Page 73 of Betting on the Bad Boy

“Yeah, he’s a stirrer, all right.” He mimed stirring a giant pot with a spoon. “Stirs up trouble?”

My mouth quirked into a smile. “Yeah, you’re right. He’s a stirrer for sure. Any chance you want to take my New Year’s Eve shift?”

“Wish I could help you out, but I’ve got plans already.”

I nodded, and Oliver disappeared around the corner. Shit. I’d hoped to have the night off so Faith and I could get together. I wanted to show her just how well I could handle her sex-only proposal, but now it looked like I might have to pull out. Maybe I needed to rethink our agreement, anyway. I sure as hell didn’t want to get caught corrupting a pastor’s daughter.

But thinking about shutting down our arrangement made my heart squeeze. We were adults. We knew what we were getting into. We could handle it. And why would Murph try to shove a wedge between us unless he still had a thing for Faith?

With a slurry of unanswered questions spinning around in my head, I got up. My hand wrapped around the cold pint of beer, and I made my way out front. Murph had better be gone, or I might just have to invite him outside. I was done listening to what Murph had to say. From here on out, any digs at Faith might be best handled with a fist to the mouth.

CHAPTER 37

Faith

I readover the email one more time. I’d been selected to take over Professor Middleford’s classes. I rested my elbows on the laminate desk and cradled my head in my hands, gazing out the fourteenth-story window onto the snowy quad below. Good things were happening.

Being back in Newbridge, the words flowed again, and I wanted to get another chapter written before I’d let myself initiate a New Year’s booty call. A tap sounded on the glass of the small study carrel window, and I turned around. When my eyes met Dante’s, a slow smile spread across my lips. He must have taken that as an invitation and cracked open the door.

“Hey, you,” I said. “How was your break?”

“It was okay. How about yours?”

“Fine. Too many parties to go to. I’m glad to be back.”

“Yeah, I’m glad you’re back, too.”

I rose up out of the chair and snaked my arms around his neck. Instead of responding, he untangled himself and took a step back. Had he changed his mind?

“Is there something you want to tell me, Faith?”

He wouldn’t make eye contact, just stared at the putty-colored wall.

“Um, I don’t think so. What’s going on?”

Dante pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

A sliver of panic sliced through me. Had someone left a page for him, too? I’d tried to put the threat out of my mind. What if Dante found out?

The paper crinkled as his fingers smoothed out the creases. “Murph stopped by the bar yesterday.”

I swallowed hard. “Oh?” Dante passed the page to me. The damn article about my mom’s visit to campus. Relief flooded my system.

“So, you didn’t think you needed to mention the little fact that your parents are paving the moral high ground?”

I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest.

“What would Mom and Reverend Kepner think about our little arrangement? Did you fill them in on all the details after Christmas service?” he asked.

“That’s not fair. I can’t help who my mom is or who she chose to marry. I love my family, but that’s not my life. I don’t fit in there anymore.”

“You didn’t have to lie about it.”

“Said the pot to the kettle, huh? You think I don’t know that you told your grandmother we were officially an item? I got a Christmas card from her for crying out loud. She sent me her recipe for lemon crinkle cookies and told me how happy she was that you finally found a nice girl and that we’d make beautiful babies together.”

Dante groaned and sucked in a deep breath. “She said that, for real? About the grandbabies?”

“She just wants you to be happy. You’re lucky you have someone who loves you so much.”