Chapter 6
Isabella pocketed her phone and started up the lattice on the side of her house. After her work at the Vibrant Hue, she’d walked home, grabbed a bite to eat, then made a show of stomping up to her room. She locked the door and snuck out.
Mixed emotions tumbled inside her as she climbed. Getting paired up with Chase on the physics project was a turn of events she couldn’t have predicted. What if she slipped up and said something to reveal who she was? What if he recognized her voice? She’d tried to make her voice higher on the phone, but she wasn’t an actress.
Once he found out the truth, he would stop calling. She was so far from his type, she was on the other side of the planet.
She swung her leg over the balcony railing and hopped down. Sneaking back into her bedroom, she let out a breath. No one had missed her. Why would they? She did her work and then holed herself up in her room. That was her life outside of school.
She set her backpack on her desk and started on her homework. She could barely keep her eyes open as she finished her calculus. Two hours later she slipped into bed, too tired to change into her pajamas.
Loud chatter filled the lunchroom as Isabella and Savannah made their way to their usual table. Isabella set her tray down and took her spot. Savannah picked up her apple and took a bite. “How’s the lasagna today?” she asked with her mouth full.
Isabella picked up her fork and took a bite. “Mmm. Cheesy. Just the way I like it.”
Savannah wrinkled her nose. “I’ll stick with my rabbit diet.”
Isabella laughed. “I should probably join you. In ten years, you’ll be skinny and beautiful and I’ll be a fat slob.”
“You’ll never be fat. You eat whatever you want and never gain an ounce. If I look at a piece of cheesecake, I gain ten pounds.” Savannah rolled her eyes but had a hint of a smile on her lips.
“Hey, Isabella.”
The deep voice behind her made her jump. Savannah made a face that was a cross between What the heck? and Oh, my gosh. Isabella turned to see Chase standing behind her, holding his lunch tray.
“Hi,” she squeaked.
“You still up for going out tonight?”
Savannah’s eyes grew to the size of grapefruits. Isabella nodded, not trusting her voice.
“Okay. See you in class.” He sauntered off to sit at the popular-kids’ table.
Savannah whacked her in the arm. “Shut up! You’re going out with Chase Hawkins?”
“Not going out out. We’re partners on a science project. We have to go get supplies.”
“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped. “I was about ready to jump up and down screaming.”
Isabella took another bite of her lasagna, hoping she didn’t look guilty.
“But working with the hottest guy in school on your project has to be cool, right?” Savannah’s eyes held a secret smile. “Maybe he’ll fall for you.”
Isabella snorted and pushed her glasses up. “Yeah, right.”
A chime from inside her backpack made her freeze. She glanced at Chase. He was sitting at his table, looking at his phone. Her pulse sped up, and she fished around in her backpack for hers.
You having a good day?
She surveyed the lunchroom. About half the people had phones in their hands. If she answered, it wouldn’t be obvious. She swiped and texted back.
Not bad so far. How about you?
She snuck another peek at him. A slow grin formed on his face and he texted a response.
My day is always better with you in it, Five.
Heat flushed her face. You’re such a flirt.
Chase threw his head back and laughed. Savannah snatched the phone out of her hands, and panic broke out in Isabella’s chest. She grabbed it back before Savannah could see the screen.
“Hey!” Savannah protested. “Who’re you texting?”
Now she was stuck. She was a terrible liar. She hid the phone in her lap. “Chase,” she whispered.
“About your project?” Savannah squinted at her. “Why’re you blushing?”
And then the truth just came spilling out. She told Savannah about dropping her phone in the gym, how their phones got switched, and how they’d been texting since. Savannah listened, her excitement growing as the story came out. She looked like she was a balloon about to burst. “And he doesn’t know who you are?”
“No.”
“Good. Don’t tell him. A mysterious woman is way more attractive.” Savannah squealed and clapped her hands. “This is so much fun. You have to call me tonight and tell me everything after you get supplies for class.”
“Okay.”
Paul, Savannah’s younger brother, approached their table. He was the perfect nerd. Captain of the chess club. Always wore a button-down shirt. But he was a sweetie. He was in Isabella’s photography class. “Hey, Isabella. Do you have the notes from today’s lecture? I was out taking a test.”
“Sure. I’ll get them ready and give them to Vannah.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
The bell rang, and chaos erupted as everyone scrambled to dump their trash and stack their trays.
Savannah made a phone gesture with her hand and then gave a thumbs-up. Isabella smiled at her and squeezed out into the hallway. The day crawled by until physics class. She arrived before Chase and took her seat. When he came in, he smiled at her.
Mr. Morgan spent the class giving a lecture about centripetal motion, but she couldn’t think about anything besides seeing Chase that night. It wasn’t a date, but it was as close as she was ever going to get, and that made her heart pound.
Chase turned around after class. “See you tonight.” He smiled his movie-star smile, and she about melted.
“Okay.”
When she arrived at work, Leilani pulled her aside. “We’ve sold three paintings today, and Elenore wants the showrooms rearranged to fill the holes. Also, those paintings need to be taken off the website, and Elenore wants you to wash the windows before you leave.”Leilani gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Isabella sighed. “I’ll get started on it.”
It took her until seven o’clock to stage the showrooms and remove the paintings from the website. She had no time to wash the windows, but if she ignored Elenore’s commands, she knew she could get her full wrath. She quickly grabbed a cloth and the cleaner and sprayed them down.
