Hooped #3 (The Hooped Interracial Romance Series, Book #3) by Claire Adams Read Free Book Online Page B

think we’ll have two pies,” one of the women said after they had briefly consulted each
other. “Both large, one with the four cheese and the other with mushrooms and
spinach.”
    “And what would you like to drink? We have Coke
products, beer, some really good wines…” One of the women gave me a little
grin.
    “You don’t look old enough to know whether the wine is
good or not,” she said, raising an eyebrow.
    “Shh,” I said, bringing my finger up to my lips. “As
far as anyone knows, I only ever tasted them—I’ve certainly never had a full
glass.” The women at the table laughed and ordered two carafes of the house
white, and I trotted off to put in their order.
    I went from table to table, taking orders from high
school kids, parents with their elementary-aged children, and groups of
middle-aged and elderly people. It was so easy to smile at everyone, to keep
the playful banter going; I couldn’t help myself, even when one of the tables
of teenagers started making a mess with the cheese and pepper flakes. Instead
of getting angry, I snapped a quick picture of their “artwork” with my phone and sent it to Devon.
    The shift seemed to fly by, in spite of the fact that
I wanted more than anything to be spending the time with Devon; I was sure that
I was glowing like a lightning bug, hurrying from one table to another to
refresh drinks, to take orders, to bring food. My regulars asked if I was
planning on going to the game that night, or how I liked a particular team’s
chances, and I found myself thinking about Devon over and over again, blushing
when someone asked about the school’s team, unable to stop myself from smiling.
    In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think about
Kelly, at least a little bit. I was still shocked that she had lied to me, but
then, why should I be? I knew that I was more than a little naïve, in spite of
the fact that I had told Kelly off for accusing me of it. It was so strange to
me that she wouldn’t just be honest with me about her feelings towards Devon; but I told myself that one way or another,
the situation would have to work itself out. I didn’t exactly cherish the idea
of having to change dorm rooms over winter break, but if I had to—if she wasn’t
going to be reasonable about my relationship—then I would do it to have peace
of mind.
    We had been friends for years; she had been a big part
of the reason that I had decided to go to the college I’d chosen, and I’d loved
living with her. I had always thought that she felt the same way towards me,
and if anyone had asked me a month before if anything could come between us and
drive us apart, I would have laughed in their face and told them they were
crazy. But it was becoming clear to me that she was not at all the same person
that I had known in high school; she wasn’t even the person I had thought she
was when she came home for break and hung out with me before I started college.
    I remembered—as I was cashing out someone’s check—that
she had said something to me about Devon, and I getting what we deserved. It was such a strange thing to say that I had
brushed it off; what could she even mean by that? But something about the
memory of it, the sound of her voice, stuck in my head. I shook it off; it
wasn’t important.   I was just going to
move forward with my life, and enjoy what I had with Devon for however long it
lasted. If Kelly came around, that would be great—and I’d be happy to continue
to be her friend. But if she just couldn’t live with the idea of me dating
Devon, I would have to break off any ties with her; anyone who would ask me to
choose between them and someone I was ready to fall in love with wasn’t someone
I wanted to be around. I could only take my chances with Devon and hope that he was being real with me when he said he
wanted to be serious. I could only hope that Kelly would come around and once
more be the friend that I’d always known. But if she couldn’t