When I hand it back to him, he’s looking at me differently. “Hey, Amelia?”
“Yes?”
“I won’t let you become a crazy cat lady,” he smirks, taking the thermos from me.
I roll my eyes and I’m about to tell him to shove it when Chloe clears her throat.
“Since we’re all here, Wade and I would like to invite you both over for a small Christmas party this Friday night.”
“We would?” Wade asks, looking at his fiance.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes, we would. You remember Wade, I was telling you just last night that we should do something small to celebrate with our friends this year.” She tells him, giving him a weird look.
“Ooh yeah. Right. Yep, I remember now.” He says sounding unconvinced.
“Our house, six-thirty. That work for you Davis?”
“Works for me.” He smiles. “Thanks for the coffee by the way.” He says, looking at me.
I give him a death glare, while on the inside I’m quietly dying of embarassment. All my hopes of getting with Davis are suddenly gone. No one wants the responsibility of being someone’s first, especially at our age.
“No problem, now you two better get out of here before the fish wake up or whatever,” Chloe says.
Wade laughs and kisses Chloe soundly. “See you this afternoon, baby,” Wade says then walks out the way they came in, Davis following behind him.
“What are you up to?” I ask.
Chloe gives me a mischievous grin. “We’re going to take care of your little problem.”
I cross my arms and stare at her. “That’s not a problem that you need to help me with.”
“Sure it is. And I know just the person to fix it.”
“Why do I get the feeling this is going to turn out badly?”
“Do you trust me?” Chloe asks.
“You know I do, but…”
“But nothing. Let me help you with this. I waited four years to finally tell Wade how I felt, I don’t want to see you go through what I did.”
“I think I got you beat by over fifteen years.” I mumble as Chloe’s eyes go wide.
“No. Please tell me that’s not true, Mills.”
“In my defense, I tried telling Davis in high school how I felt and he laughed at me. Trust me when I say, there’s no point. He just doesn’t see me that way.”
“I don’t know what happened between you two back then, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. The way he’s always looked at you. The man has got it bad.”
Chapter Two
Davis
“And I know just the person to fix it.”
Those words have been haunting me for days. Ever since Wade and I walked in and I overheard Amelia say she was a virgin, I haven’t been able to think straight. Knowing that Chloe is setting her up with someone to take her virginity is making it even worse. I keep imagining some faceless dude taking what I’ve always considered mine, but have never had the courage to earn.
“Alvarez. Deputy Alvarez. Attention Deputy Dickwad,” Wade says, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound.
I look up and find him sitting on the edge of my desk giving me a weird look. “What is going on with you? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, why?” I ask defensively.
“You’ve been distracted all week for starters, and you’ve been in a shitty mood when you’re among the living.”
“Shit, sorry man. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Want to talk about it?” He asks.
“Not really.”
He stands up. “Get your ass in my office. And that wasn’t an option.”
Sighing, I stand from my desk and follow him into his office, closing the door behind me.
“I can’t come to your house tonight.”
“Why the hell not?”
“I think it’s better if I stay home.”
“Out with it.”
Sighing, I put my head in my hands then look up at Wade. “Who is Chloe setting Millie up with?”
“How’d you know about that?”
“I overheard her say it this weekend when we were leaving.”
“Why does it matter? Bring your own date and you won’t be the fifth wheel.”
“There’s a reason I don’t date, Wade. She’s all of five foot four, with blonde hair down to her shoulders and sexy green eyes. I can’t show up and pretend to be interested in someone else when the one woman I want sits across from me flirting with some fucker who doesn’t deserve her.”
“Then how about you show up alone and show her who the better choice is?” Wade suggests.
“Nah man, you guys have a good night. I don’t want to ruin in it.”
“Stop being a bitch and grow a pair. You’re really going to let her have dinner with another man and do nothing about it? If that’s the case you really don’t deserve her.”
“As my boss, I mean no disrespect. As my friend, fuck you.” I growl and stand.
“So, we’ll be seeing you at dinner tonight, right?” Wade asks as I walk out of his office.
Ignoring him, I check my watch and see that my day is officially over. I go back to my desk and shut down my computer, then leave. I don’t know what they hell I’m going to do, but doing nothing isn’t an option.
Chapter Three
Millie
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I say, rolling my eyes at my best friend.
“Oh please. All we’re doing is having dinner. Whatever happens, happens,” Chloe says still wearing that goofy grin she’s been wearing since Saturday.
“You’re right. Why am I so freaking nervous?” I ask, watching as she pulls the lasagna out of the oven. I smooth down the red velvet dress we picked out a couple of days ago hoping he likes it. It only goes to mid-thigh, and is probably too fancy for a Christmas dinner, but I do admit I love how good I look in it.
“Because it’s Davis and you’ve had a crush on him since elementary school. Because no other man compares to him. Because in your eyes, he’s the one.”
“Okay, good point. I need some fresh air. I’ll be right back.”
“Everything is going to be fine, Mills. You’ll see,” She calls as I walk out of the front of the house into the twenty degree weather and it chills me immediately. It does nothing for my nerves though. Standing on the porch, I look up into the black sky and stare at the stars. Seeing the biggest and brightest one, I make a wish that tonight will be different. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a truck pull up and flash their lights at me. Assuming it’s Davis, since it’s dark and hard to see, I walk over as the passenger door opens.
“Get in.”
“What about dinner?” I ask.
“Dinner can wait, we need to talk,” Davis demands.
“Alright, take it easy.” I say, and get into his truck.
The moment I close the door, Davis engages the locks and pulls out of the driveway. Speeding away.