Page 20 of The Chase

I wasn’t sure if that had actually happened until I was crawling into my bed a couple of hours later and saw a text from her.

BABYGIRL: I’m serious, somewhere VEGGIE friendly. NOT like I can eat the house salad.

I felt like that was a sore spot for her. I wasn’t about to tell her I had been a creepy cyberstalker, and I already knew she was a vegetarian because she posted something about the vegan fast food place she liked when they opened a new location near the arena.

ME: Anything for you, baby girl.

BABYGIRL: [eye roll emoji]

I flipped over to my last message with Dinah.

ME: Hey, stop fucking Noah for like a minute and help me out.

D: [laughing face emoji] He fell asleep! What do you want?

ME: Aw! You wear him out!

D: Fuck yeah I do!

I had to laugh at that. I loved Noah, and he was one of my best friends, but his five-foot-two girlfriend was the one in charge in that relationship. D didn’t give a fuck sometimes, and that’s why I loved her.

ME: You used to be a vegetarian, right? Where’s a good place to take a vegetarian girl for dinner?

D: ooh…hmm maybe, Greenery? That’s kind of fancy.

D: Wait, DATE?!?

ME: Thanks, D!

D: Dick! Gimme the deets!

ME: Night, D!

D: DETAILS MAN!

I ignored her last message and started making a plan.

Greenery looked fancy, but it would be perfect. I really needed to impress Max if she was giving me a second chance. I didn’t know why she was doing it, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t mess it up this time. Something about her made me want to try. Made me want to prove to myself that I wasn’t the useless jock everyone thought I was.

CHAPTER EIGHT

MAXINE

“You look nice today,” my boss said as she breezed into the office after coming back from the fifth meeting of the day. When I found out we hired TJ Desjardins’ sister, I had some concerns, but Rox is incredibly competent.

I smiled and fingered my black skirt. “Is this skirt too short for work?” I asked.

Rox shook her head with a laugh. “No, girl. I’m telling you that you look hot in that outfit. Especially those thigh-high boots. What’s the occasion?”

I frowned. “Oh, um…I have a date.”

Her hazel eyes sparkled, and her plum-colored lips eased into a smile. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, really,” I grumbled.

“With anyone I know?” she teased.

Like TJ hadn’t told her. Rox let it slip before that her twin was her confidant, and they told each other everything.