In This Moment (In Plain Sight Book 3)

by Amy Sparling

  Livi’s eyes go wide. “The soccer player? Tall guy?”

  I nod eagerly. “Holy shit,” she breathes. “That’s amazing! I mean, duh. I know you’re beautiful and smart and perfect for any guy, but I’m just glad someone like him was smart enough to see it, too.”

  “I love you and your loyalty,” I say with a laugh. “I am not that great. I don’t know why he did, but he asked if I want to hang out tonight and he’s going to pick me up at my house and everything.”

  “Well, a date on a Wednesday is kind of awesome. It means he likes you so much he can’t wait until the weekend.”

  My good mood falters. “Or it means he doesn’t like me that much and would rather save the weekend for hotter girls he likes more.”

  She rolls her eyes. “No. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t have asked you out. I bet he also wants to hang this weekend. Oh my God, I’m so excited for you!”

  “Don’t say anything, okay?” I can feel my phone in my back pocket, but suddenly I want to check it, just to confirm that his texts earlier were real and not all in my imagination. “I don’t want people to think I’m making more out of it than it is.”

  “Girl, I got you.” Livi wiggles her eyebrows. “You need to change your mindset. Gavin Voss is lucky to be seen with you. He should be begging to have your attention.”

  I laugh. “Okay, sure, I can play pretend too.”

  The teacher on duty yells out that everyone needs to hurry and get on the bus. Freaking school is always on a schedule, and I hardly ever see my best friend.

  “I’ll tell you what happens,” I say as we rush to our buses.

  “Every single detail!” Livi calls back to me.

  I jog up the bus stairs and swing into an empty seat near the back. The whole ride home I can’t stop thinking about Gavin and our “hang out” session tonight. What will he want to do? Is it a date? Or will we watch TV at my house? What should I wear?

  As much as I hope it is a date, and that Gavin actually likes me, I also don’t mind if it’s just a friend thing. Because for the first time since Shawn dumped me, I’m feeling hopeful about the idea of dating again. All those talks about broken hearts needing time are totally right. I feel healed now. Like I can fully move on and get excited about a guy again.

  On top of all of this, Fate has handed me something extra special. A member of the soccer team. If I can just flirt enough to win him over, maybe he’ll tell me exactly what I want to know.

  Chapter 10

  Even after a long hot shower, my legs are killing me. Coach had us do thirty minutes of burpees and then an hour and a half of sprints. Soccer players can run, but even we hate an hour and a half of sprints.

  I could really use a nap right now, but what I want more than that is to spend some time with Clarissa. I pull into her driveway and rub my sore thighs for a second before getting out.

  I’m here, I text her, because she’d asked me to let her know the second I arrive.

  When I get up to the door and ring the doorbell, I’m a little surprised at the nervous feeling in my stomach. It’s stupid because I’ve dated plenty of girls. I’ve done this plenty of times. Parents always love me.

  The door swings open and an older man stands there, looking at me like he’s not too happy with what he sees.

  “Hello,” I say, standing tall. “I’m here to pick up Clarissa.”

  He squints at me. “What’s your name?”

  “Gavin,” I say. “Gavin Voss, sir.”

  “I don’t know you, right?”

  “That’s right.”

  He nods. “Okay, well nice to meet you.”

  He doesn’t hold out his hand to shake mine. He also doesn’t look me in the eyes. I wonder if he’s trying to intimidate me. Clarissa appears behind him. “Grandpa, I’ve got it. Thanks.”

  She steps in front of him and takes his shoulders, turning him around. “Thank you. I’ll be home in a little bit.”

  “That’s Gavin Voss,” her grandpa says. “I think he likes you. He certainly sounds nervous.”

  She steps outside and closes the door behind her. “Sorry about that,” she says sheepishly. “My grandpa is mostly blind. I told you to text me so I could be at the door first!”

  “I did text you,” I say, offering my arm to her.

  “You didn’t text me fast enough! We could have avoided that awkwardness.”