By the time she made it home, she was twenty minutes late for Chase’s house. She didn’t have time to eat. She ran up the stairs, passing Delilah on the way. Delilah gave her a weird look but didn’t say anything. Isabella locked her bedroom door, then climbed down the side of the house and ran the few blocks to meet with Chase.
She rang the doorbell and tried to catch her breath. Chase opened the door, an annoyed frown on his face, but when he saw her, the look disappeared. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said between breaths. “Work took a little longer than I thought.”
He leaned closer and peered at her face. “Are you okay?”
She wasn’t. But she forced a smile. “Fine.”
He looked skeptical but stepped outside, shut the door, and changed the subject. “Let’s try the hardware store first. I know they have the wire we’ll need.”
Glad to be out from under his scrutiny, she relaxed. “Okay.”
He opened the passenger door for her. Something about being in his Mustang made her extra nervous. He started up the engine, and she gave him a tentative smile. “Nice car.”
He grinned, his dimple showing. “Thanks. This was my splurge after I got paid for my last movie.”
She watched him as he drove. He exuded confidence. There was no trace of the uncertainty he’d confessed to Five. He held the steering wheel with one hand on top, the other relaxed on the seat beside her. He glanced at her. “What kind of music do you like?”
She almost said “The Beatles,” but stopped herself. “All kinds.”
“Heavy metal?”
She made a face, and he laughed. “Okay, I guess that’s a no. What about country?”
“I can tolerate it.”
He frowned at her. “I can tolerate a lot of things, too. I asked what you liked.”
She shrugged, backed into a corner. “I like the old classics. Buddy Holly, The Monkees, and stuff like that.”
“Awesome,” he said under his breath as he took a corner. “I love that, too. In fact . . .” He pulled out his phone and tossed it at her. “The Beatles are my favorite.”
His phone felt hot in her hands. She pretended to admire his phone case, then handed it back to him. “Cool.”
The wind whipped through her hair as he drove. Dusk had settled in, and street lamps were lighting. Chase pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. “I’ll get your door,” he said as he climbed out.
She felt awkward letting him open her door but didn’t say anything. He held out his hand to help her up, and she grasped it. A current passed between them, sending tingles up her arm. Her stomach fluttered. Chase lifted an eyebrow and smiled at her. She wondered if he felt it, too.
They walked the aisles, grabbing what they needed for the engine. Chase picked up a piece of sandpaper and nudged her. “I once was attacked by a guy with sandpaper.”
“Seriously? Were you hurt?”
He grinned, and his dimple showed. “No, just roughed up a bit.”
She laughed and fake-punched him in the arm. “Are you sure you’re not related to Mr. Morgan? You inherited his cheesy jokes.”
They finished shopping, and chatted on their way to the checkout counter. She found herself enjoying her time with him.
As they were checking out, Chase added a package of Skittles to the mix. He pointed to them. “I thought we could use a snack.”
Hunger gnawed at her. “Good idea.”
They were back at Chase’s house in no time. He helped her out of the car again, and this time it felt like his hand lingered on hers a bit longer than she thought was necessary. “Let’s go inside and sort through what we bought.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. He opened the door for her and let her walk ahead of him to his bedroom. She sat down on his chair, and he tossed the sack on his desk. The first thing he fished out was the package of Skittles. He ripped them open and dumped a pile onto the table.
Her stomach rumbled, and he laughed. “Hungry?”
“Starving,” she admitted.
He motioned to the candy. “Have some.”
She grabbed a handful and tossed them into her mouth.
“Whoa, what are you doing?” He sat down on his bed and leaned forward so he could reach the desk.
She chewed enough so she could answer him. “Eating candy?”
“No. That’s not how you eat Skittles.” He separated the colors on the desk into small piles. “You have to sort the flavors.”
She giggled and pushed her glasses up. “Then why is their slogan ‘Taste the rainbow’? How do you taste a rainbow if you only eat one flavor at a time?”
He smiled and popped a red one in his mouth. “You taste the rainbow slowly.”
She picked up one from the orange pile and one from the green pile. He made a face. She put them in her mouth, and he groaned.
“Why you gotta ruin eating Skittles?” he asked.
“It’s good! Try it.”
He shook his head.
She grabbed a few and held them out to him. “I dare you.”
He clamped his lips together and shook his head again.
“Oh, you’re being a baby. Come on.” She leaned over and tried to shove them in his mouth. He grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away. She hopped up from the chair and tried to get them to his mouth, but she lost her footing and fell on him, pushing him backward on the bed. He squirmed under her but ended up laughing and opening his mouth. The Skittles went in.
He chewed, then smiled. “Okay, you’re right. The rainbow is good,” he said, his voice a little husky.
“Ha. Told you.”
He sobered, and she realized his arms were around her. Her heart pounded in her chest.
“Eh . . . ahem,” his mother said from the doorway.
Chase stood so fast Isabella almost ended up on the floor, but he caught her and pulled her upright. His face turned red. “Mom. We were just working on our science project.”
Heat flooded Isabella’s face. Now would be a great time to be invisible. She couldn’t look his mother in the eye.
“Right. It’s almost nine. You’d better finish up.”
Chase cleared his throat. “Yes. We will.”
His mother gave him one last pointed look, then left.
Chase sank down on the bed and exhaled, his head in his hands. “Well, that was embarrassing.”
Isabella giggled then clamped her hand over her mouth. Since when was she such a flirt? And why was her heart beating like she’d just run a mile?
She picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. “I’d better go.”
He hopped up. “You want a ride home?”
She sucked in a breath. Did she?