Read Online Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips - Free Book Online Page B

fish while they polished off the rest of the cans from the bonfire the other night. Idiots.
    My next clue was Harper’s face when she spotted Emmett standing outside the restaurant and realized he was waiting for us . All I’d told her was that we were going to Goody’s for dinner and that Nate and some other people might stop by, too. I’d neglected to mention Emmett’s role in the proceedings. She looked at me, her expression vacillating between terror, excitement, and confusion.
    When I smiled encouragingly at her, her eyes narrowed into slits. You did this , they said.
    Awkwardness abounded when Sherry pointed us to a table and Nate quickly claimed the chair to the left of Harper’s, forcing me to sit next to Emmett. The tables were small and round, so personal space and elbow room were basically non-existent. Harper sat on my other side, simultaneously blushing and shooting me dirty looks. Nate was acting even douchier than usual due to his beer-guzzling party earlier, and Emmett seemed embarrassed to be seen with us.
    All I could do was try to salvage the evening before it veered off the rails and took us all with it.
    â€œSo, Emmett,” I said, breaking several long moments of uneasy silence. “You live in Hyde Creek, right? What’s that like?”
    He looked at me the same way he had at the supermarket yesterday when I’d almost run him over with the cart—surprised and a bit bewildered. “It’s okay. Where are you from?”
    â€œOh, my dads and I live in Weldon, right downtown.”
    I watched Emmett’s face carefully as the words registered. People’s reactions to hearing “my dads” for the first time ranged anywhere from curiosity to awe to disgust. If Emmett was going to act weird or offended, the matchmaking scheme of mine would fizzle out before it even got off the ground. Harper would never want to hang out with someone who disapproved of her favorite uncles. Neither would I, for that matter.
    But luckily, all he did was nod and say, “Cool.”
    The waitress, a new girl named Cindy, arrived with our drinks and asked if we were all ready to order. Thankfully, we were.
    The instant she was out of sight again, Nate reached into his shorts pocket and brought out a small bottle of vodka. “Anyone want to supplement their drinks?” he asked as he unscrewed the cap in full view of the entire restaurant. It was virtually empty, but still.
    â€œAre you insane?” I whisper-shrieked at him.
    He poured a large dollop into his Coke while Emmett watched in amazement, Harper buried her head in her hands, and I scanned the place for witnesses. Getting banned from Goody’s was all we needed.
    â€œLast chance,” Nate said, glancing around the table.
    We each shook our heads no. I wasn’t opposed to alcohol and even indulged now and again, but never when I had to go right home afterwards. My dads would smell it on me from miles away, even scentless vodka. Harper never drank, and as for Emmett, he didn’t seem like the risk-taking type. Either that or he thought we were all crazy and wanted to stay sharp and sober in case he needed to escape quickly.
    By the time our food arrived, Emmett and Harper were barely speaking at all and Nate was a few sips away from full-on drunk. The more he drank, the more combative he became.
    â€œHey Emmett,” he said in a stage whisper as he leaned toward him. “You know why these two refuse to go out with me?”
    I leaned across the table to slide his vodka-and-Coke closer to me and out of his reach. “Eat your cheeseburger, Nate.”
    â€œUm, isn’t she . . .” Emmett said, confused as he gestured to me, “out with you?”
    Nate laughed. “Yeah, right. Kat made it very clear this morning that this was not a date. You know why? She thinks she’s too good for me.”
    â€œQuit it,” Harper snapped at him. “You’re being an