Better If He Goes (Always You #1) - Allie Everhart Page 0,14
nervous flutter overtaking my stomach. I drop off the towels and race back to the laundry room.
Ten minutes later, as I'm folding towels, Brad walks through the door.
"Hey," he says with that gorgeous smile. "Just wanted to say goodbye before I go."
"Oh." I stand up. "Okay, bye."
"You should come with us tonight."
"Who?" I ask, then realize he means Nate and him. My brain doesn't seem to work around Brad.
"Nate and I are going to dinner. You should come with us, unless you have plans."
"I did, but they fell through. Nate called while you were in the salon. I told him I'd go tonight."
"Good." He holds my gaze a moment. "See you later."
"Yeah," I say, sounding breathless.
He leaves and April rushes in. "Did he just ask you out?"
"No, we were just talking about tonight. I'm tagging along with Nate and Brad since you cancelled on me."
She grabs my arm. "I think he likes you."
"What? No." I laugh. "He was just being nice because he knows Nate and I are friends."
"You wouldn't date him?"
"Brad? He doesn't want to date me. He's Nate's cousin. It'd be awkward."
"Why? Because Nate wants you for himself?"
I set down the towel I was folding. "Why do you keep acting like Nate and I are a couple? He's not interested in me that way. In fact, just the other day he said he'd never thought of me as anything more than a friend."
"Really?" She scrunches up her nose. "Are you sure you heard him right?"
"Positive. He has no interest in me romantically, and I feel the same way about him. Nate's like a brother to me."
"Then you're free to date Brad! But you better hurry up. Every woman in the salon was checking him out. Even the old ladies. You gotta make a move before someone else does."
"I'm not dating Brad." I fling open the dryer door and yank the towels out. I'm so tired of washing and folding towels and sweeping up hair every day. I need a different job. At least the lifeguard job will get me out of here in the afternoons.
"Look what Wayne just sent me," April says, showing me her phone. It's a photo of Wayne, shirtless, with his old man hairy chest. Gross.
Not sure what to say, I just nod, then quickly go back to my laundry.
She shrugs. "I know he doesn't have the best body, but he treats me better than the guys I dated before."
None of the guys she's dated have treated her well, including Wayne, but I'll never convince her of that. I've tried, and it was a waste of time.
"My next client is here. I gotta go." She heads to the door. "Oh! Brad left me a ten-dollar tip! Isn't that great?"
I wish I got tips. Maybe I should've stuck with cosmetology school. If my mom could do it, and April could do it, why couldn't I? Because I was terrible at it, that's why. And it's not what I want to do.
The hours slowly pass until I'm finally able to leave at four. I'm so excited to be done. Today was my last full day of work here until the pool closes in the fall. I'm really lucky Renee lets me do this every year. She only does because of all the high school kids looking for part-time jobs in the summer. She pays them less than me so it works in her favor to have them take my hours.
When I get home, Dave is there, watching TV in his boxers and no shirt.
"Do you have something against clothes, Dave?" I ask as I go to the kitchen to find a snack. I didn't have money for lunch, so skipped it.
"It's too damn hot for clothes. And when your mom gets home, she'll just take them off anyway." He laughs.
"I'd rather not know that," I mutter.
"You ever see this show?" He points to the TV. "It's one of those game shows where you have to do all this stupid shit to win prizes. I'm thinking of trying to get on it. Get some extra cash, you know?"
"Sounds good, Dave," I say, going past him. I don't know why he hangs out here so much. His house is bigger than this trailer and my mom's not even home.
I go in my room and search through my tiny closet, trying to figure out what to wear. Normally this isn't a problem. I just grab something and go. But today I can't decide. Is it because Brad's going to be