Chapter Seven
Lucas
Casey had been in the middle of explaining why she had to transfer to Syracuse, which made me zone out for a lot of reasons. I’d heard the story a million times and it wasn’t a happy one.
It’s what started this fight.
If she’d just let me pay her tuition then she wouldn’t have ended up transferring to Syracuse, where she met that homewrecker, Kelly.
I was imagining all the ways I’d kill the ambiguously-named jerk if I ever met him when I heard Casey gasp.
“Dad!” she yelled, practically climbing over the table to wrap him in a hug.
“Hey, Coach,” the table chorused welcoming our old baseball coach.
Grant and Alex got up to give him a hug, but all I could manage under the circumstances was an awkward handshake.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Casey asked.
“Don’t worry, I’m not crashing the party, kids. I just came to pick up dinner.”
“Aw, you can stay, Coach,” Alex said. “You’re a Northwood High legend.”
He smiled but waved her off. “Nah, you kids have fun. I’ve got plans.”
“Hot date?” Archer asked.
Coach Beeler laughed. “Yeah. With ESPN. They’re playing a Classics marathon tonight. It starts in,” he looked at his watch. “Whoa! Twenty. It took me longer to get here than I thought. The snow’s really coming down out there. Be careful driving home.”
Everyone nodded and murmured that they would.
Coach Beeler turned to his daughter. “Don’t stay out too late, okay?”
“I won’t.”
“Well, I’d better get going. Don’t want to miss the beginning,” Coach Beeler announced.
“Dad, you know I bought you that streaming service. You can watch ESPN Classics anytime you want.”
He waved her off. “I can’t figure that thing out. Besides, I like watching the commercials.”
Casey shook her head but grinned brightly at her dad. The sight made my heart squeeze. I hadn’t seen her smile like that in . . . I racked my brain and came up empty.
That was the nail in the coffin. If I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my girlfriend smile, there was definitely something lacking in our relationship.
We were more than lacking, I reminded myself. We were over.
Pain hit me like a freight train as I realized I might never get a chance to see her smile like that again.
How had this happened?
I remembered when it was me that made her face light up like that. Now all I did was piss her off or make her cry.
But what was I supposed to do?
She was spending all of her time with some other guy. I’d be crazy not to be jealous. Casey was the total package. Smart, funny, athletic, beautiful and for some reason, she loved me—or at least she used to.
I didn’t want to be that guy. The one who got crazy jealous over everything, but I didn’t know how to stop feeling it—the insecurity and doubt.
She was wrong. My problem wasn’t that I didn’t trust her. I didn’t trust I deserved her. And when you think you’ve won the lottery by accident, it can make you paranoid that someday, someone’s going to find out and take it all away.
Someone named Kelly, apparently.
“We’re still doing Sunday dinner here, right?” Casey asked her dad.
“Of course, kiddo. I never break tradition.” Coach Beeler’s eyes shifted to me. “But . . . maybe we could make some new ones. What do you say, Lucas? Wanna join us for dinner on Sunday?”
I swallowed the sudden lump of emotion that was threatening to choke me.
Was this destined to be the story of my life? Too little too late?
What I wouldn’t have given to have Coach Beeler include me in one of his exclusive father-daughter dinners while we were still dating.
But now?
Now it was just too hard.
I couldn’t sit through a meal with him and pretend everything was okay.
The whole time I’d been at Champs I felt like a stranger looking in at the life I wanted. One that I’d let my jealously screw up. But even now, as I looked at the hope growing in Casey’s big brown eyes, I couldn’t let it go.
Anger unfurled inside me as I thought of Kelly staring into Casey’s dreamy brown eyes.
How many times had she looked at him this same way?
I shook my head to clear it of the terrible images of the girl I loved and another guy, and conveyed that I wouldn’t be accepting Coach Beeler’s dinner invitation. “Sorry, I can’t. I made plans with Grant.”
