Chapter 21
Twenty-One
CHLOE
Ipull out my phone and send Anita and Charlotte a group text.
Taking your advice. Leaving the party. I’m safe. Will check in later :)
I don’t wait for a response but follow Rhoads down the street to his truck.
My fingers tingle at his touch as he helps me up, and for a breath, I second guess whether this is a good idea.
My heart tells my brain to shut up, and I close the door.
I click my seatbelt as Rhoads fiddles with his phone, finally playing a classical song through the stereo.
“Wait. Why do I know this song?”
“This?” Rhoads says, buckling his own seatbelt. “Philip Wesley.”
The pieces click in my mind. “You played this for me in the music wing.”
His eyes brighten in the glow of the streetlights. “Well, to be accurate, you eavesdropped.” Rhoads turns on his lights and eases into the street.
“Fair point.” I cock my head to the side, appraising him.
“What?”
“You, Rhoads Simpson, are quite the puzzle.”
That cracks his face into a wide grin. “Yeah? And have you figured me out yet?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Not even close.”
“Good. So, home?”
The neon clock on the dash glows ten o’clock. My parents aren’t expecting me back until midnight. “It’s early still…” I let my sentence trail off in hopes he’ll fill it in without me having to admit I don’t want to be alone.
“Perfect!” He bangs his hands on the wheel for emphasis, beaming. “You hungry? I have a craving for hash browns. And I heard from an expert source that Peggy’s is the best place to go.”
I can hardly contain myself on the way to Peggy’s. Every so often I catch Rhoads sneaking glances at me. I only know because I keep doing the same thing. Why am I suddenly feeling shy? It’s not like this is a date. But telling off Graham has unlocked something in me.
“Chloe Baker, as I live and breathe!” calls Peggy when we enter. Her smoky voice carries through the whole place.
“Hey, Peggy,” I say.
“How you doin’, hon? Been a while since you been here. Everythin’ okay?” She narrows her dark brown eyes on Rhoads. “This is a different boy than last time.”
“Nothing gets past you, Pegs.” I laugh. Peggy and my parents go way back. I’ve been coming to her diner since I was in diapers. And I may have made this my third home over the summer, after my actual home and Coffee Jungle. “Can we have the table by the back window?”
“Ahh, the most private table.” She winks at Rhoads and my face flames.
“Not what I meant.”
“I got you. Follow me.” She waves us back with the menus.
Rhoads smirks. He’s totally unembarrassed. I want to punch him. Or kiss him.
“I’m just yankin’ your chain, hon. You take whatever table you want. Not much competition tonight.” She gestures to the mostly empty diner. One other couple sits at a small booth on the opposite side of the room, talking in hushed tones.
“You’re on good terms with her,” Rhoads says, gesturing for me to choose a side of the booth.
I shrug. “I used to come here a lot.”
“With The Jeep?” He slides in across from me.
My gaze snaps up to his from where I’ve been pretending to read the menu. I can’t decipher his expression. “Yeah…but even more after we broke up. Turns out hash browns are just as good for healing as they are for celebrating.”
“An equal opportunity food. I like that.”
A few minutes later, Peggy arrives at our table, flicking her gaze between Rhoads and me. “You two need more time?”
Rhoads looks to me.
“Oh, I memorized this menu a long time ago. I’m set. I’ll do my usual, Peggy, thanks.”
“Make that two,” Rhoads says.
Peggy points at Rhoads. “You, my friend, are a brave soul.”
“What does that mean?” He laughs.
“You’ll see,” I say, as Peggy heads to the back to put in our order. She owns the place, but she still waitresses one night a week.
Just to stay sharp, she says. I think she just likes talking to people. And collecting gossip. Internally, I groan at what’s going to be going around town tomorrow about me and Rhoads.
“Do you want this back?” I tug on the leather jacket sleeves.
Rhoads shakes his head. “Keep it until you’re warm.”
“It’s nice.” I snuggle into it. Would it be wrong to pretend to always be cold so I can keep it forever? “Where’d you get it?”
“It’s Jenson’s, actually. I’m just borrowing it for a while. Keeping it safe for him.” Rhoads grabs the container of sugar packets and rearranges them, sorting by type.
For the first time, I notice the letters “JD” embroidered on the shoulder.
“You guys must have been friends a long time. For him to trust you with such a warm jacket.” I zip it up to my chin.
“Since we were babies. Our moms met at a play group, and we’ve been friends ever since. His house is four down from mine. I don’t think I have any formative childhood memories that don’t involve him.” Is it the fluorescent lighting, or is his smile a little less bright than usual?
“He must go to Cardinal Ridge, then. Oh, I think I remember him from freshman year. But I haven’t seen him around lately.
” Though there are lots of kids in our school, since we get everyone who lives in the country part of town.
We’re the only high school for miles. So, it wouldn’t be unheard of to miss a few.
It is weird I haven’t seen the two of them together, though, before or after school, even if their schedules don’t line up.
Rhoads breathes in. “It’s kind of…complicated.”
“Uh oh. Did you guys have a fight or something? Sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”
“Not really a fight. Something happened a few weeks ago that changed things. We still hang out every week. But it’s not quite the same as it used to be.”
I offer an encouraging smile and touch his wrist. “Best friends always come back. Whatever happened, you’ll get through it together. Plus, you have his jacket. He’s not about to let this treasure go without a fight.”
Rhoads nods, his expression more serious than I anticipate. “Honestly, that’s kind of what I’m counting on.”
Peggy arrives with a huge tray of food. Rhoads’s shoulders lower as she sets down the plates in front of us and tells us to enjoy. He’s visibly relieved to not be talking about Jenson anymore, so I let it lie.
“Are you kidding me?” He gestures to the two heaping plates in front of him. “There’s no way this is food for one person.”
“Is that a challenge?” I hold my fork up, then make a big show of cutting off a large bite of hash browns and shoving it in my mouth.
“Oh, one thing you should know about me, Baker, is that I love a challenge.” His intense stare lights all my nerve endings on fire.
We dig in, talking about more lighthearted topics. When we both decide we’ve had enough, our plates look very similar. Neither of us has cleared them.
“Solid effort on both our parts,” Rhoads says. “Can you really eat all that by yourself?”
“I have done so exactly zero times. But it’s going to happen one day.” I laugh.
“I like that.”
“What? My delusion?”
“Your laugh.”
I do it again, out of nerves this time. “Oh. Thanks.”
Rhoads slides Peggy a debit card when she drops off the check.
“Oh, I can pay for mine,” I say, digging through my bag.
“I’ve got it. So, do you have to be home right away, or can we make a pit stop? There’s something I want to show you.”
I check the huge clock on the wall. “I still have some time.”
“Great!” Rhoads grabs my hand, pulling me upright. “Hang on to your ruby slippers, Chloe Baker, because you’re not in Kansas anymore.”