“About half the time, depends on who wins the coin toss really,” she admitted.
“I should have waited to place that bet, shouldn’t I?” he asked.
“Ah, I’ll let you off, I’ll only make you clean the kitchen for two weeks instead of the month.”
“You’re on,” he told her. The night hadn’t gone exactly as planned but it certainly had been enjoyable.
Chapter 4
“Hey Mel, wait up,” Tate called out as she hurried down the stairs towards the front of the building. She’d been working for Jordan for almost six months, and the school year was nearing an end. She knew what he wanted to talk to her about, but she didn’t know the right answer. Did she want to go to prom? She simply didn’t know.
“Hey Tate, what’s up?” she asked giving him a smile.
“Prom’s in two weeks. Come on Mel, it’s the only junior prom we’ll have and unless you want to tell Jordan the truth and bring him…”
“I am not interested in Jordan like that. He’s a friend,” she argued. The same argument they’d been having the last six months.
“Yeah, your lips say one thing, but your eyes say another entirely. Anyway, how would you like to go to prom with the coolest guy in town?”
“Hmm…is he cute?” she asked.
“Very…”
“Tall?”
“Not a giant but he’ll do.”
“But can he dance?” she teased.
“Only if you don’t mind your feet being stepped on once or twice…”
“A minute?” she joked, before giving in to his slightly pleading look and she knew most likely he was only going so his grandma would stop harping on it. “Okay, I’ll go to the dance with you. It’s on a Saturday night, right? At least I won’t have to deal with the whole skipping out of work thing.”
“Want to go dress shopping this weekend? You, me, and a dress shop where we can make up fake stories about all the people there to amuse ourselves?”
“Yeah, wait you’re willingly going to come dress shopping with me? Okay who are you and what have you done to my Tatum?”
“I’m right here and I figured if I don’t help you choose a dress you’re likely to pick something that will cause a riot,” he mused, kissing her cheek before heading out. “Saturday, I’ll pick you up from work. Remember the strapless this time.”
“Go to class,” she yelled after him before ducking out the front door. Saturday was her favorite day at the office. Usually when she arrived it was quiet, not many people out and about, and it gave her a chance to finish up on whatever had been left behind during the week. It also gave her a chance to spend some quality time with Jordan—who was quickly getting too close for her comfort. At least her comfort in one way because she definitely was comfortable being physically near him, emotionally she felt just as safe with him, it was the rest of her life that was the problem if he learnt the truth.
She liked him, admired what he’d accomplished, and in truth she was probably falling slightly in love with him, but she couldn’t let him know the truth…not yet. Once she turned eighteen, she’d be safer, but she’d prefer to be finished with high school before anything crashed in on her.
She’d finished the last set of contracts and bids he wanted to get out and took them to his office, grinning when she spied him hunched over his drafting table. “Working on something interesting?”
“Ah you caught me,” he grinned back. “Finished with them already?”
“What can I say? You hired a fabulous and brilliant office manager.”
“She’s a bit cheeky at times but I think I’ll keep her around,” he said signing the bids after he looked them over. “Want to grab some lunch?”
“Actually Tate’s picking me up in a bit. We’re going shopping.”
“I’m sorry did I just hear you say shoppingwithTate?”
“I know but he offered. Says he has to save all the hearts out there from exploding because I chose a too revealing dress,” she stated heading back to her desk as he came out after her with the rest of the contracts he’d checked through.
“Dress for what?”
