CHAPTER 13
”Sorry, I”m going to need you to repeat that,” Sam said.
I rolled my eyes, trying not to notice how well he filled out his soccer jersey. ”I know you heard me.”
”One more time. Please.”
If he hadn”t said please, I might”ve called off the whole thing.
But he did, so…
”Will you go on a date with me, Bishop?” I asked.
He stared at me, then after a moment, his lips lifted into a slow smile. ”Okay.”
I exhaled.
”But I get to plan the date,” he said.
Jerking back, I shot him a confused look. ”Is that really necessary? Planning is one of my greatest strengths. Just ask Principal Rochelle. She basically handed over all the planning for the Back-to-School Festival to me because she says I”m so capable.”
”And I”m sure you are, Kent.” Sam patted my shoulder. ”When it comes to school functions, fundraising, funnel cakes, and family-approved activities, I trust you completely.”
”Congrats on fitting all those F”s into one sentence,” I said. ”Why do I sense a ”but”?”
He shrugged, running a hand through his dark hair, the messing up of which did absolutely nothing to detract from his appeal. ”But I know more about dating.”
I crossed my arms with a scoff. ”Says who?”
”Your list for one.”
”Listen Bishop, just because you”re my first boyfriend doesn”t mean I know nothing about relationships.”I paused as his eyes twinkled. ”Why are you looking at me like that?”
”You called me your boyfriend,” he said.
”So?”
”I like the way it sounds.”
My heart got stuck in my throat.
”Even when you”re pretending to be mad at me.”Sam winked. ”Just let me plan our date, Kent. I promise, it”ll be a good one.”
Trying to shake off my inconvenient emotions, I shrugged.
”That should work. As long as we remember that it”s a fake date, everything should go wonderful.”
Sam”s brows furrowed as he cocked his head to the side. ”How could we forget that? We have a plan.”
”Yes, we do. Speaking of which, I wanted to run something by you,” I said.
”Alright, practice starts in five minutes,” he said.”If I”m not out on the field, Coach Stryker will make me do laps. I hate laps, just so you know. But I”ll do them for you.”
”This will only take a second.”
”Okay, but first, let me give you these, in case we run out of time.”
As I watched, Sam reached down into his duffle bag and pulled out…a colorful bouquet of flowers. It looked like a mix of pink Gerber daisies and lilies. My eyes drank them in before moving back to Sam”s smiling face.
”How”d you know my favorites?” I asked.
”Your sister told me,” he said.
My eyes widened. ”You talked to Charlotte?”
”Yeah, I went to a flower shop. Bo Stryker”s grandmother owns one by the library, and your sister was there minutes after I walked in. I really didn”t know what to get you. Then there she was. It was like magic.”
Yeah, or not.
I”d bet good money that Charlotte had a spy on the inside (aka Bo) who let her know exactly when Sam came in.
”So, do you like them?” he asked.
I nodded, lifting the blooms to my nose, unable to stop inhaling their fresh scent. ”Of course. They”re beautiful, Bishop.”
”I”m glad.”
”At this rate, we could be done by the end of the month.”
Sam”s smile seemed to dim. ”What do you mean?”
”That”s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said. ”I know graduation was the goal, but I don”t think we need that long.It”s going so well. I think we should try to get the list done faster.”
”Why the rush?”
”No reason,” I lied.
”I say we take our time, make sure to dot all the i”s, cross the t”s.”
”Well, I think it would be better for everyone if we don”t draw things out,” I said. ”Then there won”t be any confusion.”
”You feeling confused, Kent?”
”No, of course not,” I said as a flush spread across my cheeks. Before he could probe further, I added, ”Has Brisa reached out to you yet?”
”You mean, besides her glaring at us in the halls?” he said. ”That would be a no.”
I took one last whiff of the flowers and smiled. ”That”s okay. Those glares mean stage two is working liking a charm. If she”s upset at seeing you with me, that means she”s still into you. We”ll get her back in no time.”
”Sure,” he said, sounding less excited than he had a moment ago. I assumed his mood shift had to do with missing Brisa. Which was just one more reason to end this sooner rather than later.
”Hey,” I said and reached out to place a hand on his forearm, ignoring the spark I felt upon contact. ”Don”t worry. We”ll get her back.”
”Yeah.” Sam stared at my hand. ”I should get to practice.”
