“Does that make sense?” I asked, tapping my pen against my tablet.
“Yes, that makes perfect sense.”
“So, you’re fine then? Nothing to report?”
“Nope.” He smiled as I placed my tablet back on my desktop. “I was just curious about the procedure.”
I got up and went back over toward the resistance bands, expecting him to leave now that he had his answer. Instead, he followed me, stopping as I began organizing the bands again,shifting his weight from foot to foot. Something about the way he looked at me made my stomach flip.
“Uh, Bianca, I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to grab dinner sometime? There is supposed to be a great steakhouse downtown, and I figured…”
I swallowed hard as I continued organizing the colored bands.
“Tate, that is really sweet,” I responded, “but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
I saw his face fall, but he still smiled.
“Right. I sort of figured it was a long shot. Perhaps we could have dinner as friends?”
The familiar moment of a similar memory caused guilt to crash through me. Tyler had done the same thing when I’d denied his invitation. Only I needed to remember that Tate wasn’t Tyler, and he seemed genuine and harmless. Still, I felt uneasy after learning the hard way because Tyler had appeared the same way and had hurt me badly, using me to get access to information.
“Maybe we could go out for a bite sometime,” I said, not committing to anything, hoping that he’d be happy with the answer and the conversation would be over.
“Great, if you aren’t doing anything next Friday, we could try the place. I could always pick you up,” he said, smiling.
I felt a prickle at the back of my neck, a warning from his persistence, yet I nodded. “Sounds good.”
As the words left my mouth, I had a sense that we were being watched.
“Great, we’ll connect through the week,” he said, turning and leaving the room.
I turned slowly to make sure he’d gone, and that was when I saw Evan, standing there near the water station. He held his jawtight, his eyes dark, and clenched his hands at his sides. How long had he been there?
I smiled, only he didn’t move, and he definitely didn’t smile back, but didn’t look away either. I felt my pulse kick up as he continued to watch me. I turned my attention back to the bands, carefully sorting them although my hands were shaking.
“Please tell me you’re not actually considering that?”
Tension surrounded me as I felt someone move in behind me.
“Considering what?” I asked, not turning around.
“Going out with Parker.”
I turned around and looked at Evan, my eyebrows raised. This was the first time in two weeks he’d spoken to me, and he was going to tell me what I could or couldn’t do.
“I don’t think that’s your decision to make.”
Evan took a step closer, closing the gap between us.
“He’s bad news, Bianca,” he said, his deep voice whispering in my ear.
“You don’t know that.”
“I do. I know guys like him. I’ve been guys like him. He’s after something,” Evan said.
His words hit with force, and I felt my spine stiffen.
“What do you think he is after, exactly?”
