and pulled me closer. “Help me sell this.”
I leaned against him, putting my head awkwardly on his shoulder. It didn’t feel natural.
“Not a prankster, huh?” he asked.
“What do you mean?”
“This is like the craziest prank of all time. We have to fool a lot of people. I’m not sure you’re up for it.”
“And you are?”
“I have six siblings. Of course I’m up for it.”
“I can pull a prank.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”
“Probably better than you.”
He chuckled. “Doubtful.”
“Alyssa?” I called.
She peeked in. “Yeah?”
“Cole thinks I can’t pull a prank.”
Alyssa shivered. “Poor Cole. You shouldn’t have said that, now she’ll make you a target.”
He laughed. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yep. Watch your toilet seat. In fact, don’t give her a key to your place, and hide anything you love.”
I smiled.
“That bad?” Cole asked.
Alyssa nodded. “Grandma told her she was going to kick her out if she didn’t stop pranking us all the time.”
Cole looked at me, and I shrugged. “I’ve matured.”
Alyssa giggled. “No, you just got busy and boring after Grandma died.”
That might have been it. I used to be fun and outgoing, and now I had too many responsibilities.
“I bet I can out-prank you,” Cole said.
I felt a slow grin break out across my face.
Alyssa groaned. “Now you’ve done it. And just for the record, this is between the two of you. Leave me out of it.”
“It’s on,” I said.
He gave me his killer smile. “You’re going down, sweetheart.”
I sat up tall and turned to him. “That’s what you think.” I grabbed his head and pulled him to me, kissing him like I meant it.
Alyssa made a gagging sound, and I heard her retreat to the kitchen.
He hesitated just long enough for me to think I’d shocked him, then his arms came around me. This was supposed to shock him into… I wasn’t sure what. But it hadn’t. He was kissing me like he wanted to. Calling my bluff?
I don’t lose when it comes to things like this. No one was going to think this was a fake relationship. I might have gotten rusty, but now we were doing this. I moved even closer and told myself I wasn’t enjoying this. I was only proving my point. Who cared how warm and inviting his lips were?
Everything in me knew I was a liar. Cole Hart could kiss. My heart had picked up speed, and I hoped he didn’t notice. His mouth moved with mine, and I knew I had to stop because if I didn’t, I wasn’t sure what would happen next.
I pulled back and smiled. “Don’t challenge me. I always win.” That’s what I said, but I was the one trying to catch my breath.