Read Online The Price of Love (A Price Novel Book 1) by Maggi Craft - Free Book Online Page B

it.
    “Where are you going to eat?” Kenedy asked.
    “I forget.”
    “Then how do you know where you’re meeting your friend?”
    I was getting nervous. She was asking too many questions. “She said she was meeting her at the art gallery, Kenedy. Are you her mother?” Holly asked.
    “No, but I just think it’s odd. Why don’t you and your friend go with us? I thought you wanted to spend time together.”
    “I do, but I already promised her. Tomorrow maybe? I’m already late. You have fun. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    I left before she could start another round of questions. This was exhausting.
What am I doing anyway?
I obviously felt that dating Slayde was wrong, or I wouldn’t be lying to her. What was I going to do? Maybe I should just tell Slayde I couldn’t do this anymore. But was that what I wanted to do?
No.
It definitely wasn’t.
    By the time I got to our little meeting spot in the park, I was late. He was sitting on a bench, playing with his phone. He looked up at me when I walked up. I thought he looked annoyed at first, but then he smiled at me. “I was worried you weren’t coming.”
    “Sorry. Kenedy was asking a million questions.”
    “Where does she think you are?”
    “At an art gallery.”
    “Oh. I see.” He looked down and picked at skin on his finger. He looked like that hurt his feelings.
    I put my hand on his shoulder. “I just don’t want to fight with her.”
    “You’d rather meet me in some dark alley and hide? Are you scared she would be mad? Or are you embarrassed?”
    I couldn’t help but laugh. “Embarrassed? Why the heck would I be embarrassed?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t know, but sometimes I feel like you are.”
    “Really?” That surprised me. I didn’t want him to feel that way.
    “A little.” He was serious. For once he wasn’t smiling, and he wouldn’t make eye contact with me, which was not normal.
    “Well, that’s the furthest thing from the truth. And we’re just friends, anyway. Why would I ever be embarrassed about having a fun friend like you?”
    He took a deep breath and shook his head a little. “Let’s go eat.”
    I didn’t even think that I would need to worry about running into Kenedy and Holly in freaking Paris, but when Slayde and I were leaving the restaurant, I saw them walking across the street toward us.
    I grabbed Slayde’s arm and turned and dragged him back up the sidewalk away from them and into a little shop. He didn’t put up a fight, but he was dragging along like dead weight. Did he want her to see us?
Maybe.
    When I looked up at him, he was just staring at me like I was crazy. He wasn’t at all amused. He took a deep breath and shook his head again.
    I was afraid he was mad, but not as afraid as I was of my sister.
    I was pretty sure she hadn’t seen us, because if she had, she would definitely have made sure we all knew she’d caught me lying. Caught me hanging out with her old boyfriend. What was I going to do?
    “Don’t you think Holly has told her? They’re friends. Why would she keep a secret from her like that?”
    “Because she knows her, and she knows she’ll get mad.”
    “Why? She has no right to.”
    I gave him a dumb look. He knew good and damn well she would flip out whether she had a right to or not. “Can we just drop it and go on about our night?” I asked.
    “That’s fine. What do you want to do now?”
    “I don’t care.”
    I made sure the coast was clear before we headed back out in the open. “You want to go to a club or something?” he asked once we were on the street.
    With my luck, we’d end up at the same club as Kenedy and Holly. “No. They’re going to a club, and I forgot to ask which one. Let’s just go back to your place or something.”
    I thought he’d be disappointed, but he seemed fine with that idea. He smiled at me. “OK, what’s your curfew?”
    “Tomorrow morning.”
    “Oh! Are you planning on shacking up with me?” He stopped and looked at me with a