The Best Mistake

by O'Gorman, Cookie

  He shook his head then knocked to let Emmy know we were waiting outside.

  But it was Charlie who answered the door.

  “Well, well, well,” she said, looking the two of us over. “If it isn’t Archer and the panty thief.”

  I kept my frown, but inside, seeing the initial look of shock on Chase’s face, I died laughing.

  For his part, Chase just shrugged. “I think you’re confusing me with my twin, Baylor.”

  She squinted at him. “Hmm, seriously?”

  “It happens a lot,” he said. “But yeah, I’ve never had any contact with your panties.”

  “Your loss,” she said, pretending to study her nails, then looked up from beneath her lashes right at my brother—who wasn’t paying her any attention. It was kind of funny actually. Chase was checking his phone, completely oblivious to her flirting, while Charlie wore a look of surprise. “There are so many of you O’Briens coming in and out of here it’s hard to keep track. What did you say your name was again?”

  Chase kept his head down. “I didn’t. Can we come in? Archer has something for Honor.”

  Charlie crossed her arms. “I think I mentioned our rule before about not allowing men into our space. But maybe if you ask nicely…”

  It was like watching a cat try to attract a mouse. In this case, Charlie was the cat and Chase was the mouse, but instead of trying to catch the mouse outright, Charlie was pretending like she didn’t want him to notice her. I could’ve told her that approach would never work, not with Chase, but I was enjoying this way too much.

  Raising my hand, I said, “Hey Charlie.”

  She stared for another second before turning her eyes to me.

  “Sorry about him.” I laid a hand on my brother’s shoulder, and he looked up. “Chase isn’t always the best conversationalist.”

  “Obviously,” she said which cut off Chase’s protest. His mouth snapped shut as he looked at her, seeming to really take her in for the first time. “I guess it’s a good thing he’s so cute.”

  Chase blinked, and his cheeks got red. Oh man, was he blushing? We seriously had to get him out of the house more often. Women would eat him alive if he couldn’t take a little harmless flirtation.

  Charlie smiled slowly. “I’ll go get Honor. Emmy went for a drive. You two can wait in the living room if you want. But don’t get too comfortable. The no guys rule exists for a reason.”

  I nodded, pulling Chase inside along with me. “And we fully support that rule. One hundred percent. Don’t we Chase?”

  “Yeah,” he said then cleared his throat, “yeah, we do.”

  “Wouldn’t want a whole bunch of guys hanging around Emmy,” I said. “Especially not in her apartment.”

  Chase nodded as we sat side-by-side on the couch. “That’s like my worst nightmare.”

  “You and me both,” I said, frowning.

  About a minute later, Honor and Charlie came back into the room.

  “But I never have visitors,” Honor was saying. “This had better be good, Charlie. I was just watching the end of Pride and Prejudice and—”

  I stood, my eyes meeting hers.

  “Oh,” she said in surprise.

  “Yeah, oh,” Charlie said. “Now, will you stop complaining, and just see what he wants so we can get them out of here?”

  “Sure,” she said but didn’t move toward me.

  I felt kind of bad about leaving Chase to fend for himself, peripherally noticing him tense as Charlie came closer to the couch, probably to take a second chance at talking to him. Sorry brother, you’re on your own, I thought, knowing he’d understand. Honor was here now, and my attention was all for her.

  I walked around the couch and stopped in front of Honor, my eyes moving over her outfit. Her hair was up and kind of messy, little tendrils falling around her face, and she was wearing an oversize t-shirt that had the silhouette of a male holding something over his head. It said “Mrs. Lloyd Dobler” across the top. My lips turned down, the frown getting deeper. I didn’t know who this Lloyd Dobler guy was, but I was instantly jealous. She had his name written over her chest for crying out loud. Her pajama pants looked big and had little dogs on them while her feet—I nearly smiled when I saw the fuzzy socks covering her toes.

  “What are you so happy about?” she said, and my head popped up immediately.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  She pointed at my face. “You’re smiling.”

