Chapter 4: Campaign Manager

I didn't wait for him to answer Tanner.

I took the empty hand truck and walked back up the aisle with Gretchen.

Nobody stopped us.

Behind me Tanner said, "Let's give it up for passion, everybody!"

I didn't turn around to see if Jace climbed up on that stage.

I didn't want to know yet.

He texted me at four. Can I explain.

I didn't answer.

He texted at nine. I'm not asking you to forgive anything. I'm asking for five minutes.

I didn't answer that either.

Sunday the video of me and the hand truck had a hundred thousand views.

Someone had set it to a country song about burning a man's clothes.

Gretchen watched it on a loop while she moved her stuff into Tanner's old room.

Monday morning I worked the six a.m. shift at the coffee bar on Library Mall, across from the exact spot where his podium had been.

At seven-fifteen, Jace walked in.

He waited in line behind two girls in sorority sweatshirts who recognized him and whispered the whole time.

When he got to the counter, he said, "Medium black coffee. And five minutes."

"We don't sell those."

"The coffee or the minutes?"

"The minutes."

"Then just the coffee." He put a ten on the counter. "And I'll stand here till your break."

I steamed somebody's oat milk so hard it screamed.

My break was at eight.

He was still there at eight, leaning against the pickup counter.

I came around and stood across from him with my arms crossed.

"Talk."

"He asked me in July," Jace said. "Campaign manager. I said yes in July. Before Friday. Before any of it."

"You stood there on Saturday."

"I stood there because I didn't want to quit his campaign in front of a camera. That's his move. Not mine."

"So you're still his campaign manager."

Keep reading free with an account. Start I Slept With My Ex's Best Friend from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.