Tilting my head to the flowers, I said, ”Thanks again, Bishop.”
Sam leaned forward and dropped a kiss on my forehead. ”Happy two-week anniversary, Starlet.”
Eyes wide with surprise, I watched as Sam lifted his chin then jogged off to the field.
Was it normal for high school guys to remember anniversaries?
I didn”t think so.
Even if it was, I doubted they”d go out of their way to find out someone”s favorite flower. And the forehead kiss? Total overkill. I was already swooning from the moment I saw him in that jersey. By the time he left, I might as well have been a puddle at his feet. Sam Bishop kept wedging his way deeper and deeper into my heart. He made it look so easy too.
It was the right call, speeding up the timeline.
Now, I just had to make it happen.
Turned out that was easier said than done.
First of all, I hadn”t anticipated Sam”s reaction to my request.
He showed up the next day and handed me a sheet of paper.
”What”s this for?” I asked.
”Our dates,” he said.
I lifted a brow as I read through the page. ”More than one, huh?”
”Three so far, but there might be more. You signed on for the full boyfriend experience, and that”s what you”re going to get, Kent.”
Each ”date” was labeled, and Sam had written little summaries including the broad details of what to expect. Estimated times and days of the week were listed (he”d obviously considered my schedule when making these). It was clear a lot of effort went into creating this sheet.
My eyes met his in wonder. ”I thought you wanted to take things slow.”
”I did,” he said, ”at first. Still do if you”re up for it. But I can see why you wanted to speed things up.”
As my gaze narrowed, he gave a small shrug.
”My charm”s obviously too much for you.”
I choked out a laugh.
”I know it”s hard, Kent. But try your best to resist.”
”You are so full of yourself,” I said which caused him to smile.
”I am the Sam Bishop,” he replied.
Leaning forward, he lowered his voice and spoke directly into my ear, making me shiver.
”I”ll meet you tonight for our first pretend date.”
”Okay,” I murmured, ”but…”
He stood back up, so he could see my face.
”My dad wants to meet you,” I said, trying not to wince. ”He”s going to give you the talk which I”ve heard is terror-induing, and I apologize in advance.”
”No problem,” he said. ”It”s been a while, but I”ve met your dad before. He liked me.”
”Yeah, but you weren”t my boyfriend then.”
”I”m sure it”ll be fine.”
#
It wasn”t fine.
It so wasn”t.
When I got home and told Dad I had a friend coming over, he didn”t bat an eye. ”Okay, I”ll make extra spaghetti,” he”d said. Then I mentioned—quickly and quietly—that the person was my boyfriend, and suddenly, my father was wide awake. He had an unending stream of questions. Understandable. I”d expected nothing less, since this was the first time I”d ever used the b-word.
But finally he asked the question, the one I”d been avoiding all along.
”Does he have a name?” he asked.
”What?”
”Either you”re so excited for us to meet that you forgot his name, or you”re intentionally trying to avoid telling me. Both are a bit concerning.”
”He could also be imaginary,” I said.
Dad squinted at me. ”Is he?”
”No.”
”That leaves forgetfulness or avoidance. So, which is it, Scarlett?”
”Neither,” I said. ”I just wasn”t sure you”d want to know.”
”The name of my daughter”s boyfriend?” he said with a laugh. ”Yeah, I think I want to know.”
”Oh, okay then.”
”That will make it so much easier to run the background check.”
”Dad.”
He nodded for me to continue.
Deep breath, Scarlett.
How bad could it be?
”It”s Sam,” I said.
There was no response. At the sound of Sam”s name, my father had gone oddly still.
”You remember. Sam Bishop?” I tried again.
”I remember.”
The way he said it did not bode well.
”He”s the kid who broke your heart,” he said.
I forced a laugh. ”A tad over-dramatic. Don”t you think?”
Dad lifted a brow. ”You locked yourself in your room for days. I had to listen on the other side of the door while you played your violin and cried. I felt helpless.”
His face and voice hardened.
”Sam Bishop made you cry,” he said then looked at me with furrowed brows. ”You”re actually dating that kid?”
Fake dating, I corrected mentally, but nodded in answer to his question.
”How did this happen?”
”We resolved our differences,” I said diplomatically. ”Sam and I found that we have a lot in common.”
Like being open to fake relationships and pretend kisses.
”He”s been good to me so far.”
