Page 24 of Something Like That

Em stomped up the stairs. Alex held her breath, waiting for the slam of her bedroom door. A second later, the wham echoed down the stairs.

Alex sighed and pulled out the chicken breast she’d grilled earlier in the week. Normally, she’d be speaking to Em about the stomping and the slamming, but she was too tired today. Em had also had a rough one, so Alex was giving her a pass. This time.

She rummaged through the crisper drawer. The romaine lettuce was at the point where it was either use it today, or chuck it tomorrow. Caesar salad with grilled chicken breast it was then. She grabbed the loaf of garlic bread out of the freezer and snapped on the oven.

She’d just started tearing the lettuce when Em stomped back down the stairs.

“Nick wants to talk to you.” She thrust her phone at Alex. The phone she wasn’t supposed to be using because she was still grounded. Something else Alex was too tired to fight with her about right now.

She took the phone, her palms suddenly sweaty. “Hi, Nick.” Her voice was all breathy and ridiculous, but it was too late to do anything about it now.

“Hey, Alex.” His deep, raspy voice made her insides quiver. She resisted the urge to squirm, aware Em was watching. “I just wanted to make sure the reason Em won’t be able to make it tomorrow isn’t because of something I did or said.”

The hint of uncertainty in his voice made her stomach tighten. She wiped her hand on her pants. “No, no, of course not. You didn’t do anything.” She glanced at Em, who was giving her an if-looks-could-kill-Alex-would-need-a-chalk-outline glare. “Emily was caught in a… well, let’s just say that her grounding has been extended.”

Em crossed her arms. If her eyebrows were any more scrunched, they’d be on her chin.

“Oh, okay. Well, that’s too bad.” The disappointment buried in his words made an answering throb squeeze her chest. Which didn’t make any sense. Why did it matter? It was a silly trip to The Market at Pike Place. One he was only doing to indulge a fourteen-year-old girl and her hero-worship crush.

“How about I meet you there instead?” The offer was out of her mouth before she even realized she was thinking of making it. Her entire body tensed, the breath caught in her lungs.

“Umm, sure.” He didn’t sound sure. She didn’t know what to make of that. Or the weird butterflies doing the tango in her belly.

“If you don’t want to—”

“No, I’d love to meet you there.” This time, there was no unsureness. Just a hint of something she couldn’t quite define. Anticipation, maybe? A bit of heat?

The thought made the butterflies in her belly pick up the beat, the fluttering feeling more like a hurried, frantic salsa now than a methodical, precise tango. She leaned against the counter. Resisted the urge to fan herself. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She glanced over at Em.

Em’s head was cocked, hands on her hips. Her expression was thoughtful, almost calculating. What was she thinking? And why did it scare the bejeesus out of Alex?

“Great. It’s a date.” Her voice came out way too breathy. And then the words registered and she felt her eyes widen. She opened her mouth to snatch the words back, or laugh them off, but nothing came out.

“Sounds good. See you around ten thirty? Em and I planned to meet under the sign. She said I can’t miss it.” There was definitely amusement, a hint of anticipation, in his deep voice now. And still that underlying heat. The kind of heat that sent goosebumps skittering across her skin. Made her toes want to curl inside her socks.

“Okay.” It was more of a squeak than a word. Another quick glance at Em showed a cheeky smirk on her face. Alex was glad she was enjoying her mother’s discomfort so much.

“See you tomorrow then.”

“Okay.” Another squeak.

“Bye.”

He disconnected the call. She slid the phone onto the counter like it was about to explode. Wiped her drenched palms on her pants and stared at the evil phone. What on Earth had just happened?

“So, you and Nick are going on a date, huh?”

Em’s question popped the bubble of numbness surrounding her. “Of course not.” She ducked her head and busied herself with tearing the lettuce. The ripping felt good, like she was putting the jittery energy zipping through her system to good use.

She’d used the word date and he hadn’t corrected her. Did he actually think this was a date? Did she want it to be a date? Did he?

“Umm, that lettuce is going to be nothing but crumbs if you don’t stop.”

She glanced at Em, who’d moved over to stand next to her, and then into the bowl. The pieces of lettuce were looking awfully small and sad. She dumped the contents of the bowl into the salad spinner and gave Em a bump with her shoulder. “Go and get washed up for dinner. It’ll be ready in a minute.”

Em nodded and walked over to the stairs. “Oh, and Mom?” She spun around to face Alex. “On your date tomorrow, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” The sing-songy words were followed up with a pathetic looking eyebrow wag. Em bounded up the stairs, a rather maniacal sounding laugh drifting back down into the kitchen.

Chapter Six