AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’s trying not to agree too easily.
“I didn’t know you were the dating type.”
“People change. You’re nice now, and I’m a romantic.”
Bella bites her lip. She probably thinks it looks seductive, but she’s getting lipstick on her teeth.
“When?” she says.
“Tomorrow. You know the Poke Bar on LaSalle?”
“Yeah.”
Of course she does. It’s right across the street from Alliance Bank.
“I’ll meet you there at eleven.”
“Okay.”
She’s smiling, pleased and excited. I’m trying to hide my smile too, but for entirely different reasons.
“You want to go grab a drink right now?” she says.
“I can’t. I’ve got to find Levi.”
“Oh.” She frowns, disappointed.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, though,” I say.
I leave her by the pool, pretending to head off in search of Levi. In reality, I don’t need to talk to anybody else. I’ve set my plan in motion. Now I can relax and have a couple drinks without Bella tagging along.
I bump into Mason in the living room. He’s slouched down on the couch, drowning his sorrows in a half-drunk bottle of rye.
“Hey, dude,” I say. “What’s your problem?”
He takes another slug of liquor, staring morosely across the room. I follow his gaze to where Patricia is dancing very close with a handsome, muscular man in a polo shirt.
“Who’s that guy?” I ask him.
“Rocco Dean,” Mason says bitterly. “He works at Ridgemoor.”
“Oh yeah, he teaches lessons, right?”
“Golf and tennis,” Mason says, taking another miserable swig.
“Hm,” I say, borrowing Mason’s bottle for a quick drink. “Makes sense. Patricia’s hot. And that dude’s a lot better looking than you.”
Mason yanks his liquor back. “Man, shut the fuck up.”
“I’m just saying it’s not your fault—there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s just your face. Maybe if you had a better personality . . .”
He tries to slug me on the arm, and I knock his fist away, laughing.
“She says I have no ambition. I’m going nowhere.”
“You do live at your mom’s house.”
“I need a better job.”