“Ah, that’s alright,” Coach Beeler said, clapping me on the shoulder. “Next time.”
I didn’t miss the hurt in Casey’s eyes as she glared at me before walking her dad to the door.
I pinched the bridge of my nose as she walked away, trying to stave off the headache that I couldn’t seem to get rid of. I hated this. I hated everything about it. Kelly, my jealousy, not knowing what to believe, breaking up, pretending we didn’t, but most of all, I hated still loving Casey despite of all of it.
I didn’t want to hurt her, but I told myself this was the best thing I could do for the both of us. Going to her father-daughter dinner and getting her hopes up that we could get past this would be even crueler.
We’d agreed to fake it until winter break was over, but this was excruciating. I’d give her the Mistletoe Mixer, but that was all I could handle. Tomorrow, I’d tell her we should just go our separate ways.
Pretend dating someone I was still in love with was too hard.
Chapter Eight
Grant
I’d managed to slip away from the group while Coach Beeler was visiting long enough to take a phone call. I’d been putting this off for too long as it was. But since Alex was always with me, there was never really a good time to have this conversation. Especially considering things with our wedding plans weren’t going the way I’d hoped.
I found a quiet corner near the bar and hit return call. He answered the phone on the first ring. “Grant King. You’re a hard guy to get a hold of.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry about that.”
“So, have you made a decision?”
I sighed deeply. I knew what I wanted to do. That wasn’t the problem. “I’m gonna need some more time.”
“Grant, are you serious? Do you know how good this offer is?”
“I do. That’s not the issue.”
“Then what is?”
“I haven’t had time to talk to Alex about this.”
“Aren’t you two engaged?”
“Yeah, but that’s sorta the problem. The only thing we ever have time to talk about is the wedding plans.” Or lack thereof.
“Okay, but I don’t see what a wedding has to do with your decision.”
I held back a bitter laugh. I didn’t either, but then again, that’s because I was no longer in control of our wedding plans. “The problem is the date. It’ll make it impossible for me to accept the offer.” I may not be an expert on nuptials, but I was pretty sure missing my own wedding wasn’t the way I wanted to start my marriage.
“Then pick a different date or postpone the wedding if you have to! This kind of offer only comes around once in a lifetime, Grant. Alex is an athlete. She’ll understand.”
Yeah, she might. If I told her. “I can’t. You know as well as I do that your mom would kill me if I throw a wrench in her grand wedding plans now. She’s got this giant destination thing in mind . . .”
“Then let her and Alex plan it. All you have to do is show up.”
I rolled my eyes, bewildered at how little Will knew his sister. Of Alex’s four incredibly intimidating brothers, Will was the closest in age to her. But apparently, not maturity. “Sure, that’ll go over well.” I grumbled, sarcastically. “Anyway, that’s not the kind of husband I want to be.”
“You’d rather be the one who passes up great career opportunities?”
“Just give m
e till New Year’s Day, Will.”
“Grant, let me ask you something. Do you even want a huge wedding?”
The answer stuck in my throat and I swallowed it down. “I want Alex to be happy,” I replied, diplomatically.
Will laughed. “Good answer. You’ve got this ‘good husband’ thing locked down. But seriously, man, figure out what you want. Because to me, it sounds like you’re giving up your dream for someone else’s.”
Will wasn’t wrong. But wasn’t that what a good husband was supposed to do?
Alex’s brother spoke gruffly into the phone. “New Year’s Day is it, Grant. I mean it. Talk to Alex and figure this out.”
Before I could say anything else, the line went dead, leaving me with nothing but my reeling thoughts and a stomach full of anxiety.
What did I want?
The only thing I knew for sure was that I wanted to marry Alex and take this offer. I didn’t want to fight about wedding plans anymore. I’d thought all our problems were solved when Alex’s mom offered to take over the planning since Alex and I had been making no progress—unless you count avoidance as progress. My girl was great at that.
