Me: She’s going to be okay. Had the surgery earlier this week, and the doc called with the results yesterday. It isn’t cancer. She’s totally fine.
My phone vibrates in my hand seconds later, notifying me that someone is calling. After sliding my thumb along the screen to answer it, I lift the phone to my ear. And squealing commences.
“Are you serious right now, Levi McCoy? She’s okay? Like for real? She’s seriously going to be alright? Why the hell didn’t she tell us she was getting it removed before the original date? I mean, I love that woman, but I kind of want to throttle her right now.” Her empty threat tugs my mouth into a smile as I cross the street toward my building.
“I kind of wanted to throttle her too, but it all worked out, and I understand why she was afraid to fill us in. She didn’t want us to worry.”
“Still,” she argues, not letting it go that easily. I knew she wouldn’t. Things have always been pretty black and white with that girl, and I knew this situation––and another one I’d rather not think about––wouldn’t be any different.
“I know. She’s okay, though. That’s all that matters. They’re going to keep a closer eye on her in the future, but she’s got a clean bill of health for now.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that.” She sighs in relief before adding, “Although, I wasn’t kidding about the whole throttling part. I’m not cool with lies, and I’m not cool with skating around the truth, either, Levi. You know that, and so does she.”
The blood drains from my face, and I break out into a cold sweat before remembering she doesn’t know about my arrangement with Conner. Besides, I called it off. Everything is fine.
I give myself a two-second pep talk then clear my throat. “Don’t worry, Charlie. I already yelled at her enough for the both of us. Make sure to give her a hug the next time you see her, though. She’s already given me enough crap about not inviting you to tag along for brunch.”
“Aww, that’s sweet of her. And I guess I’ll let her off the hook. But only because I’ve never needed to in the past, so she’s kind of earned a free pass this time. So help me, though, if it happens again, your best friend will not be pleased.”
“Best friend? Is that all you are to me?” I tease before taking the stairs two at a time and effectively changing the subject. Enough talk about lies. My conscience can only take so much. I could take the elevator, but with all the adrenaline pumping through my veins, I figure the six floors are a good way to burn it off.
“You tell me,” she starts, but a muffled noise cuts her off. A few seconds later, her timid voice comes back on the line. “Hey. I have a few friends here to help me get ready for tonight, so I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Friends? Are these the same ones from the picture at the hair place you sent me the other day?”
“Yup,” she confirms. “Those are the ones. See you tonight!”
“Hey, Charlie?” I ask before she has a chance to end the call. There’s something that’s been on my mind ever since she agreed to go out with me, and I want to make sure we’re clear.
“Yeah?”
“Have you had a chance to tell Conner yet?”
There’s a heavy pause. Then, her soft voice comes through the line. “Not yet. But I promise I will. It’s just been a whirlwind, ya know?”
“I know, but….” My voice trails off, and I let her fill in the blank. The longer we sneak around, the longer it looks like we have something to hide. And we don’t.
“I know, Levi. Let me take care of it, okay? He deserves to hear it from me.”
“Okay. See ya, beautiful.”
Then the call disconnects, and all I’m left with are sweaty palms and a fresh dose of guilt.
When I open the door to my place, I come face to face with Conner.
“Oh. Hey,” he greets me before dropping his gaze to the keys in his hand. He flips them back and forth a few times; their jingling only heightens the awkwardness of our encounter.
Things have been…forced, to say the least since our little conversation at my desk, and we’ve been giving each other a wide berth ever since.
“Hey,” I return, shifting my weight between my feet. “You helping Alexandra?”
“No. I have to go drop something off at my dad’s, and then I’ll swing by once it starts.” He raises his hand to keep me from interrupting him. “I know, I know. I was supposed to help set shit up, but my dad said he’d handle it.” My lips pull into a thin line, but I keep my mouth shut. Sensing my resignation, he releases a sigh. “I’ve been trying to reach Charlie, but she’s been ignoring me.”
I rock back on my heels and shove my hands into my front pockets. “Oh.”
“You taking her?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Figured. I gotta go.” Brushing past me, he’s out the door without bothering to say goodbye.
He isn’t an idiot. He knows something is up, and I was too much of a dipshit to tell him the truth. Charlie said she’d take care of it, though. I just need her to do it soon before everything falls apart.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Charlie
When Levi asked if I’d attend the gala with him, I didn’t know it was tonight. He left to go see his mom after our little morning tryst in bed, promising to pick me up at 7 pm, which is only thirty minutes from now.
My phone vibrates with a message, and I anxiously check it to see if it’s Levi. It’s not.
Conner: Hey. Is everything okay? You haven’t been responding to my messages.
The text brings a fresh wave of guilt. Shit. I really need to talk to him before he finds out from Levi that I’m dating someone else. I type out a dozen responses before finally deciding just to keep it simple. It’s not fair to him to break this off over text.
Me: Hey. Sorry. I’ve been crazy busy lately. How are you?
Conner: I’m okay. I heard you’re going to the grand opening tonight. I was wanting to see if you’d go as my date, but Levi mentioned he already asked you.
I grimace.
Me: Yeah, I’ll be there.
Conner: Perfect. I can’t wait to see you.
My brows furrow. He knows I’m going with Levi, so why would he be excited to see me? Doesn’t he get it?
Scrunching up my face, I type another quick message.
Me: It’ll be good to see you too. We’ll have to catch up, but I gotta go get ready, so I’ll just see you there, okay?
Conner: Sounds good. See ya there, beautiful.
My hands shake as I set my phone onto the bathroom counter then run my fingers through my hair, fluffing the mess of curls like Sophie had demonstrated.
I’ll deal with that later.
“How do I look?” I ask Sophie, Indie, and Suzette, who are all crowded into my tiny bedroom. After giving them a quick rundown of my date with Levi, they all insisted on coming over to help get me ready for the grand opening. It’s as if I somehow inherited three nosy fairy godmothers who are at my beck and call. And it’s freaking awesome.