“Maybe it’s because she knows you’re too far up Brianna’s ass.”
“And other places, too,” he chided with a wink. I rolled my eyes and went straight to the weight bench. Brianna was one of our team’s cheerleaders and a good friend of my sister’s. She and Derek had been dating for a year. Out of all the cheerleaders, Brianna was the only trustworthy one. She wasn’t like Lindsey, whom I had dated for a few months, at the time thinking that if anyone fucked up it would be me. I was wrong. She cheated on me while we were at an away game with a player from the opposing team and then fucked around with Jax, a guy who was supposed to be my teammate. I wasn’t one to talk shit about women, but she was a worthless bitch.
“I’m going to need your help to make sure the guys stay away from her,” I said. “She’s going to be with Kate a lot in the next couple of weeks helping out the team. The last thing she needs is one of the guys trying to fuck with her.”
Lying back on the bench, I wrapped my fingers around the bar and was about to lift when Derek’s face loomed over mine, his smile wide. “You just want them out of the way so you can make your move. You can’t fool me, Townsend. You’re hard up over her, admit it. You always have been.”
I snorted and shook my head. I did want her. “It doesn’t matter anyway. She doesn’t want a guy like me.” I didn’t know what she wanted, but I was sure as hell going to find out.
Chapter 3
Summer
“Well, you’re looking different this morning,” Lara quipped. “Is that a smile I see on your face?” She winked and sat down on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter. Her blond hair was gathered in a messy bun and she had on a pair of cupcake pajama pants and a pink cami. What really got me was the way she focused in on me, studying me closely. “You got a hot date or something?”
Rolling my eyes, I poured her a cup of hot tea and set it down in front of her. “No, there’s no date. I’m actually excited about doing something different today. Are you sure you don’t mind taking the lunch shift? Kate says all I have to do is take the CPR class and I’m done for the day. I should be at the restaurant by late afternoon.”
She scoffed and waved her hand dismissively. “Please, I can handle the restaurant with my eyes closed. I think it’s awesome you’ve decided to break out of your shell. It shows that you’re finally moving on. I’ve missed my sister.”
“Was I really that bad?” I asked, knowing very well that I had been. For a long time, I walked the halls like a zombie, but during this past year I could feel a change coming. I was finding myself again.
“It’s not that you were horrible to be around, Summer. It’s just that it was hard to be around you. Everyone could feel your pain. Why do you think people stayed away?”
Dumbfounded, I stared at her in horror. I could only imagine the way everyone saw me when I was at my worst. “It’s not like that now,” I countered. “People at the restaurant talk to me.”
She blew the steam off her tea and took a sip. “That’s because you’re more sociable. You have no idea how many times I get asked if you’re single. I’ve had to threaten the guys numerous times to keep their distance. I swear, they’re all horny-ass monkeys.”
“Who?” I questioned curiously.
She snorted. “Evan’s friends. Especially Jaxon. He probably gets a hard-on every time you walk by him.”
“Really? I guess I’ve never paid attention.” I knew who Jaxon Reed was, but I’d never actually had a conversation with him. He was our team’s best kicker and a ladies’ man, from what I’d heard. If I was going to start dating someone, it most definitely wouldn’t be someone like him. “I talked to Evan yesterday,” I said, gauging her interest. “Has he ever asked about me?”
She perked up with a huge grin. “So I guess Evan is worthy of your attention, huh? What did you two talk about?”
I lifted a brow and smirked. “Answer my question first and I’ll tell you.”
“Okay, okay, no, he hasn’t asked about you. But I’ve seen the way he looks at you. If you were going to date any of the players, I’d have to say he’s your best choice.”
“I’m not going to date anyone, sis. I was thinking more along the lines of having a friend to eat dinner with and stuff like that. I’m not sure a relationship is something I can offer right now.”
She lifted her hands in defeat. “Oh, I understand completely. I didn’t say you had to jump in bed with anyone. Having someone to hang out with would be good. And just because Evan hasn’t asked about you doesn’t mean he’s not interested. Hasn’t your therapist told you it would be good for you to date?”
I drank the rest of my tea and set the cup in the sink. “Actually, he has told me I should start seeing people. I don’t even know where to start.”
“Thank God, someone’s talking some sense into you. All I know is he’s smoking hot.”