”Really?” Dad said flatly.
”Hasn”t made me cry once since we”ve been together,” I said with a smile.
Instead of laughing at my lame joke, his scowl only grew.
”And he”s coming here for dinner?”
”Yes,” I said. Before he could cut in, I added, ”And I expect you to be on your best behavior.”
Dad scoffed.
”He”s my friend, Dad. My boyfriend.” Pretend, yes. But still my boyfriend, I reasoned. I tilted my head. ”You knew this day would come eventually.”
”Not so soon,” he muttered, ”and not with a guy who”s already on my list.”
I sent him a frown. ”What list?”
”My I-hate-him-already-and-will-kick-his-ass-if-he-hurts-my-daughter-again list.”
Biting back a smile, I said, ”Good title. You really got it all in there.”
Dad sighed then pulled me into a hug.
”Just be nice to him,” I murmured. ”Okay?”
”I”ll try,” he said back, ”but no promises. Also, you will not leave this house with Sam until he and I have had the talk.”
I accepted his terms, knowing that was as good as it was going to get.
Sam had arrived a few minutes ago, and I met him at the door, led him into the kitchen, introduced him once again to my Dad—who grunted ”hello” in response—and since then, we”d all been in this terrible stalemate. My father”s steely glare was fixed on Sam, and a deep scowl was etched into his face. It looked so strange because Leo Kent was not a scowler by nature. Dad”s go-to expression was an easy grin. But not tonight. The spaghetti was getting cold. My palms were sweaty. But Sam looked cool as a cucumber.
”It”s nice to see you again, Mr. Kent,” Sam said. ”How have you been?”
Dad grunted.
”This dinner looks good.”
No response.
”Are you still a big soccer fan? Scarlett”s come to a few games since we started dating.”
My father”s eyes settled on me briefly. ”You don”t like sports.”
”I like them sometimes,” I said with a sniff.
Sam gave me a small smile. ”Knowing she”s in the stands makes me want to play better.”
”Have you been to one of her performances?”
”Not yet,” he said, ”but I want to. She”s always been amazing on violin—and at everything she does.”
My father went back to scowling at Sam as I furiously texted my sister under the table.
Me:SOS! Send help immediately.
Charlotte:What”s wrong???
Me:Dad”s looking at Sam like he wants to rip out his entrails and wear them as a hat.
Charlotte:That”s…very descriptive.
Me: I”m serious! I need you to drive home now and break up this dinner.
Charlotte: Why? Have knives been thrown?
Me: Not yet, but I could see it happening. SEND HELP, PLEASE!!!
My phone started ringing, and I saw Charlotte”s picture on the screen.
Looking up, I glanced from Dad to Sam.
”My sister”s calling,” I announced though no one looked at me. ”I”m just going to step out for a second.”
”Take your time,” Sam said.
”Tell Charlotte I said hi,” Dad said next.
”Are you sure you”re okay?” I asked this of Sam, but he didn”t look freaked out at all by my Dad”s death-glare.
”We”ll be fine,” Sam said.
”Yeah, this will give us a chance to talk,” Dad added. When I hesitated, he said, ”Go on, Scarlett.”
”I”ll be right back,” I said then quickly walked into the living room.
It was far enough away that I wouldn”t be overheard and close enough that if anything really was thrown I could be in there in five seconds flat.
Dropping my voice, I picked up the phone.
”Are you on your way?” I asked.
”No,” Charlotte said, ”and I think you need to calm down.”
”Okay, one, this isn”t a freaking Taylor Swift song, and two, did you or did you not hear me say that Dad”s about to do major bodily harm to my boyfriend?”
I heard her laugher through the phone and frowned.
”This is so not funny.”
”Come on, Scar. You have to admit the whole situation is hilarious,” she said.
”I”ll remind you of that when Dad is serving 15-25 years for voluntary manslaughter,” I whispered.
”You really need to lay off the true crime shows.”
Sighing, I shook my head. ”Seriously, what should I do? Dad hates Sam.”
”He doesn”t hate him,” Charlotte said.
”You didn”t see the scowl he”s wearing, Lotte.”
”I bet it”s the same one he put on for Bo. That”s just how Dad shows he loves us.”
”I know, but…”
Charlotte waited patiently while I gathered my thoughts.
”I don”t know why, but I want them to like each other,” I said softly.
