The Sweetgum Ladies Knit for Love - By Beth Pattillo Page 0,68

helping Camille.”

“Can’t you blow it off, just for today? I’ve barely seen you this week.”

His dismissive attitude irked Hannah. She didn’t like being taken for granted as a girlfriend, but her real fear was that maybe he wasn’t taking her for granted at all. Maybe he just liked her as a friend and she was reading too much into it. But how could you read too much into a guy’s feelings when he kissed you on the sidewalk after a football game in full view of God and everybody? That had to matter more than who he took to homecoming.

“I have a life, too, Josh.” She turned away to dig in her backpack for the sandwiches. Mrs. Carson had helped her make them—thick piles of turkey on fresh bread from the bakery on the town square. The librarian didn’t think a sandwich was finished until you’d put some fancy mustard, lettuce, and tomato on it. For Hannah, who had lived on bologna and Wonder Bread for years, it seemed like a lot of bother. But it also seemed nice.

Josh put his hand on her shoulder, and she swiveled back around to find him looking at her sheepishly, apology in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I’m being a jerk.”

She nodded. “Yes, you are.” She only wished she had the guts to elaborate on that statement.

“Can I still have a sandwich?”

“Have two.” She tossed a couple of Ziploc bags at him. “Or else you’ll be hungry in an hour.” All that weight lifting must burn off a jillion calories, because Josh was always hungry.

“Thanks.” He leaned forward and brushed another kiss across her lips. His mouth, so soft against hers, made her think of Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Before Josh, she would never have understood the hoop-skirt-wearing main character. But now…

“Josh—” She stopped, unwrapped her sandwich, and stared at it as if it contained the answer to all the mysteries of the universe.

“What?” He took a bite of his sandwich large enough to choke a horse.

“I was wondering…” How in the world was she supposed to ask without asking?

Josh chewed, swallowed. “Wondering what?” He grinned. “Great sandwich, by the way.”

“Thanks.” She picked at the bread, tore off a few crumbs, and tossed them to a bird perched on a rock a few feet away.

“What were you wondering? How I got to be so awesome?”

His teasing grin made her stomach flip, which she would have enjoyed more if she hadn’t just swallowed a bite of her sandwich.

“I guess I was wondering”—she took a deep breath—“I guess I was wondering if I needed a new dress for the winter formal.”

She waited, her heart pounding, for his response. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything, just looked at her with an unreadable expression.

“Hannah—”

Now she really regretted that bite of sandwich. She could see the pity in his eyes. She’d been a fool, read too much into his attention. He didn’t want to date her, not openly. But then why had he kissed her? Taken her to the Dairy Dip? She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

“Never mind.” She jammed her sandwich back into the Ziploc bag, then stuffed it into her open backpack. “It’s not important.” She reached for the zipper, knowing that she had to get out of there. Had to run and run and keep running. She was such an idiot. In a flash she was on her feet and swinging the backpack over her shoulder. “I’ve got to run. Camille’s expecting me.”

“Hannah, wait.” He was on his feet too, and he caught her arm, holding her in place. “I need to explain.”

She whirled around to face him. “Who are you taking?”

One tiny sliver of hope still lodged in the vicinity of her heart. Stupid, idiotic hope. And then she looked in his eyes, and it died.

“I’m taking Courtney.”

Hannah bit her lip to keep the tears from flowing. Pain was always better than weakness. She’d learned that from her mother at an early age. “Whatever.” She looked down at his hand on her arm. “Like I said, I’ve got to go.”

“You know I’d rather take you.” He released her arm but didn’t move away. “But my mom—She’s been a mess since the divorce. She hates it here. And it made her so happy when I took Courtney to homecoming.” He frowned. “It’s just a stupid dance.”

“Then why go at all?” She shouldn’t ask. Shouldn’t stand there and let him grind her heart into the sand beneath their feet. “Tell your mother