My eyes cut over to Teller and I quickly glance away.
“How long are you in town for?” she asks me as Teller waves goodbye and heads off to fix something.
I can hear Stan giving a tour and I know that I don’t have much time before the tourists come into the gift shop.
“Just for the summer.”
“Well, if you ever want to get together and hang out, just let me know.”
“Yeah, I met Madelyn and Iris in town yesterday and they mentioned having a girl’s night soon. Maybe we can all do that one night next week,” I offer.
“Sounds cool. Just let me know when.”
We exchange numbers and then the door is opening and the tourists are coming in to shop so I wave goodbye and head upstairs to my room.
It’s already after four p.m. and I’m getting tired. I debate texting and canceling on Chet but it seems too late to do that, so instead, I send him a message asking if we can do the tour earlier and hope that he says he can’t.
No such luck.
A minute after I send the message, he’s replying and saying that he can be here in twenty minutes. That doesn’t give me a ton of time to get ready but it’s not like I’m going to dress up or anything.
I let him know that it’s alright and then hurry through a shower before I throw on some jeans and a plain gray T-shirt. I grab my phone and my purse before I head back downstairs.
I debate just leaving but then I worry that Stan might have plans for us for dinner, so I leave a note, letting him know that I went out to explore the town.
I head outside right as a new looking Mercedes pulls up and Chet waves at me. I hurry to the passenger door before he can get out to open it for me. I want to remind him right off the bat that this is not a date. I also decided to dress casually as another reminder that I’m not interested in dating or starting a relationship right now.
Chet is dressed up more and I remember that he was dressed more formally when I ran into him yesterday too. I’m hoping that that’s just how he always dresses and that it doesn’t mean anything.
“Hey,” I say, trying to interject some excitement into my voice.
“Hey, you look great,” he says and I force a smile as I buckle up.
“Thanks.”
He starts the car and heads toward downtown. I expect him to start pointing stuff out or telling me a bit about the history of the town, but he spends the first ten minutes talking about himself and his day. By the time he gets around to telling me about the town, we’re already on the other side of it.
“This is the mayor’s office,” he brags and I have to bite back a laugh.
I should have known that this is where he would start the tour.
“It’s nice,” I say, studying the fancy-looking building.
“Yeah, the mayor’s house is right there,” he says, pointing next door.
“Oh,” I say, trying to sound suitably impressed.
This tour just started and I’m already sick of it and the tour guide. Chet stops at a red light and a few women cross the road. They all smile and wave at Chet, and I see a few of them give me dirty looks.
I want to tell them that they can have him. I don’t know how this boring, egotistical twerp could be the town golden boy like Teller said.
“That’s Beth and Mary Sue. They both asked me to go to prom with them senior year but I had already promised to go with Chloe. She was the head cheerleader so I mean, it was kind of a no-brainer, you know?”
I gag a little bit at that but try to pretend like I’m still interested in what he has to say.
The next hour and a half pass in much the same way. I learn all about what a stud and popular guy that he was in high school, how everyone was always saying that he was going to grow up to be an important man.
He skips over college quite a bit and I realize that he left Destiny Falls for college and must have hated it. He would be a small fish in a big pond there. No one would have been impressed that his father was the mayor of some tiny town that no one had ever heard of before. I don’t see him handling people not kissing his ass very well.
It’s obvious that he has high aspirations. He wants to be the mayor of this small town so that he can lord his little bit of power over everyone else. He wants everyone to look up to him and to like him. I wonder if he knows that a lot of people don’t seem to even like him.
I’m bored to tears and almost falling asleep by the time he pulls up outside of the Mystery Cabin. Lyla is just leaving the back door, headed to her car and I send her a pleading look to save me as Chet pulls up next to her.
“You know, Stan should really pave this lot so that customers don’t have to park on the gravel or dirt,” he whines and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
“I’ll be sure to mention that to him,” I lie as I throw open the passenger’s side door and hurry out. “Thanks so much for the tour.”
Lyla steps closer to me and I see her glare at Chet. It looks like no one here at the Mystery Cabin cares for him.
“Anytime,” he says with a wink and I force a smile that feels more like a grimace.
I’m about to close the door and start praying that I never see him again when he stops me.
“I was wondering if you would want to grab dinner with me sometime.”
“Oh, no,” I whisper.
Lyla lets out a bark of laughter that she tries to cover up with a cough.
“What?” he asks, his brow furrowed and I wonder if he’s ever heard the word no before or if he just really didn’t hear me.
“Oh, um, Like I said yesterday, I’m really not looking for a relationship or anything,” I start.
“Come on, Sutton. It’s just one dinner,” he says in a voice that is clearly trying to make me feel like I’m being ridiculous. “Besides, everyone has to eat, right?”
“Um.” I shift on my feet, feeling uncomfortable.
Do I really want to spend another night listening to him brag about himself? God no. He was so annoying and self-centered tonight that it was unbearable.
Maybe he was just nervous and was overcompensating so I wouldn’t notice. It still doesn’t change the fact that I’m not attracted to him. Maybe that’s something that grows over time though.
An image of Teller flashes behind my eyes but I push him out of my mind.
I’ve never really dated before and Chet’s making it sound like it’s not a big deal. Am I overreacting or being dramatic? Making it into a big deal when he just wants to buy me dinner and welcome me to town?
He said that it was just one dinner. Just one dinner and then I’ll never have to see him again.
“I guess,” I say but he doesn’t seem to hear my less than enthusiastic response. “Just this once. I was telling the truth when I said that I really wasn’t interested in dating right now.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure that I’ll be able to change your mind,” he says with a wink and I can’t help but grimace, my stomach dropping.
Do pick-up lines like that really work on women?
“Is tomorrow night alright? I’ll pick you up at seven,” he says before he shifts into drive.
I hurry to close the door and get a sinking feeling in my stomach as I watch him drive away.
“So, how was the tour?” Lyla asks sarcastically and I scrub my hands down my face.