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“I am sorry I didn’t tell you more clearly,” she says, standing at the side of the truck. “I’m sure you can see why I didn’t, though. You did what every other guy always does.”
“And what’s that?” I ask.
She squints up at me, bright sunshine pooling around her. “Run away.”
Am I running away? Sure. But only to avoid injuring her in the crossfire.
This whole thing is disappointing. It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun talking to a girl. Now, I can’t pursue her.
She tips her head to the side, loose pieces of hair fluttering around her as she positions her hand to block the sunrays from her eyes. “Are you upset?”
She sounds more curious than concerned.
“No.” I hop down from the bed, and she follows me as I bring her things to the sidewalk.
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.”
“Because if you are upset, I could always make you feel better by agreeing to answer your question from before.”
She dangles the knowledge like a carrot in front of a donkey. Her answer won’t change anything. Mayor Monroe is worse than King Kong. That giant gorilla just destroys cities. This mayor has the power to destroy the one thing that has brought me peace since I was twenty-one.
But I guess I’m the donkey because the carrot is just too good to pass up.
“All right,” I say. “Have at it.”
Her smooth lips curve. “Yes, I had a major crush on you when I was in high school.”
An airy feeling opens up inside of me. Then her words sink in. “Had,” I repeat.
“Had. Years ago. When I was a teenager. Those feelings are all gone now, which can only be for the best, seeing as how you have no intention of making good on that date you mentioned.” She gives me a knowing look. “Isn’t that right?”
I glance beyond her shoulder. The mayor’s black SUV drives toward us, but he stops to allow a mom to cross the street with her little girl.
I want to tell Juliet she’s wrong, that I have zero hesitation about her dad. But what’s the point if nothing can ever happen between us? I know which of the mayor’s buttons to safely push, and this is not one of them.
“Probably best for the both of us,” I say. “Your dad ain’t too fond of me.”
And the feeling is mutual.
“That has nothing to do with you as a person.” She pauses. “Does it?”
Her eyes search mine, but I’m not willing to divulge our six-year-long combat. “I guess not.”
The mayor pulls in two spaces away from us.
“Do you like my dad?”
“Everyone loves Mayor Monroe.”
She seems to catch my wording, but lets it go anyway. “It’s a shame we can’t go on that date. We probably could have had some fun together.”
“Even if your crush on me is gone?”
“There’s no pressure if there are no expectations.” She raises an easy shoulder, the smooth lines of her clavicle on display as her thin shirt shifts to the side. “Anyway, thanks for the ride. And thanks for letting me play out my teenage fantasy for a bit. Now I can lay it all to rest.”
A hollow sensation seeps through my chest. Juliet’s expression looks anything but upset, proving her crush on me really is over.
