Page 22 (1/2)

“No”

“What happened to the plan?”

“The plan succeeded” She took a s “Garret asked me to the ball”

?

?Then why aren’t you dancing with hiht now?”

She placed a hand on his upper ar her ar he had it in hiive her

“Because I want to be with you,” she said, sorrow leaking into her voice “I’ to realize it I should’ve chosen you earlier today when you asked o when you first left those slightly wilted flowers in my lunch box”

A pained expression crossed his face and he fiddled with the button on his jacket “You were in love with my brother”

“I was in love with a figination The real Garret and I never meshed Not like you and me You helped me see that”

“And so you just decided to take a chance at the Harvest Ball and traphere with you?”

She winced, her heart aching When he put it that way, it sounded so horrible What was she doing? Joseph didn’t deserve to feel second best She should’ve chosen hied her to at the arts and crafts festival It was obvious she didn’t deserve him

“I’ into her face Her eyes stung with unspent tears “I shouldn’t have done that to you It was a bad idea Please forgive me”

She turned to flee, when a hand wrapped around her wrist She turned back toward hiaze caressed her face, tenderness reflecting in his eyes “You do realize that your father is going to kill hter?”

A nervous laugh burst fro over her shoulder, she was relieved not to see her dad through the thick crowds that had closed around them “Don’t worry about him He’s all bark and no bite”

“I don’t know if I believe that,” he said, tilting his head to one side as he chuckled “But in this hter all toseeht before”