“It’s summer, moron. No football.”
“I know. I was checking to make sureyouknew.”
I ignored Jake for a while and inhaled a slice of pizza in about the time it took Jake to eat his whole plate. The announcer droned on about games I didn’t care about, and I was wishing myself back to the Amazon Rainforest, learning more about tree frogs.
“Wait, shouldn’t you be on a date right now?” He snapped his fingers and leaned against the headboard. “Oh, that’s right, didn’t work out.”
“I should punch you in the face for all of that.”
“What?”
I scowled at him, unable to take his wide, knowing grin anymore.
“Some people call me The Matchmaker,” he said.
“Nobody calls you that.”
“I’ll bet Cade and Kelsey still thank the heavens for me in their prayers every night.”
“A freight train wouldn’t have stopped those two from getting together.”
“Their pride might have if I hadn’t organized a little, now infamous, basketball game. If they don’t name one of their kids after me, I’m going to be ticked.”
Even I had to admit he might have been right. Though I wasn’t there, I had heard more than I cared to about the supposed basketball game that was the nudge my sister and Cade needed to finally get together.
“Well, I have no feelings to admit to anything, so you are welcome to switch the bet to you and the…Tessa, if you’re so interested in what she’s doing.”
I had almost said ‘hot blonde’ but stopped myself just in time. Not that Tessa wasn’t attractive. She was very attra—(throat clearing)—she looked fine for a little-sister type. Which was exactly what she was. No longer jailbait but still justifiably terrifying and somebody I would never truly consider dating. Jen was more my type—out for a good time. I just had to work up the nerve to ask her out with her pet grizzly bear sniffing around behind her shoulder.
“I think you’re just sore she rejected you. I guess childhood crushes only last for so long.”
“How did you know about that?” I had been surprised the other night to discover Jake knew anything about Tessa’s crush.
“Who doesn’t know about that? Kelsey used to make fun of her all the time.”
Great. Thanks for that, Kels. I moved my attention back to the TV and said the worst thing I could have said to Jake. “She had to say no. If we had been alone, she wouldn’t have rejected me.”
Jake’s ears alighted, and I suddenly wondered how my night alone eating pizza and watching the nature channel had ended with me here: with Jake nudging me toward the edge of a cliff, on the precipice of something terrible brewing in his head.
“Oh, really? So, if we drove out to her place tomorrow after work and you asked her out, she’d say yes?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” There I go, egging him on because my stupid pride demanded it.
He considered me while I focused on the TV, my leg twitching.
“Double or nothing.”
I sighed. “Let’s just leave it alone.”
“So, youdon’tthink she’d go out with you?”
“I’m gonna kick your a—"
“Double or nothing,” he pressed again.
I ran a hand through my hair so I didn’t punch Jake’s laughing face. He would never let this go.
“Fine. But you’ll have to prove you’re good for two hundred bucks. I don’t believe it.”
