Better If He Goes (Always You #1) - Allie Everhart Page 0,16
I know. My dad took off after the divorce. John stepped in and raised my brother and me like we were his own kids." Brad looks over at me and smiles. "I didn't mean to tell you my whole life story. I just wanted you to know I wasn't judging you for living there. You don't have to be embarrassed about it."
"I wasn't. I—" I take a breath. "Okay, I was embarrassed. But I'm not now." I give him a slight smile. "Thanks for being cool about it."
We drive in silence for a few minutes, then he looks over at me and says, "I'm looking forward to tonight."
"Yeah, I bet. How long's it been since you hung out with Nate?"
"About a year. But I wasn't talking about Nate."
The light changes and Brad turns down Nate's street. Was he just flirting with me? I'm pretty sure he was, so what do I do? How do I respond to that?
Brad's phone rings and he answers it by pushing a button on the steering wheel. "Hey, man, we're almost there."
Nate's voice comes through the speakers. "Yeah, about that. Gonna have to go without me."
"Why?"
"I'm sick. Been throwing up the past hour. Must've been that sushi I had at lunch."
"We'll still come over," I tell him. "We'll just hang out and watch movies tonight."
"Riley, that's sweet, but I can't. I don't want you guys around me when I'm throwing up. And maybe this isn't food poisoning. If it's the flu, I don't want you guys catching it. My mom's here. She'll take care of me. You guys go out and have fun. And Brad, don't let Riley pay for anything. Tonight's on me. I'll pay you back whatever you spend."
"Don't worry about it," Brad says. "I'll cover tonight. You can buy me a beer when you're feeling better."
"You sure you don't want us to stop over?" I ask. "We could bring you something. Soup? Tea? Whatever you need."
"I don't need anything, but thanks for the offer. Go out and have fun, Riley. Don't worry about me. Brad will take care of you."
"Drink lots of fluids," Brad says to Nate. "You can dehydrate fast with food poisoning."
"Okay, Dr. Whittaker," Nate jokes.
"We'll check in with you later. Hope you feel better." Brad ends the call, then pulls into someone's driveway and stops. "What do you think? It's kind of early for dinner. Want to grab a drink somewhere?"
"Sure." I hide my hands under my legs and turn toward the side window, nervously chewing my lip.
"Riley?"
"Yeah?" I say, still turned to the side.
"If you don't want to do this, I can take you home."
Turning back to him, I pause, then say, "It's not that I don't want to go out. I just feel bad that Nate can't go."
"I'm his cousin, so it's kind of like being out with Nate." Brad smiles and I see a hint of Nate in his smile. "And it sounds like he wants you to go out and have fun tonight. So what do you say? Drinks? A movie? What sounds good?"
"It's been a long week. I could use a drink."
"You'll have to suggest a place. I don't know my way around yet."
I give him directions to the local brewhouse that Nate loves. And they have decent food so it's an option for dinner.
"So you're going to med school in the fall?" I ask as we're driving.
"That's the plan."
"What kind of doctor do you want to be?"
"I'm thinking general practitioner. Or I might specialize. Haven't decided yet."
"Where are you going to school?" I ask as he stops at a red light.
"Columbia. My dad went there for law school so I had an in. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would've been accepted. It's a top school. Not sure I belong there." His voice trails off as he says it and he glances down. It's the first time I've seen his confidence slip.
"I'm sure you'll do great."
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he says, his confidence suddenly back. "Why don't we stop talking so much about me and talk about you?"
"There's not much to say."
"I doubt that. I've got all night to find out."
He says it in a flirty way and gives me a flirty smile. This is feeling more and more like a date, especially without Nate here. I kind of want it to be a date, but it can't be.
Brad seems like a great guy and I'm really attracted to him, but he's off limits. I have to keep reminding myself of that.