Free Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) by Ivan Kendrick Page B

scoffed at that.
    “My boyfriend spoils me a little. Still, I don’t care
that much about money.
    “I didn’t mean to judge you.”
    “I know. You seem pleasant enough to me.”
    “Pleasant pleasant, or just pleasant enough?”
    Amanda rolled her eyes.
    “Fine. You’re pleasant.”
    Christopher smiled from ear to ear.
    “To hear that from you means a lot.”
    “I’d like you more if you didn’t put me on a pedestal.
The last guy who tried to convince me I’m better than everyone didn’t end up
well.”
    “O—kay.”
    Amanda walked to the cashier line. She looked back and
saw Christopher behind her. He waved his free hand—the other was carrying
supplies. Amanda laughed to herself, turning back to the front. She didn’t know
why her cheeks were flushed.
    After she bought her stuff, Amanda walked toward the
exit. She looked back and saw Christopher. He mouthed “See you.” Amanda waved
at him, and then she left the bookstore. A few feet from the entrance, she
stopped herself.
    Maybe this is my chance.
    Amanda checked the time on her smartphone. She had to
be in class in ten minutes. When Amanda looked to the side, she saw
Christopher.
    “Were you waiting for me?”
    “I was just texting a friend,” Amanda lied, pocketing
her phone. She and Christopher started walking.
    “That friend’s waiting for you, I assume.”
    “No. Just some back-and-forth. Judith’s a nice girl.
She has a hard shell, but she’s kind on the inside.”
    “Ah. One of those M&M types.”
    Amanda burst out laughing.
    “I’m so going to tell her you said that.”
    “Don’t bother. I can do it myself.”
    “You’re funny.”
    “So I’ve heard.”
    Amanda shot Christopher a curious glance. He raised an
eyebrow, and she shook her head.
    “Where is your class?” he asked. Amanda told him the
name of the building.
    “Oh. Since I have class there too, I might as well
walk with you. You might want to introduce me to this Judith when we get
there.”
    “Lose that smug look when you see Judith. It doesn’t
work as well on her.”
    “Holy shit. It works on you?”
    Amanda slapped Christopher’s shoulder.
    “If it works on you, it’ll definitely work on any
other girl. Even this Judith.”
    “Watch out. That much pride can backfire.”
    “I’ve got it, home girl.”
    Amanda did a mental
fist pump. She wondered how good of a matchmaker she could be. If Judith didn’t
use her are-you-for-real look on Christopher, it would be a small
victory.
    About a couple hours after returning from school,
Marissa took a rest from homework. She turned on her computer to check how her
project was coming along.
    Marissa signed in to her e-mail account. There wasn’t
anything new. She minimized the browser window and opened her music folder.
Marissa double-clicked on one of the files, and a song played.
    There were just a few weeks left for Valentine’s Day.
Amanda was going to have such a nice surprise. Nathan was a genius.
    A short beep sounded. Marissa checked her e-mail and
saw a new message. It was from Cam, the indie singer who was working on
Amanda’s song. Apparently, he’d finished the final version. There was an
attachment, which Marissa started downloading.
    At that moment, the doorbell rang. Marissa walked to
the living room to answer the door. She saw Jonathan standing outside.
    “Good afternoon,” he greeted with a smile. Jonathan’s
hair was tousled, and longer than the last time Marissa had seen it.
    “It’s great to see you, Jonathan. Come in.”
    Jonathan walked inside.
    “Are you busy?” he asked.
    “No. I was just checking a side project that I’ve been
handling.”
    “A side project? Let me guess, it has something to do
with fashion.”
    “No. I commissioned an independent musician to compose
a song. Nathan wanted it done.”
    “What? That sounds expensive.”
    “That’s why I didn’t go knocking on Bruno Mars’s door.
Unknown singers are willing to do this for just a few hundred bucks. What they
want