Becky grabbed hold of my arm, suddenly anxious. “Hey, do you want to grab us a round, I’ll get the next.” She flashed a smile that made me highly suspicious.

I smirked and stood. No doubt Becky needed the spot beside her wide open.

Sure enough, when I returned with a beer for me and a shot for Becky, my seat next to her was taken.

By none other than Carson Hill.

“Paige,” James started, sitting across the booth, pointing to the man of the hour. “You remember Carson.”

I nodded slowly, the fact that he saw me sitting there earlier gnawing at me. “I do. Good to see you again.” I cocked my head to the side, “What do you do now?” I grinned and turned away, but not before catching a hint of a smirk out of the corner of my eye.

Becky shook her head, not finding the humor.

“Carson, beer?” Nate called from behind me.

“I’ll get one in a minute, thanks Nate.”

James and Bella followed Nate to fill their glasses and I…was stuck since I had just returned from the bar.

“They might be a while; you may as well sit.” Carson suggested flatly.

I took the seat across, making a note to self that as soon as Bells was back, we’d find a different booth.

“So,” Becky shoulder nudged Carson. “I heard you’re looking for a roommate. Is that true? Because I’ve been looking for a place all summer and stuck with my brother—”

Carson held up his hand to stop her.

What in the actual…?

If I had ever seen Carson Hill annoyed, this was it. He glanced at someone at the bar and then back to the blond next to him.

“Becky, I’m not sure what you heard, but I’m not looking for a roommate. James must have heard me mention I was looking for a… room decorator.”

“Oh.” She frowned.

I knew this had to be a misunderstanding. I took a swig of my cold beer, savoring the taste of a decent beverage… around decent people. Yes, even Becky beat out some of Evan’s friends.

“Well,” she shrugged, “I’d love to see your place sometime. Maybe I could recommend some color schemes.”

No shame, this girl. Zero.

The side of his lip twitched when I turned my eyes back to him, realizing he’d been staring at me. “That would be…terrific,” he answered, unimpressed.

But what came next was the real shocker. His head turned slightly, and he rolled his eyes.

So…vividly.

So carelessly.

No one knew more than I did how utterly pesky Becky could be, but this wasn’t something I expected from Carson. Even back when I knew he was thinking the opposite of what he was showing, he was never… downright disrespectful.