  “I don’t mind it.” I keep my elbow out and she finally looks down, noticing it for the first time.

  She chews on her bottom lip as her fingers reach out and tentatively wrap around my elbow. I tug my arm closer to my side and she comes with it.

  “Are you hungry?” I ask.

  “Are you?” she says.

  “I’m always hungry. I thought we could go down to the boardwalk. There’s a diner there that’s amazing.”

  “The pie place?” she asks. I’m keenly aware of her strawberry smelling hair and the gloss on her lips that might taste like the same thing.

  “Yeah, it’s called The Apple Pie. It’s only been there a few months but the food is amazing.”

  “That sounds fun. I’ve heard a lot of people talk about it.”

  We get to my truck, and I open the door for her. Only now do I realize what she’s wearing. I’d been so focused on her face that I hadn’t looked down.

  She’s wearing tight jeans that are cuffed on the bottom, and black ballerina shoes. I know from experience in homeroom that her ass probably looks amazing in them, but I’m not about to turn her around and find out. At least not on our first date. Her shirt has long sleeves and it falls off her shoulder on one side. The smooth skin there drives me crazy.

  “Thank you,” she says, climbing into my truck. I wink at her as I close the door behind her.

  I am really good at this dating thing, and I’m going to prove that to her tonight.

  At the boardwalk, I find a parking spot next to the Flying Mermaid, which is a surf shop that supplies pretty much all of the clothes I wear all summer.

  “I haven’t been to the beach in a while,” Clarissa says as we make our way toward the restaurant. The boardwalk stretches on for a few miles along the Texas coast. There are tons of stores and restaurants along the way, and beyond the wooden railing is the beach for as far as you can see. Since it’s the end of August, there’s still enough summertime left for the surfers to be out enjoying the waves.

  “I come here as much as I can,” I say. I want to reach for her hand, but I know it’s too soon for that. “Lately all I do is work and play soccer, so there’s not much time for it.”

  “The only thing stopping me is that I don’t have a car,” she says. The breeze blows her hair around and she runs her fingers through it to straighten it out. “I’m one of the only juniors at the school who has no wheels.”

  “That’s no fun,” I say, holding open the door to The Apple Pie for her. “Took me three years of working to save up for mine. I actually started mowing lawns when I was fourteen just for the sole purpose of buying my truck.”

  “Wow, way to plan ahead. I’m saving my money for college, but the daycare does not pay very much. And it’s only three hours a day, a few times a week.” She makes this face and it’s so cute I want to kiss it off her.

  But I have to keep my hands to myself, at least for now. Be a gentleman, Gavin.

  “If you ever need a ride and I’m free, I’d be happy to drive you wherever you want to go.”

  She stares into her soda. “Thanks.”

  “I’m serious,” I say. “That wasn’t some empty offer.”

  “Do you make empty offers often?” she asks in this teasing way.

  I shrug. “Sometimes, yeah. But only to the jackasses I call friends.”

  “Well, at least you’re honest,” she says with a playful grin.

  We get our food and eat it on the restaurant’s balcony that overlooks the beach. I am terrified that the conversation will lag, so I try to keep talking.

  “So what’s your sch
edule like this year?”

  Inwardly, I cringe. That’s about the lamest question you can ask a girl on a first date.

  “Let’s see,” she says, counting off on her fingers. “Boring, boring, boring, boring, and boring. The only class I really like is my sixth period sign language class.”

  “I took French, but I wish I’d taken sign language,” I say. “Then I could have secret conversations in class.”

  “We already can,” she says with a coy smile. “It’s called text messaging. It lets you talk without verbally saying anything. You should look it up.”

  “I see how it is,” I say, fixing her with a stare. “You go out with a guy, looking cute as hell, and then you rag on him for not being a genius.”

  She stops laughing and her expression turns serious. “So, is this a date?”

  “Yes,” I say, wondering if I haven’t made that part clear.

  “Like a real date?” she asks, her voice getting a little bit higher.

