I squinted closer, trying to make out Jake’s handwriting. “Sorry, did you get a five-year-old to write this?”
“I figure it could only help my cause if nobody can read it but me.”
Jake removed the notepad from my hands and read the paper aloud.
THE BET:
Logan Marten and Tessa Robbins will do the following:
Go on one date per week, beginning now and ending August 31st. The first date will begin the first Saturday after this document is signed.
Jake will be in charge of the date each week, unless otherwise specified. Logan and Tessa must attend each date unless sick or dying. Dates will be non-public whenever possible.
They must hold hands whenever possible during their dates.
One kiss must be performed this summer, and it has to be a good one. Logan, you know what I mean. I don’t want to watch, so it’s on the honor system, and if you lie, you will burn in truck hell.
One overnight mountain hike and campout at the end of the summer.
If by the end of the term, both parties can still honestly say they are not in love with each other, they will win the Chevy Silverado with a Duramax engine and a lift (hereafter known as “the truck”) which they will share evenly and/or sell to split the cost. If something happens to the truck (accident, act of God, discovery of a minefield, lightning strike, etc), the bet will be forfeited automatically, and no obligation will be held on Jake’s end, AKA…no suing Jake.
If one party does not want to continue with the agreement, all parties must agree to end the arrangement.
My eyes raked back up,skimming over the kiss clause once again, wondering if there was a way to back out that wouldn’t incriminate me. But to admit that now was to admit to something I wasn’t willing to.Game face, Tess.
I was a means to an end for him.
He was a means to an end for me.
If we went on a few dates and shared a kiss at the end of the summer, it wasn’t a big deal.
The end.
We signed the papers.Our first date was in three days. Jake would be letting us know what we were doing soon.
My brother and his family showed up a few minutes later. The three of us still stood by the monstrosity, talking, when Nate’s tiny Ford F150 pulled into the yard next to it. I made a beeline for the doors to see my nieces. I gave Nate and Anna each a quick side hug before two tornados with stringy blonde hair and dirty faces descended on me, jumping into my arms and on my back. From the corner of my eye, I saw Logan shake Nate’s hand and introduce Jake, but with a quick wave to me, they left soon after.
My mind buzzed with noise as we walked up the porch steps and into the house. Ideas of Logan and me filtered in and out, painting pictures of what might be, memories of what had been, and the anticipation of what was to come. I reminded myself sternly that the old Logan wasn’t around much these days. This was the new Logan. Cheap Logan. The dollar-store version of Logan. I was not going to fall for him. He was in no shape to fall in love with. This summer with Logan would give me something fun to do. He was still a friend. We’d keep things light, get our money, and then be done. There was no denying it was strange, though. This was the weirdest thing I had ever done—and I grew up helping Kelsey make homemade traps to catch creatures of all kinds and sizes to put in Cade’s locker.
9
Logan
Jake: You are both cordially invited to your first date as a real-life dating couple.
Date: This Saturday. 6:00 p.m.
Where: Coordinates will be sent to your phones a half hour before you leave.
Dress: Something that can get dirty.
What: More instructions to follow.
Tessa: So basically, you’ve told us nothing except how to dress?
Jake: I feel, even now, I’ve said too much.
* * *