And that was precisely why I couldn’t just take the offer Will had gotten me and leave all the wedding plans in Alex’s lap.
When it came to wedding details, my fiancée had been checked out from the moment I slipped that ring on her finger. If I check out too who knew if we’d even make it to the altar and that was the most important thing to me.
I didn’t care where or when, just that Alex was standing next to me, saying ‘I do’.
Okay, so maybe I did know what I wanted. But that didn’t mean I was going to get it.
I’d already gotten the girl, maybe asking for the dream job was too much to hope for.
At this point, I just wanted to hold onto what I already had.
I was still lost in my restless thoughts when Lucas walked over. “Where’d you disappear to?”
I held up my phone. “Had to take a call.”
“Everything okay? Your phone’s been blowing up all night.”
I wasn’t ready to face the reality of the life-altering decision before me. It was easier to slip back into teasing than truths. So I did; welcoming the escape.
I gave Lucas a shrug. “What can I say? I’m a popular guy.”
He laughed. “Uh, not even Montgomery’s that popular. What’s going on?”
So much for my escape.
If Lucas noticed something was up, I didn’t have much hope of being able to keep this from Alex for much longer. But my motto had always been, ‘When in doubt, avoid’. And right now, I was clinging to it.
“Nothing’s up,” I replied, feigning nonchalance. “But I can’t say the same for you.”
Lucas frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Turning Coach Beeler down for our ‘plans’?” I asked, using air quotes. “I mean, I’m down to cover for you if you’re planning a surprise for Casey or something, but just give me a heads-up next time. You had Alex shooting daggers at me.”
Lucas cocked his head. “She’s been doing that all night. What’s the deal with you guys?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not, but it’s true. Besides, why would Alex be mad if we made plans? We always hang out over winter break. It’s the only time we see each other.”
“She wouldn’t care about us making plans, but she would be pissed if I didn’t tell her about them. I’ve been doing that a lot lately,” I added more to myself than to Lucas, but he’d still heard me.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing. Just stupid wedding stuff.”
“So, your wedding’s stupid now?”
“No, it’s just . . .”
Lucas stared me down waiting for me to elaborate, but I didn’t know what to say. Luckily, I didn’t have to say anything at all thanks to Tyler making an appearance. I grinned at my old teammate, grateful that he still knew how to steal the spotlight.
In high school, the pitcher’s ego had gotten on my last nerve, but right now, I’d never been happier to see his arrogant mug. “Hey, Ty,” I greeted, happy to dodge Lucas’s question.
“There he is,” Tyler yelled, slinging an arm around my shoulder. “Northwood royalty and our very own MLB star!”
Lucas’s eyes grew wide and I quickly pulled Tyler into a headlock, praying the rest of Champs hadn’t just heard him spill my secret.
Chapter Nine
Chelsea
“You’ve got a little cocoa,” I said, pointing to Chris’s kissable lips.
“Oh.” His mouth curved, forming a delicious little circle that had my forgetful heart beating out a racy pitter patter like a lovestruck cartoon.
I sunk my teeth into my lower lip as I watched Chris dab at the chocolate on his own sinful lips. I wanted to taste them. I couldn’t help myself. The boy was fine with a capital F!
The things I wanted to do to him.
A guy like him would definitely get me put on the naughty list, but I didn’t even care.
Chiseled jaw. Check!
Dark, broody eyes. Check!
Lashes even my falsies couldn’t compete with. Check!
And those muscles!
Granted he was still wearing a long-sleeved Henley with a down vest over it, but dang! Something had done his body good and I wanted to appreciate it from every angle.
So much for my ‘I’m done with guys’ declaration. It had lasted a whole . . . two hours.
I’d meant it when I said it but that was before Chris Freaking Fraser and his god-like good looks decided to join our booth and press his meaty man-thigh against mine.