  I nod and bite on a French fry. “I mean, I want it to be a real date. I fully intend on buying your dinner and refusing you if you try to pay for part of it.”

  Her cheeks turn a glorious shade of pink. “Okay. I was just wondering.”

  “Do you often go out with guys and it’s not a date?” I ask.

  She shakes her head. “I mean, all signs pointed to this being a date, but I wasn’t sure. So I just wanted to ask and get it out in the open.” She puts her hands on her face. “Am I ruining this?”

  “No,” I say, reaching out and pulling her hand down. I let my fingers slide down her arm, down her palm, and across her fingertips. “I’m having a really good time making you nervous.” I grin and she glares at me, her lips pressing together.

  “Not very gentlemanly of you, Gavin.”

  “I’ll behave,” I say. We talk for a while about every random topic we can think of. School, mostly, and a little about how her friend Livi also doesn’t have a car so they rarely get to hang out after school. When our food is done, I stand up and hold out my hand.

  “Want to walk on the beach? That’s a fun date thing to do.”

  “Yeah, okay,” she says, standing. I hold out my hand closer to hers and she eyes it before sliding her palm into mine. “First time for everything,” she says softly as we walk away.

  I stop right in the middle of the sand. “Wait, what?” I hold up our clasped hands. “Is this your first time holding hands on the beach?”

  She nods meekly. “Kind of?”

  My brows pull together. “What kind of guys have you been dating?”

  She shrugs. “First of all, not very many. And secondly, guys who don’t like being seen with me.”

  She looks away and I start walking toward the water, keeping her hand grasped in mine. “Now why wouldn’t a guy want to be seen with you? You are totally beautiful and very much rocking those jeans, by the way.”

  When she glances up at me, there’s a spark in her eyes I haven’t seen before. Something tells me she doesn’t get complimented much. I make it my personal mission right here and now to tell her how unbelievably cute she I at all times.

  “Let’s not talk about … that stuff,” she says after a moment. “It’s just—awkward.”

  I gaze at her, trying to figure out what insecurity she’s hiding behind those brown eyes. But I come up empty, because the girl is adorable in every way.

  On the sand, the water rushes over our feet and then sweeps back out to sea. “Tell me something about you,” I say.

  “Not much more to tell,” she says quickly. “I go to school, and I work at the daycare. I have exactly zero hidden talents.”

  “Hidden talents are overrated,” I say. “Do you like working at the daycare?”

  She nods. “The kids are so sweet. I’m pretty sure I want to be a kindergarten teacher, but my mom says those kinds of jobs are more stressful than they seem.”

  “You’ll never know unless you try it,” I say.

  “What about you?” she asks, nudging me with her elbow. “Some kind of rocket scientist? Brain surgeon?”

  “Do I look like a rocket scientist?” I ask.

  She laughs. “No, but you’re in all those AP classes.”

  “So jealous of my mad school skills,” I tease her. “I wish I could take the credit for it, but school stuff just comes easily to me.”

  She pokes me in the stomach with her free hand. “I’m not jealous of a nerd.”

  “I’m not a nerd,” I say, pretending to look offended. “I’m a star soccer player.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You soccer guys are on my shit list right now.”

  “Why’s that?” If I had taken even two seconds to think before I speak, I would have remembered why. But of course, I didn’t, because I’m caught up in the smell of Clarissa’s shampoo, the quirk of her lips every time I tease her. I’m also kind of checking out her cleavage in a way that’s turning me on but making me feel like a dick about it. It’s not my fault that she’s so captivating that I can’t think clearly.

  Her expression darkens. “Because two of your teammates ruined my greenhouse.”

  “But it’s going to get rebuilt, though, right?”

  She sighs. “I have no idea. Probably not.”

  “Why?”

  She turns away from me, letting her gaze drift over the ocean. “I’d rather not talk about it.”

  She’s told me she loves kids and she liked the greenhouse, but I can’t see why she’d be so damn upset about it. But she clearly doesn’t want me to push the topic, so I don’t.

