“Bess Navarre,” she says, looking to the floor. “I think you know my friend’s boyfriend.”
“Oh yeah?” I say, leaning forward to dab off the blood with the cotton ball. “Who’s that?”
She inhales sharply through her teeth.
“Does it burn? I’m sorry,” I say. Without thinking, and because it’s just a habit, I guess, I lean forward and blow on the scrape to make it feel better.
She freezes. I’m suddenly so aware of how close I am. She smells like flowers. I could tilt my head up and kiss her.
Whoa.
I shouldnotbe thinking that. I sit up quickly and grab the pain spray. “This will help,” I say, my voice coming out all croaky. I clear my throat and hold up the spray can, aiming it over the red area.
“It does,” she says with a little sigh. “That feels so much better.”
“Great.” My mouth feels like it’s full of cotton balls and my stomach is tingling with memories of being so close to her. In my dreams, I’d slide my arms around her, pull her close and press my lips to hers. But this is real life, and you simply don’t make out with strangers in the back of your parent’s shop. At least not without their permission. I peel the backing off a large bandage and cover the bleeding parts.
“I think you’re good now,” I say, peering up at her. She grins and it makes my knees weak. In the back of my mind, I want to compare her to the list, but I can’t even remember what’s on the list at the moment. She’s so beautiful, she’s made all rational thoughts disappear.
“Thanks, you really didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” she says, standing from the bench.
I want to tell her to stay, to hang out with me, maybe even go get some dinner together. But that kind of stuff only works out in the movies. If I said any of that now, I’d sound like a weirdo. I stand up too, then, I remember she never answered my question.
“Hey, who’s your friend’s boyfriend?”
“Oh, um, Maddie and Colby,” she says, almost phrasing it like a question.
“Dude, Colby is my best friend.” All of these thoughts come bombarding into my mind at once.I can totally see her again because she knows Colby. Why haven’t I seen her before? And, dammit, did I just call her a dude?
I take a deep breath to get my excitement in check. “So weird that I haven’t met you before.”
She shrugs. “Maddie and I are sort of new friends.”
I nod. “Cool, well maybe I’ll see you at the next Mindy Carmichael party.”
An uneasiness flashes across her features, but she shrugs them away. “Um, sure. Maybe.”
A knot forms in my stomach. That’s a blow off if I’ve ever seen one. This girl is totally not into me.
Suck it up, Josh.
I walk her to the back door of the shop and we step out onto the strip. “Sorry again for hitting you with a football,” I say, shoving my hands in my pockets as I walk next to her.
“It was an accident. And you’ve more than made up for it,” she says, flashing me that adorable smile again. “Tell your boss thanks for the first aid stuff.”
“Technically I am the boss.” The words fly out, and they’re notentirelytrue . . . but I can’t help myself. I want to impress her so badly. “My family owns the store,” I say by way of explanation.
Her expression goes from confused to understanding, and I’m not sure what she has to be confused or understanding about. Maybe she’s just ready to get rid of me. She takes her car keys out of her purse. “Okay. Well, bye.”
She gives me a little half-hearted wave and then heads straight for the parking lot, leaving me standing there looking and feeling like the biggest tool. I laid it on pretty thick back there and she didn’t flirt with me at all. I guess all of the best girls are too good for me. Maybe I am doomed to be single forever.