  “I was not,” I said, knowing my frown was still firmly in place.

  “Not your mouth.” Honor shook her head. “There, your eyes are smiling.”

  This was news to me. “They are?”

  “Yeah,” she said, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms. “I’ve noticed they do that sometimes.”

  Only when I’m with you, I thought.

  “Did you need something, Archer? I wasn’t expecting anyone—which is why I’m dressed like this, obviously. Sorry you had to see me in my crappy pajamas.”

  You look good to me.

  The words went through my head, but I didn’t say them. She looked self-conscious enough as it was. And beautiful, even if she didn’t think so. It wasn’t so much about what she wore as who was wearing the clothes. Honor could probably wear a potato sack, and she’d still make my eyes smile.

  Wanting to cheer her up, I held out her copy of Jane Eyre. “Just came to return this to its proper owner,” I said.

  “Ah.” She took the book from my hand and pulled it to her chest. “That’s…great. Thank you.”

  My brow furrowed. “I thought you might need it for class. Thought you’d be happy to get it back.”

  “Oh no, I definitely am, and it’s not required reading,” she said then laughed at herself. “It’s just one of my favorites. My shelves have been missing Jane. Thank you so much again for returning it.”

  Maybe I’d imagined the note of sadness I detected in her voice?

  “So I guess this means you don’t want to date me anymore,” she added.

  “What? Nah, I still definitely want that. I just felt bad.”

  “About what?” She sounded surprised.

  “Keeping your book,” I said and ran a hand over my neck. “Plus, now I don’t need an excuse to see you. I hear you’ll be coming to some of our games, hanging out with the team. That’s cool.”

  Honor blinked.

  “Did you really think I’d give up that easily?”

  “Most guys would,” she said with a shrug.

  Yeah well, I wasn’t most guys.

  “Honestly, it might make things easier.”

  “In what way?” I asked.

  Honor tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up at me. “Well, I have a proposition for you. If you’re up for it.”

  I knew I’d agree to anything she asked at that point. “Okay, what did you have in mind?”

  “Maybe we can start over and try being just friends.”

  Friends. I actually was okay with that. It was the “just” I didn’t like. My mind balked at the word, but for the first time tonight, Honor looked sure. She was smiling up at me hopefully, and though I wanted more from her than friendship—so much more—I didn’t have the heart to tell her right then.

  “Hm, sounds interesting,” I said.

  Not exactly a lie, right? But not an agreement that we should be “just friends” either. I knew she wanted more from me, too. We couldn’t just start over, forget about what happened at the party where we met and everything since. I had to figure out what was holding her back and how to convince her to give us a go.

  “Awesome,” Honor said. “I’ve thought about it a lot. I’m actually going to need to profile you at some point, Archer, and this will make it so much less complicated.”

  I nodded. “I heard about that. Speaking of, I brought you the game schedule. My mom asked me to drop it off.”

  “She did?” Honor took the paper with a frown. “I thought she was just going to send it through email
.”

  “Well, technically, I volunteered,” I said and saw her eyes flare. Ah, that was not the look of someone who wanted to be just friends. I could work with that.

  “You seem to do a lot of volunteering,” she said suspiciously. I couldn’t be sure, but I hoped she remembered the way I’d volunteered to be her one-night stand before.

  I took a step forward. “What can I say? I’m a giver.”

  “Oh great.” She cleared her throat. “Well, I’m glad you stopped by so we could have this chat.”

  “Me, too,” I said, stepping into her space.

  Honor’s eyes widened.

  “What?” I asked innocently. “Friends hug each other, right?”

  I thought I heard a chuckle from the other side of the living room but ignored it.

  Honor shook her head with a smile. “I guess so.”

  Yes, I thought, as she stepped into my arms. It was brief, but I milked that hug for all it was worth. Feeling her breath speed up as I turned my head into her neck, I grinned before pulling back.

  “I guess I’ll see you at the game next week,” I said. “It’s at home, should be a lot of fun.”

