Jesse put his hand on my thigh and squeezed. “Man, you look just like I did when shit started to go down with Dane. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it. You’re happily going through your life, having fun and not being serious about anyone, and then boom, you’re hit with a Mack truck.”
“Sounds painful.” Who would ever want that? “I’m not fond of getting hit by vehicles.”
Jesse laughed. “Just you wait and see. This is gonna be fun.”
I flipped him off. My friend was the worst. “I don’t want to talk about Clark anymore.”
“You’re no fun.” Jesse winked but did as I asked and changed the subject, and we hung out for a little while longer.
Afterward, I thought about going to Mom’s house, but I wasn’t sure I was in the right frame of mind. Instead, I went to one of the fabric stores and bought some new designs, then returned to the apartment. The job I’d seen earlier flittered through my head, and I had to force myself not to look it up again. It would only make me want it more, and I preferred not to get my hopes up when there was basically no chance I would get it.
I spent some time in my room, distracting myself with sewing. I was making a new skirt with this cute purple plaid material when I heard the front door open. I had no idea when to expect Clark home, but I felt a weird tingling sensation beneath my skin, which wasn’t good, wasn’t good at all.
I cleared my throat, tried to shove those thoughts aside. I was Skylar. I didn’t catch the flu over cute boys. I was losing my damn mind, and it was time to get it back, so I pushed to my feet and headed down the hallway. “Hello, gorgeous. Did you miss me—oh shit.” Oops. Those last two words I’d meant to say in my head, because it wasn’t Clark standing at the kitchen counter where we’d rutted against each other earlier. It was his mom, who apparently had a key to his apartment. Okay, he and I definitely needed to discuss that. Hello mom all up in his business.
She gave me a tight smile. “Skylar, isn’t it?” she asked as if she didn’t know my name. She didn’t look like she’d aged since I’d seen her last—still with perfect makeup and perfect nails and perfect hair, the scent of money rolling off her.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, trying to be on my best behavior. The last thing I wanted was to do or say something that could cause problems for Clark. “It’s so nice to see you again.” Lie, lie, lie. It wasn’t nice at all. I suddenly felt small…not good enough.
“You too. I was surprised to hear you were back in Clark’s life. Thrilled, of course, but surprised.”
Thrilled, my ass. At least I wasn’t the only one lying. “Yeah, me too. It was almost like fate.” Which I totally didn’t believe in, but when it came to Clark, maybe I kind of did. “He’s not here, by the way. He had to go take care of something for work.”
“I know. I was just hoping to catch him. He should be back soon. I wanted to see how his date had gone last night.”
“Date?” automatically fell from my lips. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I’d known it hadn’t been a date. Clark wouldn’t have kissed me, so hungry and needy, if it had been.
“Well, not necessarily. He’s a new man who will be working for us, and we knew he and Clark would hit it off. They’re so much alike—or maybe that’s just a mother’s dream.” She laughed, I didn’t. I felt sick to my stomach again. Was she feeling me out? Trying to tell me I wasn’t good enough? Trying to see if there was anything going on with us? I didn’t know her well. Maybe it was just one of those things where she was curious about me and had used this as an excuse to see how close Clark and I were.
“Yeah,” I finally replied. “He told me.” See, mom who hates me? We talk! He didn’t keep it from me, and I don’t care, don’t care at all if Clark dates some super-perfect guy he has a lot in common with.
But a small part of me did.
I felt…weird, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all.
There was a noise behind her, and we both looked up as Clark came in. His gaze darted back and forth between me and his mom. “Oh…hey. What are you doing here, Mom?” He walked over and kissed her cheek.
“I came to see you. I wanted to know how it went last night with Jasper.”
He frowned, and somehow, I could tell he was trying not to look at me. “It went fine. He’s a new guy at our company, no big deal. How was it supposed to go?”
“I just thought the two of you would hit it off, is all.”
“Mom…” There was a soft warning in his voice.
She turned her attention back to me. “Do you still take gymnastics?”
“No, ma’am. I play around with it for fun. When I was younger I thought I’d go to the Olympics, but you know how that goes. Just a childish dream.”
“That’s what I always told Clark,” she replied, maybe thinking we had something in common, but I didn’t feel that way at all.
“If Clark wanted it, he could have done it. I think Clark can do anything he puts his mind to.” I hadn’t meant it to be hurtful to her. I’d only said it because it was true. If Clark wanted anything enough, I thought he had it in him to make it happen.
Still, she flinched. Clark inhaled a sharp breath, and I turned to him, looked at him. He beamed, and I could swear I felt that damn stupid, perfect smile in my chest. Literally felt it. I was so fucked.
“You too,” he said, and I could tell he meant it.
In that moment, his mom wasn’t in the apartment with us anymore. It was just me and Clark, having each other’s backs, making each other feel good, and if I let myself, I’d admit there was nothing in the world like it.
24
Clark
“Let me walk you out,” I told Mom, following her into the hallway.
As the door clicked shut behind us, I breathed out. Not only because I was glad that awkward episode between my mom and Skylar was over, but also because my stomach was feeling all fluttery, like butterfly wings were flapping against my insides. For a few brief moments, it was almost like Skylar and I were twelve all over again, us against the world—or against my mother’s snooty, dismissive attitude.
And I was trying hard not to totally go off on her in the middle of my apartment building, but she had been so out of line in there.
As we walked toward the elevator, I clenched my jaw, but a frustrated sound slipped out anyway. “What are you doing showing up here like this?”
Mom’s eyes flashed with hurt, but I wasn’t buying it. What she’d done was calculated, and she knew it. She sniffed in mock indignation. “What? I’m no longer allowed to visit you at your apartment?”
“Not if you’re going to burst in like that. Did you even knock, or only use the key?” I asked, and when her gaze flitted away, I had my answer. “And you know darn well you didn’t just ‘visit.’ You could’ve waited to see me at the office to ask about Jasper. This visit was deliberate. You were being nosy about my houseguest.”
“Okay, fine.” Her shoulders deflated as I punched the elevator button. “I admit it, but only because I want what’s best for you.”