  “I’m sorry someone ruined it,” I say, feeling a tightness in my chest. This lie is so deeply buried in my heart now that even I’m starting to think I didn’t actually do it.

  She slows down, digging her toes in the sand. Her hand falls away from mine and suddenly I hate that she seems so far away. I want to be touching her, getting to know her. She folds her arms over her chest, not caring when the wind whips her hair into her eyes.

  “Do you know who did it?” she asks softly.

  “What do you mean?” I say.

  Her head tilts up at me, her eyes filled with sadness. “You’re all a team. Surely the other guys talk with each other. Do you know and you’re just supposed to keep it a secret?”

  Guilt claws at my insides. This girl is smart. Part of me wonders if she’s only here tonight as a way to get information out of me. That thought alone rips into my ego and makes my heart ache. I’m really starting to like her. She’s gorgeous, she’s funny, and sweet. She’s the kind of girl who cares so damn much about some dumb greenhouse just because she works there.

  That’s the kind of girl who makes a great girlfriend. One who cares about things besides herself. She’s the kind of girl I need in my life. She could be the light when I’m surrounded by all the darkness that makes me want to drink.

  I swallow the lump in my throat. “I don’t know who did it,” I say, reaching for her hand again. “I’m sorry.”

  Chapter 11

  We sit on a bench at the end of the boardwalk. It’s far away from the few remaining people out here, and tucked under the glow of the last street lamp, it feels romantic. The ocean crashes to shore and then falls back, the sounds of the water and the seagulls flying above reminding me of summer. It also reminds me of being a kid and playing on this beach when I didn’t have a care in the world.

  Gavin’s arm is across the back of the bench, and I lean back, letting my back press against the slats. As if on instinct, his arm tucks closer to me, his fingers curving around my shoulder. The touch sends a shiver down to my toes. All I’d have to do is lean a little to the left and I’d be snuggled against his chest.

  I take a quick breath and gaze out at the ocean and remind myself of one thing: First date. First date. First date.

  I keep wanting to take it further. To cuddle and hold his hand again and, well, even the thought of this sends a ball of heat into my belly, but I want to kiss him.

  Gavin is nothin
g like that cocky jerk who had his feet on my chair that first day of school. He’s sweet and attentive. He pays attention when I talk, his blue eyes focused just on me. He’s not like Shawn, who would gaze off and look at other things, only half listening to anything I had to say.

  He’s not like Shawn in a lot of ways.

  “You seem very deep in thought,” Gavin says after a moment.

  I shrug. “Just enjoying the beach.”

  “You sure?” His eyes peer down into mine, his eyebrows raised a bit in concern. “You’ve gotten extra quiet.”

  “I’m fine,” I say, smiling so he knows I mean it. “We’ve pretty much talked ourselves out tonight, don’t you think? You might know me better than my own best friend knows me.”

  That’s not exactly true. While I’ve shared many things with Gavin tonight, I haven’t told him about my greenhouse and what it means to me. Part of me wants to tell him, to let him know how important it is that I find who ruined it. Maybe if he knew the truth, he’d go face-to-face with his own team mates until they told him. But I can’t bring myself to say anything. It’s just too close to my heart. It’s too raw right now.

  I only briefly mentioned that my Grandpa was mostly blind when he picked me up at my house. I didn’t tell him it only just now happened and that we’re struggling to learn how to live with a blind family member. I haven’t told him about my grandma and her greenhouse. We’ve talked all night about silly things, but nothing that really matters. But this is a first date, so we’re not supposed to get too deep. Maybe one day, if he still likes me after tonight, he’ll get to learn all those things about me.

  “Do you think we talked too much?” Gavin asks as his fingers trace circles on my shoulder. I wish he’d move his hand down, slide it around my waist, or entwine his fingers into mine.

  “No,” I say playfully. “I like taking to you. I’ve liked this whole night.”

  He grins like I’ve just complimented him. “Me too. I’m not sure what speed to take this but—I just can’t stop talking. I don’t want to take time getting to know you, I want to know you immediately.”