  “Yeah, my first game ever,” Honor said. “I’m excited.”

  “Your first baseball game?” I couldn’t keep the surprise out of my voice. “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, that’s special. We should do something.”

  “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “Oh, it definitely is,” I said. “As your new friend, I insist. If we win, you come out to celebrate with us.”

  Honor raised a brow. “But that’s only if you win, right?”

  “Yeah,” I said, “but we’ll definitely get that W. So, you better be ready to go out after.”

  “So sure of yourself,” she said.

  I shook my head. “I’m sure of my team. They’d never let me down—especially when I tell them it’s your first game. So, you’ll come?”

  “Just as friends, right?”

  I shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

  She shook her head, but I knew I had her even before she said, “You’re on.”

  In my mind, I was still trying to figure out why Honor insisted on the whole just friends thing. Maybe she wanted to see how we’d get along first? Maybe she really wasn’t attracted to me like I was to her? But no, I’d seen the look in her eyes, felt her reaction whenever we were close. Regardless, I was excited about next week. She’d agreed to come out to the game, and she’d be rooting for our team.

  One thing I knew for sure: My boys better be ready to play their hearts out because I was not letting this one get away.

  Not the win or the girl.

  Every surface in my room was covered in clothes, the closet empty.

  And still, I couldn’t figure out what to wear.

  “I just can’t believe it,” Charlie was saying. “I mean, he basically ignored me the whole time. I know you were over there talking it up with your boy toy. But Chase didn’t even try to ask me out. Can you believe that?”

  I sighed and looked over at her. “You are a hard person to ignore.”

  Charlie nodded. “Damn right, I am.”

  “And he’s not my boy toy,” I mumbled. “Like I told you, we’re just—”

  “Friends?” Charlie rolled her eyes with a scoff. Reclining back on my bed, laying on all of the clothes there, she grinned. “Oh please, I saw the way the two of you were looking at each other.”

  “How were we looking at each other?” I asked, putting another shirt up to my chest for a second before throwing it aside.

  “Like you wanted to go at it right there in the living room.”

  I gasped, nearly swallowing my tongue at her words. “We were not.”

  “Were, too,” she said, sitting up. “Archer definitely was. And I could tell you how this is going to end, but I think I’ll just sit back and watch it all play out. You guys are too cute together.”

  Shaking my head, a blush was permanently etched on my cheeks as I held up another shirt, raised my eyebrow at Charlie. She bit her lip a second before shaking her head. With a groan, I joined her on the bed. It wasn’t like I was getting anywhere clothes-wise. My whole wardrobe seemed to be against me today. At this rate, I’d be showing up at the game in my PJ’s.

  “Just to be clear,” I said again, “he wasn’t looking at me like that.”

  “Okay…but yes, he was,” Charlie said then groaned a second later. “Which is exactly how his brother should’ve been looking at me. Seriously, I gave him all my best cues. The hair flip”—she pushed her hair over her shoulder—”the flirtatious glance”—she looked at me then away—”the pout”—she pursed her lips, making them seem even more lush—”and the words which you know I’m awesome at. What is this Chase guy’s deal?”

  I was having a hard time not laughing. She sounded so put out. “Maybe he was just having an off day and couldn’t read the signs.”

  “You think?” she asked, then looked down at her body. “My boobs still look good, right?”

  I did laugh at that. “Yes! Oh my gosh, Charlie, please. They’re just as perky as ever. If Chase didn’t notice you, that’s his problem. Not yours.”

  She smiled as her gaze came back to mine. “I know, right? Now, remind me. Why are you going through all of your stuff again?”

  Looking around the room, I frowned. “It looks like a tornado hit. Doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, kind of.”

  “Ugh, I don’t know what to wear.”

  “Why does it matter so much?” Charlie asked. “It’s just a baseball game.”

  In my head, I knew Charlie was right, and maybe if I felt more rational, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. It shouldn’t be. But…

  “Well, it’s my first one, and I’m not sure what to expect.”

