Outmatched in October (Spring River Valley Book 10) by Clarice Wynter Read Free Book Online Page A

wasn’t just me.”
    “Right. Well, she’s great.”
    He nodded curtly and went back to packing equipment. For some reason tonight, cleanup seemed to be taking forever. When he’d lined up the last of the wires and stands at the edge of the stage area, Owen cast that same curious glance at her. “Are you catching a ride home with Taylor?”
    Claudia was about to say yes—her apartment was between Taylor’s house and Colette’s, so he drove her home most of the time. Owen lived in the opposite direction. Before answering, though, she glanced over at Dani and followed the redhead’s distracted gaze.
    She was watching Taylor.
    “Um…I’m probably going to call a cab. Taylor said he can’t drive me tonight.”
    Owen raised a brow, and Claudia bit her lower lip. Would he catch her in that bald -faced lie or let it pass?
    Danielle had arrived at Colette’s with a group of her coworkers, any of whom might have given her a ride home, but it gave Claudia a wicked thrill to think about nudging Taylor in her direction. He’d been alone a long time, and seeing him obviously infatuated with Dani gave her troubled spirits a boost.
    “Don’t waste your pay on a cab,” Owen said grudgingly. “I’ll take you home.”
    That really hadn’t been the aim of her lie.  Suddenly the thought of being trapped in a quiet car with him had her stomach churning. The time for being able to tell him how she felt had passed, and she was certain she’d be completely unable to fill the awkward space between them with anything even remotely resembling natural conversation. “No, it’s fine. Really.”
    He handed her a case of wires and scooped up the microphone stands under his arm. “Don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go.”
    Don’t be ridiculous. As if she could avoid it. She felt like every word she’d said and every move she’d made in the past week had been nothing but ridiculous. Shoulders bowed under the weight of the equipment case, she nodded good-bye to Dani and Taylor and followed Owen out through the back door of the bar, intent on figuring out how not to be ridiculous ever again.
     
    * * * *
     
    Normally, after a gig, Owen drove home in silence. He found he needed the quiet to unwind after the bustle of a busy Friday night at the most popular spot in town, and listening to the whir of a car engine rather than the beat of a drum lowered his blood pressure and calmed his thoughts.
    Tonight, however, after he got into the car with Claudia, he immediately reached for the radio.
    “What are you doing?” Her question startled him, apparently just as much as his unconscious action surprised her.
    “I’m…uh…looking for a news station.” Sure. No one would buy that lame excuse.
    “Seriously?”
    “Yeah. I bought a football raffle. I want to see who won the game.”
    “On a Friday night? Don’t they play football on Sunday?”
    He abandoned his quest to find a suitable station and put the car in gear. “ And Friday. Haven’t you heard of Friday Night Lights ? It’s a show…about football.”
    “I’ve heard of it. You’re betting on high school football?”
    “Sure. Why not?”
    “I’ve known you ten years, and I’ve never once seen you watch a football game.”
    “I don’t watch football. That’s why I have to listen to the radio to find out who won.” Eyes on the road, he pulled out of the parking lot onto West Denton Avenue, wishing he could just outrun this dead-end conversation.
    “So what teams were playing?”
    “Obviously the Giants.”
    “And?”
    “The…Orioles.”
    “Don’t the Orioles play baseball?”
    “That makes it a sure bet the Giants won.”
    Claudia was silent for a few minutes, probably certain he’d lost his mind. He made a mental note next time to research his lies before he told them and focused all his concentration on driving. He willed the car engine to make more noise, hoping it might drown out any further conversation.
    “Who did you buy the ticket from?” Of course