Holy Hanukkah! I thought I might spontaneously combust when he gave up scrubbing at his lip with the napkin and licked his finger, trying to remove the chocolate that way. As it was, my ovaries were launching flares like it was the Fourth of July, desperately trying to get him to notice me.
But now, watching him lick that finger . . . I was practically slobbering like my Cockapoo on Thanksgiving.
“Better?” Chris asked giving up on the stubborn chocolate.
Mercifully, the stubborn chocolate hadn’t let go. I couldn’t blame it. If I’d been lucky enough to stake a claim on that gorgeous piece of real estate also known as his face, I wouldn’t let go easily either. I couldn’t contain my delight as I practically went breathless with anticipation at the idea of licking the chocolate from that delectable spot next to his lips myself.
Chris’s cheeks flushed like he could read my thoughts. “What?” he asked.
I grinned, shaking my head. “You missed a spot. Here, let me.” I licked my finger then gently pressed it to the edge of his lip. Once I’d swiped off the chocolate, I slowly licked it off my finger, seductively.
At least I hoped it looked seductive.
I was laying the flirting on pretty thick. Okay more than thick. If there was a flirt-o-meter I’d cranked it way past eleven, but I didn’t know what else to do. Chris wasn’t giving me anything.
Had I lost my touch?
Maybe being in a relationship for the past two months had ruined my game. It was the longest I’d ever dated a guy. That’s what I got for breaking my own rules. Don’t get attached and always leave them before they leave you. That put all my previous relationships at two-weeks or less—usually less.
It’s also why I was normally so confident with my flirting abilities. I didn’t feel rusty, but maybe after two months with He Who Shall Not Be Named, I was. Either way, I wasn’t used to working this hard or being turned down. And as much as I’d told Marissa I wasn’t looking for love, it didn’t mean I wasn’t looking for a fun distraction. And from the way girl after girl kept stopping by the table to wave at him, I had no doubt Chris Fraser would be fun—that is if I could ever get him to bite.
Why wasn’t he biting?
Was I not his type?
Ha! No that’s ridiculous. I was everyone’s type.
Okay, I re
alized that would make me sound super conceited if I ever said that out loud, but that was the level of confidence I needed to have if I was going to make it in the acting world, and that was the plan.
I reminded myself that I was charming and had never met a role I couldn’t play. I just needed to find one that would work with Chris.
I gave him my best flirty smile, loving the color that snaked up the thick columns of his neck. I batted my eyelashes. Who do you want me to be, handsome?
Just when I thought I was getting somewhere, he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to Nicole.
Okay, maybe I was coming on too strong in front of his sister. That made sense.
I needed to regroup. I sucked on my straw while I mulled it over.
We’d already gone through all the usual small talk. Where are you from? Where do you go to college? Who do you want to be when you grow up? Blah, blah, blah.
I’d been pleasantly surprised to learn he went to Princeton.
Hot and brainy—not my usual type.
And, he rowed Crew!
How sexy was that?
And who knows . . . if things worked out, Princeton wasn’t that far from NYU.
Omigod! Stop it, Chelsea.
This was a rebound, not a relationship! What I needed was a fling. And at the moment, I had my sights set on Chris Fraser. I’d decided he was the only boy I wanted to mingle with under the mistletoe.
That was it!
I needed a fake boyfriend to cover for me since I wasn’t a Northwood High student or alumni. Marissa said Chris was single. A fake relationship sounded like a perfect ploy. And hadn’t Marissa said that’s how she and Archer started?
No, I was getting ahead of myself.
I didn’t want anything real. Just some fun.
I had a plan. Now I just had to put that plan into action.
Chris
I turned away from Chelsea and closed my eyes but that only made things worse. I just kept seeing her pull her finger from her mouth and flashing that gorgeous smile over and over again.
My neck prickled with heat under her sultry stare. Even with my focus solely on Nicole I could practically feel Chelsea undressing me with her eyes! This girl was going to be the death of me. Of all the times for me to promise not to flirt . . .
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