Free Don't Bet On Love by Sheri Cobb South Page A

you’ve learned something from all of this. ”
    “ I sure have, Mom, ” I said fervently.
    “ And that is? ” she prompted me.
    “ Always stay within the posted speed limits, and don’t try to hide things from you and Dad. Oh, and one other thing. ”
    “ What’s that? ”
    “ Never borrow money from Mark! ”
    Then I went to bed with a heavy heart but a clear conscience.
     
    I should have known that my brother would be waiting for me the next morning with plenty of jailbird jokes . I endured it all patiently, “ good sport ” that I was, until Mark made some wisecrack about how he was going to tease Gary at school on Monday.
    “ Don’t you dare! ” I exclaimed. “ Gary feels just awful about the whole thing, and if you say one word to him about it. I’ll—I’ll— ” I paused, tr ying to think of something really awful to threaten him with.
    Before I could come up with anything , Mom called from the kitchen, “ Mark, will you come here a moment, please? ”
    Mark disappeared into the kitchen. When he emerged a few minutes later, his blue eyes were blazing with anger.
    “ Mom just told me everything. I can’t believe you did this! ” he sputtered. “ Just when everything was going so great! ”
    “ Did what? ” I asked, although I had a pretty good idea.
    “ Pulled out on Gary and me like that! How could you play such a dirty trick on your own brother? ”
    “ I never wanted to do it in the first place, ” I reminded him.
    “ Yeah, but lately you and Gary have been thicker than sorghum molasses! How can you leave him in the lurch? I thought you’d gotten to be pretty good friends. ”
    “ Well, that just shows how little you know, ” I said coldly. If Mark ever guessed that I had fallen hopelessly in love with Gary Hadley, I’d never hear the end of it. “ We made a deal, that’s all, and now the deal is off. ”
    But now I’d have to break the news to Gary, and I definitely wasn’t looking forward to it. My only consolation was that I would have all weekend to prepare my speech be fore facing Gary on Monday.
    As it turned out, I didn’t have that much time. About halfway through the morning the tele phone rang, and Mark went to an swer it. A moment later he yelled, “ For you, Moll. It’s your former cellmate! ”
    I raced upstairs and took the call on the extension in Mo m and Dad’s bedroom, hop ing that Mark wouldn’t listen in. My heart was pounding, and my hand was trembling as I lifted the receiver and held it to my ear. “ Hello? ”
    “ Hi, Molly. ” Just the sound of Gary’s voice made me weak in the knees. “ I wanted to call and make sure you were okay, after last night. ”
    “ I’m fine, ” I said, touched and a little amused by his concern. What had he thought might happen to me—a terminal case of dishpan hands? “ What about you? ”
    “ Well, I’m afraid my pride is still kind of bruised, but the rest of me is hanging in there. Listen, Molly, are you busy this afternoon? I thought maybe we could go to town and look at tuxes. I need to get my reservation in, and I sure could use your advice. ”
    I took a deep breath. It was now or never. “ No, Gary, I’m afraid I can’t, ” I said.
    “ Then how about tonight? ”
    “ No. I’m sorry, Gary, but I’m not going to be able to help you anymore. ”
    There was a long silence on the other end of the line. When Gary finally spoke, he sounded both stunned and hurt.
    “ It’s because of what happened last night, isn’t it? Now you really do think I’m hopeless. ”
    “ No! ” So much had changed since he’d overheard me saying that to Mark that I was horrified at the memory of my own words.
    “ Then why? ”
    “ Because—well, because you don’t need me anymore, ” I said, unable to keep the sad ness out of my voice. “ Like I told you last night, any girl would be proud to go out with you. ”
    “ Would you ? ”
    Would I! How could I possibly answer his question?
    “ Well, I—if it