Truly, Madly, Like Me - Jo Watson Page 0,59
Hi, Selma.” He sounded sheepish AF. The same sheepish he’d sounded last night with that woman from the movies.
“Why are you carrying that dog?” she demanded.
“Do you guys know each other?” I asked.
Selma whipped her head around and glared at me. Angry eyes. Angry eyes that had nothing to do with bringing a dog to her hotel. Her angry eyes were way too icy for that.
“You could say that,” she said snappily, now turning her glacial eyes on Mark.
Mark averted his gaze. I looked from him to her and back again.
“I mean . . . I thought we might know each other better but I guess that can’t happen when the guy avoids you after what I thought was a nice date,” she said, sarcasm cascading off that sentence like a waterfall over rocks. “And what with it being such a small town, you really have to put a lot of effort into avoiding someone, you know.”
I tried to hold back a smile. This was interesting. This was the second woman in two days who was pissed off with Mark. And after what Samirah and Faizel had said, this magical power he seemed to wield, it was becoming clear that Mark was Springdorp’s most eligible (yet reluctant) bachelor.
Mark looked up at Selma and met her gaze for a second, and then gave an apologetic look.
“Sorry,” he said lamely. “I was busy.”
“Busy!” she repeated, clearly not believing him. I didn’t either. What was he busy with?
“And you?” Selma now turned her attention to me. I wiped the smile off my face so damn quickly. “What do you have to say for yourself, lying to me about having a dog?”
I shrugged. “Sorry.”
Something in her expression suddenly changed, as if she was realizing something for the first time. She looked from me to Mark and then back to me. I knew what she was thinking.
“Oh no, we are not together, if that’s what you’re thinking. Trust me. I don’t even know him. We just met. Three days ago. I don’t even think he likes me that much, to be honest,” I finished, and gave Mark a satisfied grin.
“I didn’t say I didn’t like you,” Mark said to me, undoing the good work I’d just done.
At that, both Selma and I glared at him. There was an uncomfortable beat for a moment or two and then Selma turned and looked at me, definite venom blazing in her beautiful blue eyes.
Oh shit! Things were about to go south. More south than they already had.
“No dogs allowed! I’m going to have to ask you both to leave,” she said in a low, firm tone.
“He can’t go anywhere though,” I said quickly. “He’s just had an operation. Can’t you make an exception?”
She shook her head.
“What am I meant to do then?” I asked, a little panicked.
She shrugged. “You could stay in the other hotel in town,” and then she giggled. “Oh, I forgot. I’m the only hotel in town.”
I looked at Harun and then at my hotel room. What the hell was I meant to do now? I guessed I could ask Samirah to look after him at her practice for a few days. But I immediately discarded that idea because then I wouldn’t be able to be with him.
“Fine,” Mark piped up and started walking back to the car. “You can stay at my place for a few days.”
At that, Selma’s mouth dropped open. Mine did too.
“Go pack your things,” he called out to me, putting Harun back into the car. “I’ll wait here.”
“But . . . Uh . . . I . . .” I didn’t know if I wanted to stay with him. But he was looking at me, and Selma was glaring at the dog, whilst also flashing Mark angry-woman eyes, and the tension in the air was so physically palpable and it was getting tenser by the minute. It felt like a stick of dynamite had just been lit and we were all standing there watching the flame travel down the string getting closer and closer and—
“OKAY!” I shouted at Mark then rushed into my room and started grabbing my things.
CHAPTER 29
We pulled up to Mark’s house. It was a little way outside town, and was reached by driving along a dirt road for about five minutes. And when we got there, I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. I climbed out into the hot, unyielding desert sun and took in the view around me.
“You live here?” I asked, staring at the house