Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
I nodded absently, but then focused on his words. Did that mean he was interested in Tori, too? His eyes had lit up when she’d worn that dress last night. Of course, any straight man would have done the same.
But she was so much more than her looks. On our date, at the restaurant… her eyes had sparkled, so full of life as she told me about her dreams to teach a high school English class. I’d started out the evening thinking why the hell would anyone want to do that, but she’d been so enthusiastic. She truly cared about students and wanted to help them. Hell, by the end of the date, I was half tempted to change my major.
She was perfect.
Drop-dead gorgeous, but also kind. She had a good heart. And—shit. Maybe Jayden was right. Maybe I was putting her on a pedestal.
And that wasn’t fair to her. And… well, it wasn’t what I should want, either. I needed to look at Tori for who she was, not who I thought she should be. Because otherwise it wasn’t real. You couldn’t get close to someone when you were refusing to recognize the whole of who they were.
When we left, I paid for the drinks. It was the least I could do. Jayden had given up his afternoon to set me straight.
And it turned out he wasn’t done.
“There’s two more things I need to tell you,” he said as he drove along the twisty little road back.
Shit.
“What now?”
“First, Tori and I are going to the game tomorrow.”
“The baseball game?” In other words, Kyle’s game.
“Yep. You’re welcome to come.”
“Thanks.” We both knew I wouldn’t.
Jayden sighed, his eyes still firmly on the road. “And the other thing is about what happened on the sofa.”
I let out an exasperated breath. “I get it. She was into it and Kyle’s apparently not evil incarnate—at least in this case.”
“She wasn’t the only one into it.”
I frowned. “Yeah, he made his interest pretty clear. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her once she put that dress on again.” That was another thing that bugged me—the way he’d gotten her to do that.
“I meant me,” he said softly. “I liked watching her. And not just those amazing legs. I looked at her face, too. She knew I was watching. And I’m pretty sure that she liked it. That it made it more exciting for her.”
Fuck.
“Am I the only one in the whole damn house who’s not being driven by raging hormones?”
“Probably. But I’ve got to be honest—that aspect of Tori kind of caught me by surprise. I’d bet it did her, too.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I don’t want to know this.”
“You should, if you want to see who Tori really is, not just who you want her to be.”
“Shit,” I muttered. “What am I supposed to do with that information? About either of you?”
“I don’t know, man. But we’re almost back, and I know what will make you feel better.”
“What?”
“Clearing crap out of the basement with your best friend.”
My eyes closed as I shook my head, trying to figure out whether to laugh or cry. But one thing I did know—for once, I didn’t think I’d be able to focus on homework.
I sighed. Jayden was my best friend, and no matter how much I’d hated this conversation, deep down, I knew he was looking out for both Tori and me. And given that, it was hard to stay mad at him.
“What the hell. Let's clear crap out of the basement.”
21
TORI
I rose to my feet, clapping so hard that my hands hurt.
“Let’s go, Kyle!” Jayden shouted next to me. He squeezed my hand as we sat back down on the bleacher seats. “This is a fun game.”
It was the only one I’d been to since starting at Langley, but I’d picked a good one. It was just an exhibition game but perhaps since it was the last game of the season, the Langley team was on fire.
Especially Kyle.
He’d just hit a home run, and in the dugout, his teammates were still slapping him on the back, congratulating him. I couldn’t stop grinning—at least until a sobering thought hit me. If I couldn’t get him to pass the composition class, he wouldn’t be on the team next year.
“Are you okay?” Jayden had to lean close to my ear to be heard.
“Yes,” I shouted back. “Just getting a little hoarse.”
Jayden gave me a thumbs up. “Yes, you should get a little horse.”
I started to correct him before I caught the gleam in his eyes. He was kidding, of course.
The game got boring after that. Kyle played shortstop, but the Langley pitcher didn’t give the other team much they could hit.
Things got interesting the next time Kyle was up at the plate. He got another hit but only made it to first this time.