  Charlie nodded. “And?”

  “And important people are going to be there.”

  “Oh, important, you don’t say. And?” she prompted again.

  “And…well…”

  “Yes…”

  I shot her a glare. “You know I hate you, right?”

  Charlie just smiled. “No, you don’t. You love me like I love you. Now, what were you going to say?”

  Taking a deep breath, I said, “I know I shouldn’t care, but so far, Archer’s only seen me in a red sexy dress looking like a pinup or dressed like a bum how I was that first time I went to the field so he wouldn’t recognize me. Or,” I closed my eyes, “in my comfy pajamas. There was also the time outside his mom’s office, but that was really brief. I want to look like me, but I…want to look nice.”

  “There,” she said. “Was that so hard?”

  Yes, I thought. “So, will you help me or what?”

  “Of course, young grasshopper,” she said and patted me on the shoulder. Standing up, she eyed my clothes for a couple of minutes, then picked up my favorite pair of light wash jeans, a plain white t-shirt that I loved because of how laid back yet feminine it made me feel, and my nicest pair of sneakers. “What about these? Or we could even get a jersey at the student store before the game if you want.”

  My jaw dropped as I stared. “I’ve been at this for an hour. How did you manage to pick out the perfect outfit so fast?”

  Charlie shrugged then handed me the clothes. “I have an eye for fashion. It’s no big deal. Plus, I know you and what you’re most comfortable in.”

  “Thanks,” I said.

  “Welcome,” she said then stopped at my door. Turning back to me, she added, “Oh and Honor, wear your hair down. I bet Archer would love that.”

  My cheeks flushed hot as I looked away. “Like I said, we’re friends.”

  I couldn’t see it, but I knew she was grinning.

  “I hate to point it out, but I’m your friend,” she said. “And you’ve never cared this much about what you wear in front of me.”

  Embarrassment rolled through my body, but it was only because she was so
right. I had never cared what I wore in front of any of my other friends.

  “Hair down,” she said again.

  “It’ll probably be hot,” I said stubbornly. “I think I’ll just wear it up.”

  Charlie chuckled as she left, leaving me there with my mess of a room and lots to think about.

  I wore my hair down.

  Well, half-up, half-down, which was the perfect representation for how I was feeling. Confused, like I didn’t know quite where Archer and I stood. Friends didn’t get excited about hugging their friends, right? I’d definitely felt breathless when Archer had pulled me into his arms the other day. And they also didn’t go all googly-eyed when they saw said friend run out of the dugout onto the field to warm-up. And when that friend looked for them in the stands and waved, their bones didn’t get all weak and melty, right?

  Gah.

  Okay, I was going to have to work on the friend thing.

  But geez, he looked good in that uniform.

  A female voice spoke, breaking me out of my Archer daze. “Hey, Honor. Would you mind if I sit here?”

  I looked up and smiled when I saw June. “No, go ahead. Hey June, I didn’t know you’d be here.”

  “Oh yeah,” she said, taking a seat beside me. “I never miss a game.”

  “Big Wolves fan?” I asked.

  June shrugged. “I guess you could say that.”

  As her eyes roamed the players and got stuck on one in particular, I knew it wasn’t just the team she was here for. I could totally relate to that feeling. Though her eyes were only on Baylor.

  “This is my first game,” I said.

  “Really? Emmy’s going to freak when she hears that. Wait until you see them play. They’re really incredible.”

  “I saw the team practice once,” I said. “Do you have a favorite player?”

  June laughed, but it looked like she was blushing. “Oh, not really. Chase is a great pitcher, and Archer does amazing things behind the plate. Not to even mention Dex, who’s always ready for anything.”

  “And Baylor?” I asked gently.

  “He’s good, too,” she said all nonchalant. “Baylor’s really smart, and he doesn’t ever get scared. Statistically speaking, he’s probably got the best batting average and RBIs—but it’s not like I follow all of his stats or anything.”