For whatever reason, Keith laughed. “Okay, I get it, I get
it.” He reached down in a cooler and pulled out some cans of
pop. “I’d say go long, Levi, but I don’t think my mom would
appreciate getting pop on the carpet.” He laughed again. We
all remained stone-faced.
We each took a can and made our way over to the corner of
the kitchen.
“Don’t let him get to you,” I said to Levi.
“But he’s right. I can’t catch anything . . . except grief.” He shook his head.
I turned my back to Carrie and Ian. I knew how embarrassed Levi got about his lack of catching skills. “You’re
getting much better. The other day, Adam was telling me you
caught a ball nearly all the way down the block.”
“I guess.” His voice was faint. “But it’s so humiliating sitting on that bench every single game.”
“I thought you only wanted to play football to make some
friends and fit in.”
He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play.”
“I know, but look around. You’re at a party and Keith
invited you.”
“He invited everybody.”
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“But at least you’re here. And he’s ribbing you. Isn’t that
the bro way of being friendly?”
“The bro way.” He laughed.
“You know, how guys show affection. Or mark their turf.
Kind of like how dogs pee on something to let you know it’s
theirs.”
“Do you have any idea of what you’re talking about?”
“Of course not,” I admitted. “But does it at least make you
feel a little better?”
“Yeah, just a little.”
I elbowed him playfully. “Well, that will not do. Clearly
my job here is not done. Let me count the ways that you’re
a stud.”
“Wait, wait.” Levi pulled out his phone. “I need to record
this. I may even make it my ringtone.”
I grabbed his phone and spoke directly into the mic. “I,
Macallan Marion Dietz, do hereby swear that Levi Rodgers
is a total manly man, the ultimate bro. Reason number one,
he does a mean British accent. Reason number two, he knows
to always compliment a lady’s cooking skills. Um, reason
number three. Um . . .”
“Nice.” He grabbed his phone back. “You can’t even come
up with three reasons?”
“See, there are just so many reasons, my poor brain is on
overload.”
“Good save.”
“Phew!” I wiped my brow dramatically.
“Hey!” Danielle approached us. “I didn’t see you guys come
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in. But then I saw your dates outside and figured you were
doing that thing you do.”
Danielle could read the nonverbal exchange Levi and I
shared. “Let me guess. You didn’t realize your dates left.”
I grimaced.
She shook her head. “You guys are too much.”
“Clearly,” Levi and I said in unison.
“Well, may I suggest that you take your party outside and
keep your dates company?”
“Thanks!” I gave Danielle a quick hug before she returned
to her marching band friends.
Levi and I went to the glass patio door and saw Carrie and
Ian leaning against the deck railing. Ian was telling some
story that was making Carrie laugh.
“Well, at least they’re having a good time,” Levi remarked.
“In fact, it looks like they’re having a better time now than
they did at dinner.”
“Levi.” I stopped him from opening the door. “I think that
maybe it’s not the best idea for us to go on double dates.”
He nodded. “I know. It’s hard to throw anybody into our
mix. I don’t want to mess things up with Carrie.”
“You and I will still hang out. I’m only saying that maybe
date night should just be date night. Not forcing our dates to
put up with the two of us.”
Levi’s gaze was fixed straight ahead. His jaw was tightly
clenched.
“Levi?”
When he didn’t respond, I followed his stare. Ian moved
closer to Carrie and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
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She blushed, but leaned into him. He then put his arm
around her.
“Are they flirting?” I gasped out. There was no way this was happening.
Levi and I remained frozen as we watched Ian and Carrie
get closer and closer. He said something else that made her
laugh. She twirled a piece of hair with her finger. Then he
leaned farther into her. Her smile dropped. They were studying each other. Intensely.
I recognized that look on Ian. He tilted his head and put
his index finger up to her chin.
This was so not happening.
“I can’t . . .” Levi’s pained voice snapped me into action.
I slid the glass door so quickly it rattled.
“How could you?” I found myself in front of Carrie. I know
I should’ve been more upset with Ian, but at that moment I
was furious at Carrie. Levi had been on a few dates with her,
he’d asked her to come hang out with his friends and go to a
party he was invited to, and this was how she repaid him?
Carrie shrank from me. But Ian stepped closer. “Are you
being serious right now?” I’d never seen him mad before. But