She lifted an eyebrow at me.
“I’m not dumb or anything. My dad just knew it would be to my advantage to stay back a year. We weren’t going to be able to afford a fancy post-graduate year, so I repeated eighth at a small Catholic place and earned a scholarship to their high school.”
“To me, it sounds sweet. Like your dad had your best interests at heart.”
“Eh, I don’t know. He just wanted to brag about his boy doing something.”
We walked a few beats in silence.
“I don’t suppose you have an ID?” I asked.
She giggled. “No, I don’t. I really don’t go out much. Overachiever, good girl. Except for the language and all.”
I swallowed, and some unfamiliar sensation lodged near my Adam’s apple. Missed opportunity punched me in the gut, and I thought quickly.
“How about my place? I make a mean cocktail, and I can’t drink another hot chocolate.”
She stopped in the middle of the walkway, the campus now dark and quiet around us. A breeze picked up, releasing leaves that floated down from the trees, and sent her citrus scent wafting by me.
I was lost in her eyes, all big and round, a brown so dark they seemed bottomless. For the first time since I left the palm trees and swamplands of Florida for Ohio, I felt real. Like a real man. A human with a beating heart and a future.
I’m a sap. Just stop it.
“I’m not sure about that.” Cate frowned up at me. “I’m serious. Sonny is a powerful person around here, and he made you make promises on the air. Just walking around with you is risky, and I don’t want to be the cause of you losing fans . . . or games.”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m hanging with a friend.”
Almost instantly, the spark winked out in her eyes. “What?”
Most girls would have bitten their tongue off rather than respond to the friend comment, but not Cate.
She glared at me. “You’re making my head hurt. You’re nice, and we’re friends. Then you wrap your arm around me, hug me tight, chat about porn, and ask me out for a drink, which seems like more than friends. And now we’re back to being friends again.”
“It’s complicated, like you said, with Sonny and the radio station. I’ve never done this before, actually liked someone or been intrigued. Whatever this is.”
“Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“It’s fucking just my luck, you know,” I said, shaking my head sadly. “I meet someone like you when Sonny throws down the gauntlet, and I can’t mess up because I’ve got Coach breathing down my neck. Everyone’s watching me. It’s been all eyes on deck since last season, when I decided to finish school before I go pro, and do what’s right. I must be jinxed or some shit.”
“Exactly,” Cate said firmly. “I may be all ‘I am woman, hear me roar,’ but I’m not about to trash your career over a silly friendship. You do what you need to do.”
She stood on her tiptoes, grabbed my shoulders, and placed a quick kiss on my cheek. “Take care of yourself, Blane. See you around. Thanks for walking me.”
Surprised, I realized we were standing by the dorms all this time. Cate pivoted and shot down the path to Southern A without saying anything more.
I wanted badly to chase her, hunt her down, but I knew it wouldn’t work. I had a championship to win and a professional sports deal to seal.
Cate was right. I didn’t have time.
Catie
My stomach lurched as I strode away from Blane Steele. I ran the back of a trembling hand along my lips where they burned from kissing his cheek.
It had taken every bit of willpower I had to turn and walk away because I knew what would happen. Blane would suck me into the fairy tale of believing we were friends, and then when the statute of limitations was lifted on his sex life, he’d dump me. As buddies, of course.
No, thank you.
Suddenly no longer hot and bothered, I shivered as I entered Southern A.
“Hey, Catie!” a high-pitched voice called after me as I headed toward the stairwell.
I stopped and turned. “Hey, Tess. How are you?”
“I’m cool. I got a job at the music fest. I’m going to be working one of the food trucks for my buddy, Ryan. So, maybe we’ll go down together? I’m sure you’re going to be there all weekend.”
Her fluffy blond hair bounced as she closed the distance between us. She’d gone a little heavy with the flowery perfume she wore today, and it made my eyes burn when she stood next to me.
“I’m there all weekend. Sonny’s got me on grunt duty.” I rolled my eyes, faking exaggerated frustration. No one had to know how hurt I truly was by the stupid shock jock.