Sass & Serendipity by Jennifer Ziegler Read Free Book Online Page A

aware of every tiny movement and kept modifying things as she went along. She tilted her head a bit to try to look casual. She threw back her shoulders. She swung her arms less, and she swung her hips more. She even hummed some made-up tune. She hoped she was managing to look elegant yet relaxed, and not like some weirdo with a hundred different nervous tics.
    As she passed Luke’s table, she held her breath and forced herself not to look at him. Easy-breezy. Just a girl bopping over to the restroom. Lah-di-dah.
    Eventually she reached the door to the ladies’ room. But right as she was lifting her hand to push against the cowgirl cutout, she heard Luke shout, “Hey, Daphne!”
    So much for primping. She turned and saw him leaning sideways out of his booth, craning his head around to look at her.
    “Oh, my gosh. Hi!” she exclaimed. She smiled wide and did another awkward walk to his table. “Luke, right? Wow. Crazy seeing you again. What a coincidence. Hi there.”
    Ugh. Her mouth was moving like some brainless, uncontrollable thing. Like a beheaded chicken flapping around a farmyard.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked.
    “I’m with my dad and sister,” she said, pointing toward their table. Her father had already sat back down with Gabby and was watching her closely.
    Suddenly she regretted telling him that. Did being out with her father make her seem like a baby? And what if Luke looked at Gabby and noticed how much prettier she was? Even her back, with all her cascading dark waves, was a lovely sight.
    “And what about you? What are you doing here?” Daphne asked him, leaning sideways to block the view of her gorgeous sister.
    “I’m supposed to meet these guys Walter Lively and Todd Carothers. Know them?”
    “Of course,” she said, a little too loud and cheerleadery. “I mean … you know. Everyone kind of knows everyone in this town.”
    “Right. Well, I guess no one knows me yet. But those guys were cool to invite me along.” He glanced at the expensive-looking silver-toned watch on his wrist. “Sure hope they showup,” he added with a low laugh. “We’re supposed to grab some food and then go bowling.”
    Daphne’s eyes popped wide. “Oh, my gosh! I love bowling!” It was another sign. It had to be. “I go all the time with … with people.”
    “I’m really not that good. But, hey. It’s fun.”
    “I could teach you.”
    Luke smiled. “Oh yeah?”
    “Sure.”
    A familiar figure walked past the window. Only Walt Lively made that lurching movement, as if his upper body were dragging his lower half along. Daphne had grown familiar with it during three months of intense scrutiny when they’d kinda-sorta dated—or, more precisely, accompanied each other to three baseball games that had ended in three similar arguments when she wouldn’t let him feel her up. But that was last school year, and now she couldn’t even remember why she’d liked him in the first place. He was all-right-looking. Tall and rangy. Freckled. Close-set eyes and thick brows that stood straight up and blended into his bangs. Boring-cute. Could even be more attractive if he smiled now and then and didn’t spit on the ground every few seconds.
    She didn’t dislike him now; she just didn’t feel much of anything—except annoyance that he’d shown up just as the conversation was getting good.
    The door chimes jangled and Walt shuffled toward them, wad of snuff making his left cheek bulge, cowboy boots scuffing the flecked vinyl floor.
    “Hey,” he said, nodding at them. “Carothers is going to belate. He wants to meet us at the alley. We can just buy hot dogs there.”
    “Oh. Okay. That’s cool.” Luke grabbed his drink and slid out of the booth.
    “So …,” Daphne said suddenly, not wanting him to leave until she’d made some sort of progress. “Maybe you should give me your cell number and we could bowl a game sometime? I’ll give you those pointers.”
    “Sure, yeah.” He patted his