“I think it’s a safe bet he will.”I fill in the mountains on my napkin with quadrilaterals, determining how best to go about asking my next question.“What exactly did Jaeger say?I saw him whisper in your ear.”
Her eyes squint and then soften.“Nothing, he just asked me to help him with something tomorrow.”She reaches across the table and steals a fry.
I stop breathing and my hand stills on my sketch.He wants to see her?Like, spend time with her?
I bite the inside of my lip until a coppery, metallic flavor runs over my tongue.
Her eyes flicker to my napkin and she lifts her chin.“Hey, if you’re going to throw that one away like you do your other drawings when I’m not looking, I want it.”
Gen always asks for my doodles.I’ve never understood why.
I draw in the last shapes on my mountain—every square inch of the napkin is covered in geometric shapes depicting the lake—but all I think isit’s done.Gen and Jaeger are going on a date tomorrow.That’s the end of anyus.
It’s my own stupid fault.I hesitated, fearful of ruining things with Jaeger if I acted too soon after my breakup.And then, like an idiot, I pushed Jaeger on Gen.I’d only wanted to help my friend out with her ex, but what was I thinking?It was my plan in the beginning to set Gen and Jaeger up, but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea.I was finally sure at Jaeger’s parents’ house that the attraction between us was genuine.Now, what if all Jaeger and I can ever be is friends?
Men think they’re exclusive with their man-codes, but women have rules too.Even if Jaeger and Gen don’t work out, dating your best friend’s ex is forbidden.
My stomach lurches under the fries I just ate.I pass Gen the napkin and stand.“I’d better get back.”
“Hey, is everything okay?You don’t look well.”
I smile reassuringly.I may not be the most altruistic human being on the planet, but I’m devoted to the people I love.My goal was to see Gen happy this summer and set her up with a nice guy.She seems happy, and Jaegerisa nice guy.
I got what I asked for.
And isn’t that a bitch.
ChapterTwelve
I’m on the patio in my bikini top and pajama shorts, doodling.It’s all I can do to defuse thoughts of Gen and Jaeger’s date today.I woke up early, irritable and out of sorts, and found a plain notepad in a drawer in the kitchen.My drawing this morning is larger and more elaborate than my usual, depicting the casino in all its glory.There’s a line of slots and a waitress flagrantly leaning over her customer, sugaring him up with a drink and a smile, and eyeing his pot of coins.A busboy wipes a table behind the waitress, snatching a twenty from her cash caddy.In the background, a man in a suit preys on a pretty waitress while sipping a drink in the lounge.
The scene is my rendition of the casino subculture—what I’ve been calling Casino Real World.Security guards the house’s money, but not the people within.The powerful prey on the weak or clueless, and everyone’s out for themselves.
The sound of pipes rumbling from below the house erupts as I finish my sketch.Gen’s finally up and in the shower.She said on our way home last night that she and Jaeger were going out around lunchtime, and it’s already eleven thirty.
Not two minutes after the pipes begin their noisy caterwauling, the doorbell rings.“Gen!Door!”I yell.
The last thing I want is to see Gen leaving with Jaeger.If they want to date and make babies, fine, but I don’t need to be a witness.
The doorbell rings again, followed by a couple of firm knocks.I lean back and pull the screen door open.The water’s still whining through the pipes.
Shit.I hobble off my lounge chair and walk to the front.Jaeger’s silver truck is visible through the living room window.I take a deep breath and calmly open the door, plastering on a bland expression.
Jaeger’s wearing a red baseball cap and a navy T-shirt, his shoulder muscles bulging from the way he hunches to get his hands tucked inside the pockets of his jeans.
I swallow hard.Why does he have to look so good?The aftershave he wears mixed with fabric softener and something unique to him wafts toward me, and I want to tongue his neck.Damn him.I take a step back.Everything about this situation is just cruel.
He leans on the doorjamb, eyes blatantly running the length of me before resting on the pad in my hand.
“Come in.”My tone is terse, but whatever.I’m doing my best here.I toss the pad on the couch and walk to the bathroom door.The shower is finally off.“Gen!Jaeger’s here.”
When I turn around, Jaeger is staring at my sketch.I sweep over and pick it up, tucking it under my arm.
He looks me dead in the eye as if this, too, I’ve kept from him.“Nice drawing.”
“It’s nothing.Doodles.So”—I’d better say it before I’m too angry to—“I wanted to thank you for helping out last night.Gen’s ex is a jerk.I didn’t want him bothering her.”I pause for a second, deciding how much of my feelings to reveal.“You were very convincing.”
Jaeger’s eyes narrow and he scans my face.
