Chapter Fourteen

 

As AJ suspected, Chaz cornered him first thing in the morning at the employee lockers.

“So how was your date last night?” Chaz leaned his shoulder against the locker next to AJ’s.

“Good. Real good.” Much as he’d tried to suppress it, excitement edged his voice. He couldn’t think about her without his pulse racing. Without wanting to sing. And twirl, arms wide open under the sky, as she’d twirled him last night.

“So what’s her name?” Chaz’s tone sounded casual, but his intense scrutiny told AJ he was anything but.

He kept his answers short and sweet, and tried to sound dull. “Cassie.”

Chaz fired the question at him. “Does she live around here?”

“Yeah uh, I don’t know exactly where she lives. I don’t want to meet her parents yet, you know?” He twirled the lock’s tumbler and tucked in his shirt.

Chaz’s voice deepened as he finally got to his point. “So what night do you think you’ll be free?”

AJ slid past and headed for the door. “Not for awhile. I want to see this girl as much as I can. Before she figures out what a loser I am and dumps me.”

“And what about our plan?” Anger came through in his voice.

Maybe AJ could reason with him. He paused in the doorway. “Look, Chaz. It’s a waste of time anyway. We both know that.”

Chaz surveyed him head to toe. “Do we?”

His sharp tone put AJ on edge. Almost like a challenge. Like he had a reason to doubt him.

AJ faced him head on. “Yes. The only mermaids around here are the ones in the Underground Theater.”

The light in Chaz’s eyes, his soft voice creeped AJ out. “Oh, my man, I think we both know that’s wrong.”

For a moment, they stared at one another. AJ’s jaw began to pulse.

Until Chaz smiled, with a knowing smile, a taunting smile. “So I should definitely count you out?”

AJ decided to warn Cassiopeia tonight about this dude. He had to keep her safe, far away from him. “Yes.”

His expression remained pleasant except for the twitch of his eyes.

AJ had to watch Chaz. His every move.