My mouth opens, but I can’t make any words come out.Oh, shit.Is he mad? I can’t tell.
“Al?”
“I plead the fifth,” I squeak, grabbing my phone to run to the bathroom on the first floor, getting enough of a head start on Jack, he doesn’t catch me before I shut the door. I twist the lock, hugging my phone to my chest as the handle rattles.
“Alondra!”
I cover my mouth to hide my laugh, calling Ellie. She made a beeline for their hot tub out back after we got here, claiming they don’t use it enough, and it’s going to waste. Dylan was quick to follow her out there after flipping off Jack who asked him if he had something better to do than perv on Coop’s sister. He’s lucky Coop hadn’t come downstairs yet to start making dinner, but I sure got a kick out of it.
“Did you change your mind about coming out here with me? The water feels amazing, and I brought an extra suit for you,”she says, and a laugh slips out when the door handle jiggles again.
“Al, unlock the door,” Jack says, and I shake my head, even though he can’t see me.
“He knows.”
“Oh fuck,” she swears, gasping. “Is Jack mad?”
I hear Dylan in the background ask what Jack would be mad about, and I sit on the closed toilet lid.
“Unsure. I ran to the bathroom before I could find out,” I say, and Jack knocks on the door. “Jack, are you mad?” I ask, trying not to laugh.
“What do you think?” he asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm.Oops, Macy was right.
“I’m coming to rescue you,” Ellie says, but I’m not quite sure how she’s going to do that when Jack has probably already figured out that she did it with me.
“Is Ellie in on this with you?” he asks through the door, and I lower my voice.
“Save yourself, he knows you’re involved,” I say, looking around for any escape saving me from having to open the door for him.
“I bet you could fit through the window?” she suggests, and I look at the window barely big enough for me to squeeze through. Actually, I doubt I could make it. My hips are deceiving with how low set they are, and I’m not getting stuck halfway out a window.
“I’m not climbing out the window to avoid Jack!”
Jack knocks again on the door. “You know I can hear you, right? You don’t have to hide in the bathroom, or climb out the fucking window.”
I sigh, glancing skeptically at the door. I know I have to face him eventually, but how long can I actually stay in here? Maybe Coop would be willing to pass me a plate of whatever he’s making downstairs for dinner. “Gotta go, Ellie.”
“It’s been nice living with you,” she says before hanging up, and you’d think we were saying goodbye for the last time.
“Open the door, Al.”
“Why should I?” I counter, but I still flip the lock on the door, slowly cracking it open to reveal Jack standing on the other side with his arms crossed over his chest. He’s not quite scowling, but there is zero chance of his dimple winking at me right now.
“I’m not mad,” Jack says, and I laugh because the expression on his face says he is.
“I don’t believe you.”
He snorts, and I feel like a little kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. “Why would I be mad at you for making me an online dating profile you didn’t tell me about?” he says, and despite everything, the alarms that Bradley always set off in my head are silent.
“Jack, you sound kind of mad,” I say, and he grumbles something under his breath.
“Why?”
I roll my eyes because we had a whole ass conversation about this. “Why else do you think? I told you I was going to find you a girlfriend.”
“I told you I didn’t want one,” Jack retorts, and I shake my head.
“Actually, you said‘Sure, whatever you want,’so technically, you didn’t say no,” I say, mimicking his deeper voice.
