Derailed (Clayton Falls #1)(31)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

“I don’t want you to.” I knew it was a big hit, but just knowing he was singing it upset me.

“Okay, consider it off our set lists permanently.”

“Thank you. I’ll see if Kelly wants to come with me.” I pulled on my tank top.

“If she can’t, let me know. I’ll make Jake go with you instead. I don’t want you sitting alone. God knows how many guys would be hitting on you. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.”

I picked up a pillow and tossed it at him. “Yes, because I am so incapable of taking care of myself.”

“I never said you couldn’t take care of yourself.”

“Fine. If you don’t hear from me, assume I’m going with Kelly.”

“Sounds good. So any big plans tomorrow night?”

“Oh yeah, hot ones.”

Ben sat up straighter.

I laughed. “Chill out. I promised Kelly we’d go see some new romantic comedy. Tom won’t go.”

“Sounds fun,” he said sarcastically.

“On that note, I’ve got to go.”

“Are you sure? I could make it worth your while if you stayed.” He opened his arms in invitation.

“As tempting as that is, I’m supposed to help Gail bake tomorrow, which means I have to get there at five.”

“So? I’m at work that early most of the time.”

“Yeah… but you were always more of a morning person than me.” Of course Ben didn’t realize I’d been making four a.m. runs a habit.

“Well, if you decide you want to come over after the movie, by all means do it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You do that… no pressure.” From the teasing look in his eye, I knew that I needed to make a run for it if I was going to make it home anytime soon.

***

I finally learned how to make Gail’s mouthwatering strawberry-cream cheese Danishes. I’d been eating them up since I was a kid, and she’d decided it was time I baked them myself. I may have been covered in flour by the end, but I made a pretty good batch. I made sure to put one aside, so Ben could taste my handiwork. He was the only one I knew who loved those pastries as much as I did.

Gavin and Tom came in around ten a.m. I was finishing up a Coke, tired of drinking coffee, but in desperate need of caffeine. The dreams had been brutal the night before, and I’d only slept about an hour.

“Hey there, stranger who doesn’t call when she promises to,” Gavin teased when they reached the counter. I’d never seen him in uniform before, and he looked different—more intimidating maybe.

“Hi, yeah, sorry about that.” I shrugged, not offering more of an explanation. The truth was, after watching how upset Ben got about me having dinner with Gavin, I didn’t need to set him off again. Whatever we were classifying ourselves as, Ben deserved some effort to spare his feelings.

“So, we still need to talk about that thing.” He nodded toward Tom.

“Oh. Umm, would it be enough if I told you I’d call later?”

“No way.” He laughed. “I’m not falling for that again. Could you get us some coffees and then maybe you can take a break for a few minutes?”

“Okay, one second.”

I served them both their coffee and then told Gail I was taking my break. Tom must have thought we had personal things to discuss because he happily went outside to give us a semblance of privacy.

Gavin pulled out a chair for me at a table and sat down across from me. “Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Don’t ‘of course’ me. You scared me the other night.”

I really wished I could take back everything I’d told Gavin. He was the wrong person to open up to, I could see that now. It’s not that he wasn’t a nice guy, but I needed to make a break from him, and it would just make it harder. “I didn’t mean to scare you; just forget about it.”

“Not likely.” He looked at me seriously for a moment before his lips turned into a smile. “So, how do you feel about having the party at my place?”

“That’s fine. I really don’t know where else in town we could have it.” Somehow, it would feel wrong to throw that kind of party at my parents’ house. “How exactly do you plan one of these joint parties though? The only bachelorette parties I ever went to had pasta shaped in the form of a key part the male anatomy. I can’t imagine that flying here.”

Gavin chuckled. “A key part the male anatomy? I didn’t take you to be such a blushing virgin that you couldn’t say the word penis.”

“If you knew the kind of household I grew up in, you’d understand. That sort of conditioning is hard to shrug off.”

“Strict parents, huh?”

“A strict dad. My mom was always pretty normal, but Dad wanted to keep his girls in line.” I used my straw to stir the ice in my cup.

“Well, if your sister looks anything like you, I get it. He probably had to beat the boys away from the pair of you.”

“Very funny,” I said dryly.

“Very true.”

“So, you didn’t answer my question.”

“Oh, sorry. I think it’s pretty much an excuse to have a big party with drinking, stupid games, and celebrating the couple, you know?”

“Games?”

“Yeah, like drinking games.”

I felt my cheeks heat, realizing that I had a game to contribute. After organizing a bachelorette party for a college friend, I knew the ropes.

“What?” Gavin leaned over on an elbow toward me.

“I have this card game I can bring.”

“Card game?” He arched an eyebrow.

“I got them for a friend’s bachelorette party. It’s really just truth or dare in a pack of cards.”

“Interesting.” He got a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Whatever.”

“So bring this card game and invite whoever you think Kelly wants. Do you think this weekend is too soon? How about Friday?”

“No, I think that works. It shouldn’t take much planning. Let me know what I can bring or help with.”

“Could you come by early, help set up and everything?”

“Sure,” I said cautiously. I’d have to be extra careful when I broached that topic with Ben.

“Great.” He stood up before bending over to kiss me on the cheek. “Any interest in grabbing dinner tonight?”