“Mayo?”
I shake my head and make a face. One that makes him laugh.
“Hates mayonnaise. Got it.”
“Mustard?” I nod. We go through the list until he’s made me the perfect turkey sandwich with mustard, pickles, lettuce, and tomato. I watch him build his own. He uses the same as me, except he adds mayo, black olives, and hot peppers to his.
With those on plates, he pours some chips next to each sandwich and walks around the counter. “Let’s eat in here.” He nods toward the room with the large sofa. “We can watch something.”
“Okay.” I hop down from the tall stool.
“What would you like to drink?” He sets our plates down on the stone coffee table.
“Water’s fine.”
It feels like the first time I was here with Eli. Only way more tense. And not in the sexual kind of way. Well, okay, there’s that too, but this feels more like Eli’s still unsure about me––that text message––and I’m not sure what to do about that. Is there a way to convince him that I didn’t send that message? I guess I could track down my sister and make her confess—
Wait one dang second. I look over at Eli. “Can I use your phone?”
“You need to talk to Carley?”
I shake my head. “I feel like I need to prove to you that I’m not the bad guy here.”
“I believe you, Em.”
Does he? Really?
“Just let me see your phone.”
After reaching into his back pocket, he hands it to me. Scooting closer to him so he can see what I’m doing, I press his text message icon and search for my name. “You didn’t delete me.”
He shrugs.
“I’m glad,” I say, without looking at him. I’m a little afraid at his expression.
But then he finally says, “Me too.”
Thank goodness.
“Okay. Here we go. We’ll see if Amber still has my phone.”
“Wait. You haven’t tried to call it? To find it?”
“Oh, I’ve tried but nobody ever answers.” Because she would have seen Carley’s name appear on the screen. No way would she answer if it was Carley.
So, I type:
Eli: Emma. I miss you. Can we talk?
I look over and up at Eli. He smiles. “Clever.”
“Now, let’s see if she takes the bait.”
We don’t have to wait long. Moment later, those three vibrating dots appear on the screen. “She’s typing.”
Emma:Wow. Why? I’ve moved on. Found someone better.
Our eyes meet and I feel like I have to say it. “There’s nobody better than you, Eli.”
