Page 31 of Just a Wrong Turn
“Of course. Thanks for helping my sister avoid incarceration.”
Miller smirked as Liza rolled her eyes.
Maggie stood and put her purse over her shoulder. “Oh Liza, what’s the final word on your plus-one? Do you still need it?”
Liza looked up at Miller and then back to Maggie. “I… don’t think he’s gonna be able to make it.”
“Okay, I’ll deduct one. On my way to a meeting with the caterer in about an hour. ” Maggie clicked an app on her phone.
Miller felt torn. He wanted to help Liza and he definitely wanted Abigail back, but a million worries about going through with the experiment nagged his mind. He saw Liza studying her hands. Suddenly his adrenaline surged. “Actually… I was able to move some things around. Wouldn’t miss the opportunity to go out with my girl.”
What am I doing?
It was like someone else had taken control of his mouth and body. Somehow he had walked next to Liza and draped his arm around her waist, pulling her close.
Maggie and Liza both froze.
Thankfully, Liza thawed semi-quickly. “Oh really? That’s so great!” She reached up and gave him a tight hug. With her mouth next to his ear, so close that he felt the warmth of her breath, she whispered, “Thank you.”
Maggie pointed between them. “Did I miss something? When didthishappen?”
Liza stepped to Maggie's side and put her arm around her sister’s shoulders, leading her to the exit. “I’ll fill you in later. I better get back to finishing those community service hours.”
“Liza…” she heard Maggie say as she shut the door. She gave her sister a devious smile and waved through the window.
Miller walked over to her. “You gonna tell her about our experiment?”
“Yeah, Maggie’s way too nosy. She’d totally badger me about how you’re such a great guy and that I shouldn’t string you along. She probably thinks I'm working an angle, trying to make my community service hours easier.”
Miller exhaled. “I’m still not sure about all this. Don’t you feel like the two of us together are… a bad combination? Maybe even dangerous to ourselves and possibly society? First, my back, then your head. Who knows what could happen if we spend more time together.”
“Are we a bad combination or… an entertaining duo? You can’t tell me this last week has been boring.”
Miller rubbed his jaw. “Isn’t it exhausting being so optimistic all the time?”
Liza put a hand on her hip. “Isn’t it exhausting keeping people at arms length?”
Chapter 15
Liza
MillerinsistedthatLizarest after Maggie left. So she sat on his futon typing a list into her phone of all the things they’d need to do to prepare for the Abigail experiment, Maggie’s wedding, and the Run Fur Fun virtual 5k.
First on the agenda was getting Miller shined up. Most importantly, he needed an outfit for the wedding. Next, Liza thought about what activities they should do so that their posts would get Abigail’s attention.Definitely need to help Miller update his Instagram,Liza thought as she stared at his profile which had a total of four photos.
@MillertheUnderdog currently had a picture of himself and, who Liza decided, could only be his mom based on their similar cheek bones, eyes, and hair color. There was also a snapshot of Snowdrop sleeping belly up.
Finally, there were two photos of him and Abigail. Both selfies.
Liza’s heart twisted.
Seeing Miller kissing Abigail on the cheek brought back that nagging feeling Liza had yet to let herself examine. He looked genuinely happy with his closed-mouth grin and adoring eyes.
After seeing those photos, Liza was more determined than ever to help Miller get Abigail back. He worked so hard to make sure the dogs were safe and loved. He deserved to be happy too. As Liza scrolled Pinterest for date night options, a text came through on her group message with Parker and Gemma.
Gemma Reyes:So… what’s the Dr. Sam update!?
Liza Eckland: Well… He found out I was 20 and bolted.