Ex, Why, and Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

here!”
    Michelle heard her best friend’s squeal before she saw Vanessa launching at her. One minute there was a blur of blond hair and long arms and the next she was smack dab in a rib-crushing hug.
    “I can’t believe it!” Vanessa said. “I’ve missed you so much!”
    Can we say overkill? “It’s good to see you, too,” Michelle replied cautiously, certain that her words were muffled. She wondered what was going on with Vanessa. She had just seen her best friend a couple of months ago up in Chicago.
    “Oh!” Vanessa pulled away, but held Michelle’s shoulders in a death grip. “You wouldn’t believe what happened—excuse us for a minute, guys. Girl talk.”
    “We’ll be here,” Danny said with his hands up as Ryan took a prudent step back.
    Danny? Michelle whirled around, putting a crick in her neck as Vanessa dragged her out of earshot. She had completely forgotten her big brother had been standing beside her all this time.
    “I am really, really sorry, Michelle,” Vanessa said, turning her back on the guys so they wouldn’t see what she was saying. Unfortunately, it gave Michelle an eagle-eye view of Ryan.
    “You have nothing to be sorry about.”
    Vanessa spread her arms out wide. “I didn’t know who your partner was until he signed up five minutes ago.”
    “I know.” Her friend would have called her the second she found out. In fact, Vanessa would have gotten rid of Ryan. At the very least, she would have talked Danny into finding someone else.
    “Now listen.” Vanessa leaned forward and spoke softly without moving her mouth. “I know the two of you did it on your last night here, and only you and I know it was simply a matter of ticking an item off your to-do list.”
    Michelle flinched. Her summer with Ryan had been much more than that. “That’s not—”
    “And now that makes things awkward. I get that.” Vanessa folded her hands across her heart.
    “I’m fine,” Michelle lied.
    “I’ll give it to you straight. You know that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look? You are so beyond that level. It’s more like you’ve already been hit and tied onto the roof of the car.”
    Michelle instinctively looked over Vanessa’s shoulder. Her gaze collided with Ryan’s. Her ribs pushed into her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
    Damn, Vanessa was right. How was she going to deal with Ryan 24/7? It was impossible!
    “If you want to dump him and get a new partner in the next five minutes,” Vanessa suggested, “or if you want to drop out altogether, that’s fine with me.”
    That got Michelle’s attention. She looked back at her friend. “But then—”
    “Don’t worry about me, or about the hunt, or even about what your mom is going to say.”
    Wow. Vanessa was giving her permission to duck out of the festival and hightail it back to Chicago. Michelle knew she could take the offer, walk away, and her friend wouldn’t hold it against her.
    It was a tempting offer, but she immediately knew she wasn’t going to back out. Michelle straightened her shoulders. She wasn’t going to run for cover because of one insignificant yet embarrassing episode in the past. No guy, not even Ryan Slater, was going to prevent her from fulfilling a promise.
    “No, I’ll be fine,” Michelle said, very proud of her calm, strong voice. “I can handle Ryan.”
    Vanessa tilted her head to the side. “Are you sure?” she asked, unconvinced.
    “Positive,” Michelle said with more gusto than she felt. “After all, being in a contest for the Sexiest Couple title doesn’t mean sexual contact is involved.” She froze as she realized her assumption. “Does it?”
    “Uh…” Vanessa’s eyes drifted up as she recalled the events planned. “No.”
    “Positive?”
    “Oh, puhleeze.” Vanessa rolled her eyes. “This is Carbon Hill, remember?”
    Michelle breathed a little easier and wrapped her arm around her friend’s. “Then let’s do this.”
    Vanessa sighed