He leaned closer, his shoulder brushing mine. “But I like the way you tell it.”
Even though I recognized this as the type of remark he must use with anyone of the female persuasion, italmostcaused a fluttery feeling in the pit of my stomach. “I’m going this way,” I said, pointing toward downtown.
“What a coincidence. So am I.”
“Don’t you have places to go? People to see?” It would have been one thing to tease me in passing, but we were way off school property now.
“Where else would I go? Who would I rather be with than you?”
I pretended to think it over. “I don’t know, maybePhoebe?”
“Eh.” He lifted a hand, dismissing the idea. “I see plenty of her.” My eyes widened. It was impossible to tell whether he was being risqué or merely callous. “Where are your friends today?” he asked, unflappable as ever.
“Here and there.”
His eyes flashed with amusement. “Are they robbing a bank? Because that sounded pretty suspicious. Take it from someone who’s talked his way out of a lot of sticky situations.”
I had no doubt what sort of situation he meant. Stopping in the middle of the sidewalk, I turned to face him. This had gone on long enough. “Listen. Alex.”
“So serious,” he murmured.
“If this is about Terry—” I paused, hoping he might betray his true feelings, but he merely lifted his brows, waiting for me to go on. “Then you should know it’s futile.”
“What is?”
“Using me to get to her. It’s never going to work. She’s not interested. In going out with you, I mean.” I held my breath.
Alex shrugged. “I know.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. You don’t see me followingherhome.”
I was still digesting that piece of impertinence when a loudahemsounded from my left. Absorbed in the exchange with Alex Ritter, I hadn’t noticed we were standing outside Toil & Trouble, from which Noreen had emerged, spray bottle in hand. The cheery tropical print of her shirt stood in stark contrast to her menacing demeanor.
“Are you bringing your date in or what?” she asked, scowling at both of us.
“He’s not—we just—no,” I stammered.
“You see how she is?” Alex shook his head sadly.
For the first time in my life, Noreen looked at me with something like approval. “Make him bleed,” she said, before scuttling back inside.
Alex blinked at the closed door. “She seems fun.”
I had no desire to discuss Noreen, or anything untoward she might have implied. “About what you were saying—”
“Before you turned me down cold?”
I sighed to show I wasn’t amused. “You seem okay about it.” Although we both knew he had at least one other girlfriend, I’d expected pouting at the very least.
“I’m crying on the inside.” He drew a finger down his cheek. “Quite contrary of you, Mary.”
There was a joke I’d never heard. “I was talking aboutTerry.”
“Maybe I was a little surprised.” He’d started walking again, tossing the words over his shoulder.
I hurried to catch up. “Why, because no one ever turned you down before?”
