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I laughed and took a sip of my coffee. I’d barely slept last night and had spent the entire morning cleaning up after the party. Shane and Chase were sleeping and left all the cleaning to us girls. I didn’t bother to try to wake them up, and I was happy to avoid Chase. I was still rattled by the moment we had shared in his room and couldn’t decide whether or not he’d been about to kiss me. Either way, my emotions were a jumbled mess, and I wasn’t sure how to face him.

“How are things at school?” Grandma asked.

I shrugged. “Things are fine. Well, aside from all the homework. I already have three assignments to do.”

“I’m sure your father has you studying hard,” Grandma replied.

“Tell me about it,” I groaned. Some nights, it felt like my brain would pop from all the information I was cramming into it. I had a strict schedule I stuck to though, so at least school hadn’t completely taken over my life.

“All that studying can’t be good for you. At least tell me you’ve been dating some cute boys,” Cora said with a shake of her head.

I laughed. “I think most adults would disagree with you about how good studying is for you.”

“Well, what would they know,” Cora replied. “And you didn’t tell me about the boys.”

“There’s a new boy at school,” I said, making Cora’s eyes light up with glee. “And he’s cute, but he’s just a friend,” I quickly added, much to her disappointment.

“Anyone else?”

My cheeks started to warm as Chase popped into my head. I was trying to get him to date me, but not for any reasons Cora or my grandma would approve of. I couldn’t stop thinking about him though, and I had to talk to someone about how I was feeling. Perhaps Cora and Grandma could help in unraveling my confused mind.

“Actually, there is a boy, but I’m not sure about him.”

“How so?” Grandma asked.

“Well, we’ve never really gotten along, and he irritates me like crazy, but when I get close to him, I think I want to kiss him.”

Cora grinned. “That’s how all the best relationships start.”

“But we can’t stand each other, and I spend half my life wanting to kill him.”

“That’s called passion,” Cora said.

I scrunched my nose in disgust. There was certainly no passion between Chase and I, but there needed to be if the plan was ever going to work.

“So, how do I know if he’s interested in me?”

Grandma smiled. “You could ask him on a date,” she said, as if it were that simple. “That’s what girls do these days, isn’t it?”

“I guess so,” I replied. “But girls are always throwing themselves at him, and he’s always turning them down. What if he turns me down?”

“Maybe he’s been waiting for the right girl to ask,” Grandma suggested.

“Any boy would be crazy to turn you down,” Cora added. “But if this one can’t see how special you are, then he’s not the right boy for you.”

I gave them both a warm smile, but my stomach was churning with nerves. There was no way I could ask Chase out. If he turned me down, my entire plan to get rid of him would go flying out the window. I had to get him to realize he wanted to date me on his own.

“I wish it were that easy,” I grumbled.

“It is,” Grandma said. “Sometimes you have to trust your gut, and if it’s telling you that there’s something between you and this boy, then I’m almost certain he’s feeling it too.”

Given Chase’s reaction to me last night, I wasn’t sure if my grandma was right. He’d leaned in like he’d wanted to kiss me, but then he’d embarrassed me in front of my brother and Tessa. He’d made his feelings toward me pretty clear with his disgusted reaction at the idea of us making out. But then, when I’d seen the book lying outside my door this morning it had felt like an apology. Knowing Chase though, it could just be another mind game. My gut had no idea what to make of it all.

Connie joined us a while later and couldn’t stop gushing about her walk with Bart. It sounded like the two of them were hitting it off, but she kept complaining that he’d yet to ask her on a proper date.

I stayed at the nursing home until it was time for The Three C’s to go down to lunch. They always had lunch at twelve sharp, which gave me plenty of time to get home in time for the two hours of homework I had scheduled for the afternoon. I would have loved to stay longer, but I had a lot of math problems to get through.

I walked Grandma, Connie, and Cora to the dining room before saying my goodbyes. I was just leaving the room when a man on a mobility scooter came whizzing through the door. I had to jump out of the way to avoid a collision, and I stumbled into a cart, losing my balance. I tried to grab the cart to steady myself but only made things worse. The cart started tilting toward me, and the plates piled on top of it began to slide toward the edge.