Chapter 22
Twenty-Two
RHOADS
I’m not a math expert, but I was only about thirty percent sure Chloe would accept my offer to leave the party with me. Guess it’s a good thing I’m not a betting man.
Because she’s sitting in my truck after our late-night breakfast at Peggy’s, and I never could have predicted this was how my night was going to go.
I’m so glad, though. About as glad as I was to overhear her yelling at Graham. Chloe’s not a tiny girl, but Graham is a six-foot-two stacked wide receiver and still dwarfs her. It would have been funny seeing her put him in his place, if I didn’t also know the content of the disagreement.
My hands slide easily over the leather steering wheel as I sneak another glance at her.
I’m proud of her for finally standing up for herself. And I’m relieved she trusted me to take her away from the situation.
She’s looking out her window, much more relaxed than I’ve seen her in months. My hand itches to grab hers. It’s so close, I could.
But I don’t. I tell myself it’s because I don’t want to rush her. That she’s already had an emotional night and that me trying to push things forward with us would just make it worse for her. Which is probably all true.
I’m also a chicken.
I don’t know whether to see this night as a one-off thing or take it as a sign that she’s starting to trust me. And I don’t want to guess wrong. Again, I’m terrible at predicting my odds.
Instead of taking her hand, I fiddle with the sound system and put on another classical song I’ve been listening to on repeat.
I’m going to choose to believe she wouldn’t have left the party with me out of spite for Graham or for any other reason than she wanted to and trusted me to take care of her.
I have about four seconds before I have to decide whether or not I’m ready to show her a part of my life that most people don’t know about. We could go anywhere, but there’s only one place that will help me reveal a bit more of who I really am.
My heartbeat speeds up at the thought of being vulnerable. But then Chloe catches me watching her. She grins. Not a full smile, but not a fake one either.
“Shouldn’t you be watching the road?” she asks.
“I am.” I exaggerate turning my head back to the front. “Gotta check those mirrors, you know?”
She inhales like she’s about to say something, then shakes her head, smiling and looking off to the side again. I can’t tell in the dark, but I hope her cheeks are pink and her eyes are bright.
I decide to go forward with the plan. If I’m serious about Chloe really seeing me and convincing her I’m a safe place, I have to get over my fear of opening up.
I turn on Cherry Street and head for my house.