Inevitable by Tamara Hart Heiner Read Free Book Online Page B

you hold it down here.” His fingers lingered on mine, the thumb touching the back of my knuckles.
    I tugged my hand free and walked out of the classroom, struggling to maintain a neutral expression. “Thanks.”
    Poppy and Shannon waited outside the room. Poppy raised an eyebrow at the sight of me and whispered something to Shannon, who nodded.
    Aaron leaned closer to me. I lowered my eyes, keeping them on his brown oxford shoes.
    “Are you working tonight, Jayne?” he asked, his minty breath washing over my face. The English accent made the casual sentence feel formal and important.
    Yes or no? For a moment I couldn’t remember. “Yes. Closing again.”
    “Then I’ll see you tonight.”
    I stood where I was, staring at the ground until his Oxfords disappeared around the corner. Poppy’s voice made me jump.
    “Well, you don’t wait long, do you? Though I will admit, Aaron is a step up from Stephen.”
    I looked at her and felt a flash of anger. Boobs and money, and she thought she ruled. I gave her a cool smile. “Don’t worry, sweets. Stephen’s up for grabs, if you were looking for leftovers.” A flicker of guilt pricked me for speaking so callously about Stephen, but it was for the greater good.
    Poppy’s face turned red and she sputtered. I left before she could get her wits together and slam me with a rebuttal.
    One thing was for sure. Aaron’s mere presence got my mind off last night’s vision.
    
    “Let me get this straight.” Dana stared at me over her Reuben sandwich, her blue eyes wide. “Stephen asked you out—and you turned him down?”
    “Yes, I’ve already said that. Then he—”
    “You turned him down?”
    She wasn’t ever going to let me finish. I brushed it off, anxious to tell her about Aaron. “Dana, I couldn’t go out with him. He would’ve dumped me again for someone else.”
    “You don’t know that!” she shrieked.
    I didn’t bother arguing with that. “He didn’t stick by me the first time. Why would he for another round?”
    Dana groaned and put her head in her hands. “Jayne! Maybe he really was sorry! You should’ve given him a chance!”
    “How’s your prom date coming along?” I asked, trying to steer the topic off of Stephen.
    “No, no, we’re not done.” She held a hand up, palm out. “How did Stephen react?”
    I tried to remember the exact order of events. “He seemed to think I was being melodramatic. He was trying to make a point, so he kissed me.”
    “He what ?”
    The shriek again. I put a finger to my lips and shushed her. “Dana, hush. No need for everyone to know.”
    “But Jayne! A kiss means something! He likes you!”
    My finger pulled down on my lip and I couldn’t help remembering the taste of his mouth on mine. “Now he does. Wait and see. He won’t try again. We’ll see him at prom with a beautiful blond on his arm.”
    “Jayne, I could cry.” Indeed, Dana’s mouth trembled. “Aren’t you just sick inside?”
    “I would be, but...” I took a deep breath. The excited flutter bubbled up in my stomach again. Having a new crush could be quite intoxicating. “I think I might like someone else.”
    This time, at least, she covered her mouth to muffle the squeal. “No wonder you turned him down! Why didn’t you say something? Jayne, you better tell me who it is, now!”
    I felt a smile toying with the corners of my mouth. “Well, he’s new in school.”
    “Aaron!”
    Guessing games were no fun with Dana. I wrinkled my nose at her. “You could at least pretend not to know so I could draw out the suspense longer.”
    “Jayne!” Dana grabbed my hand. “I can’t believe you have a crush on him! Where did you meet?”
    I considered explaining how I’d met him at work and all, but opted for the easiest explanation. “He’s in my English class.”
    “Wait. Do you have a crush on him just because he’s ‘safe’?” She made quotation marks with her fingers. “Because every other girl in school is crushing on him