So Many Boys (The Naughty List #2)(49)

I was a cheerleader. I was a Smitten Kitten once again. And by golly, I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed it.

I must have fallen asleep, because the sound of my doorbell startled me. I darted upright, the cucumbers falling off my eyes. I could see the sun setting out the window as I got up and began walking toward the door. The bell rang again.

When I got there, I pulled the door open, still a bit hazy from falling asleep. Joel gasped when he saw me.

“Holy shit, Tessa! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

I tried to pull my eyebrows together when I realized that I couldn’t. My oatmeal and egg mask had hardened on my face, resulting in a look that was undeniably insane. “Oh my!” I yelled, running for the bathroom.

It took nearly ten minutes and a lot of hot water to get the concoction off my face, but when I looked up, my pink skin looked smooth as a baby’s you-know-what. Overall, I was pleased.

When I came out, Joel was still near my door, but he had come in and shut it.

“Sorry,” I said. He waved me off.

“No worries, I love horror movies.” He smiled. “And I probably shouldn’t have just shown up.”

“True,” I said, leaning against the counter. “And why again are you here?”

“To jump you,” he said, and then his eyes got wide. “To jump your car. Your car needs the jump. Oh God.” Joel rubbed his chin. “Have you gotten your car yet?” he asked.

“I have not.”

“Would you like to? My plans for tonight got canceled, and I thought, ‘Wow, fixing Tessa Crimson’s car sounds like a great time!’

“You thought that?” I knew he didn’t, but I appreciated him thinking of me. In fact, my day seemed to keep improving. I was glad I had Joel to share it with.

“Yeah,” he said, like I’d asked a silly question. “Now let’s go get greasy!” He rubbed his hands together like he was ready to get down to work.

Since my parents still weren’t home, I decided to take him up on his offer for help. It was better than lying around with cucumbers on my eyes.

“Let me just change real quick,” I said, motioning down to my beauty-ritual sweats. Joel nodded, and I dashed to my room.

I slid on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt and then slicked my hair back into a ponytail. I finished with some gloss. “Ready,” I called as I came back in the room, grabbing my purse from next to the couch.

“Actually,” Joel said, looking me over. “Since you look normal now, did you want to stop for a corn dog first?”

I scrunched my nose, thinking. I hadn’t considered the issue of dinner.

“There’s a fair in the parking lot of the mall. Wanna go?” he asked.

“The one where you can get killed on the rides?”

“Yep.”

I laughed. They did have good corn dogs there. I considered it.

“I’ll even take you on the super-slide,” he said, nodding enthusiastically. “Twice!” He held up his fingers.

“Sold.”

I adjusted my purse strap over my shoulder and followed him out of my house to his car. I wasn’t sure why, but an evening at a fair sounded like a really great idea. In fact, it was the best idea of the night.

ASSIGNMENT 2

7:00 P.M., SEPTEMBER 23

The operative watched from the booth as she sipped casually on a latte and slid on a pair of dark sunglasses. Tate and Jenn were across the way, in line for the mini-Ferris wheel. It seemed bold to go on a date to a very public local fair, but then again, cheating on your boyfriend wasn’t exactly subtle.

Tate put his arm around Jenn, and after she took a cautionary glance around, she snuggled into his shoulder. The operative’s stomach turned. It looked like Jenn’s betrayal was finally going to happen. In a way, the operative had hoped that they would rethink the affair, especially since Jenn was the original one to order the investigation. But the operative knew all too well that it would be a one-hundred percent cheat confirmation—it had been ever since the first day SOS had started.

The operative took one more sip from her vanilla-flavored coffee before tossing it in the trash. She tapped her foot, waiting patiently for Tate and Jenn to move up in line. When it was their turn to board, she made her move.

Without drawing any suspicion, she stalked across the paved ground and stepped up behind them, just close enough to drop a chip into Jenn’s oversized beach bag. Once it was released, the operative smiled and moved back, watching them get in the cart. Neither suspect turned.

It took a minute for the next cart to arrive. When it did, the operative climbed into its purple steel cage. From where she was, she could see Tate and Jenn nestled closely together. The ride began to spin slowly, swooping them up into the sky.

The operative slid the earbud in and put her finger over it to listen. With her other hand, she pointed a small camera in their direction. She’d already caught one pair of cheaters. Now it was going to be two for two. And then she’d outshine Tessa in every way.

“I don’t want to hide anymore,” Jenn whispered, looking up into Tate’s face. “I want to be with you.”

“Oh my God,” the operative murmured, shaking her head. Jenn just went from flirt to full-fledged cheater in three seconds flat. She was amazed at the lack of remorse.

Tate smiled widely, leaning down to softly touch his lips to Jenn’s, just a peck. “Babe,” he breathed as he stayed close to her face. “I want you too.”