”I know why,” she said. ”Dad is one of the people you love most in the whole world—along with me, of course. And whether you want to admit it or not, I think Sam might be one of those people too.”
I released a heavy sigh. ”You and I both know this isn”t real.”
She was smiling. I could tell even through the phone.
”You just texted me in a panic over Dad un-aliving your fake boyfriend,” she said. ”Feels pretty real to me.”
”I should go and make sure they”re okay,” I said, shaking my head. ”Thanks.”
”No problem,” she said. ”Love you, sis.”
”Love you.”
I pocketed my phone then moved towards the kitchen. Charlotte and I had talked longer than I thought. But I didn”t hear anything that should cause alarm. No screams or plates shattering. That had to be a good sign, right?
When I got closer, I heard…
No, it couldn”t be.
But as I finally made it inside, I saw Sam and my dad sitting just where I”d left them. The only difference was the death-glare was absent. Oh, and they were both laughing. Like full-on, grip your sides laughter. Was this even the same kitchen?
”Hey,” I said as I took a seat at the table. ”What did I miss?”
”Nothing,” Sam said with a grin, ”your Dad was just telling me about the time that you tried to make chocolate cake.”
My cheeks heated. ”I don”t see what”s so funny about that.”
”She was seven, and she nearly burned down the house,” Dad said, but he threw me a fond smile. ”We had to get a new oven and everything.”
”I would”ve gotten better with practice.”
Sam shot me a warm glance. ”Everything gets better with practice. Right, Kent?”
As he”d no doubt intended, my mind drifted back to our kissing lesson in the parking lot, and I felt a tingling start in my lips.
”I guess,” I murmured.
”Not Scarlett”s cooking,” my dad piped up, and I gaped at him. ”Sorry, kid, but you”ve tried a few dishes since then, and…well. You might want to stick with music.”
”Dad!”
”Ooh, burn,” Sam said. ”Pun intended.”
”Nice one,” Dad replied.
Looking between them, I frowned. ”Ah, I see. You two are friends now, huh?”
Sam shrugged while my father shoveled spaghetti into his mouth.
”And I was afraid to leave you together in case he scared you off with the talk or ended you before I got back,” I said.
”Oh, I tried,” Dad said, and I gave him a confused look. ”I gave him the talk, but for some reason, the kid smiled the whole time. Creepy if you ask me.”
Sam laughed. ”I was impressed. Your dad”s given me permission to use the talk if I ever have a daughter of my own.”
”Good to know,” I mumbled.
”Sam, can you pass the bread?”
”Sure thing, Mr. Kent.”
And on, it went.
By the time dinner was over, Sam and my father had established some kind of weird bond. I mentioned it as I walked Sam out to the driveway. But he just grinned.
”Your dad wants what”s best for you,” he said, stopping beside his car. ”I do too. On that, we agreed.”
”Hmmm,” I said. ”So, the talk didn”t scare you?”
”Are you kidding? It was terrifying.”
I smiled a little at that. ”I”ll be sure to let my dad know.”
Sam looked to the house where my father was not-so-discreetly peeking out the window. He did the I”m-watching-you motion, pointing to his eyes then at Sam without any hint of a smile. Catching Dad”s eyes, I widened my own, and after one last glare in Sam”s direction, he moved away.
”Thanks for inviting me to dinner,” he said.
”Thanks for meeting my dad and sitting through the talk,” I said back.
Sam nodded. ”Any time, Kent.”
As he turned to walk away, I caught his hand in mine.
Sam looked back over his shoulder. ”What”s up?”
”Are you leaving?” I asked, hating how needy my voice sounded.
”Yeah,” he said then grinned, ”so are you.”
When I shot him a confused look, he entwined our fingers.
”Already got the okay from your dad. He said we can go as long as I have you back before midnight.”
”It”s a school night,” I reasoned, ”so we should probably shoot for earlier.”
Sam chuckled. ”Only you would say that.”
”No, I think a lot people would.”
”Still, it was a very Scarlett Kent thing to say.”
The look in his eyes, the warmth in his voice made it sound like a good thing.
”Well, where are we going?” I asked.
”You”ll see,” he said.
”What exactly are we going to do?”
”Have the best first date ever.” He squeezed my hand. ”Cross off an item on your list and get some dessert. Just trust me, Kent. You ready?”
Sam, dessert, and a mystery date.
Yes, please.