Chapter 12
It’s truly remarkable how pathetic I can be. I was pelted with a football and here I am reeling with excitement over getting five minutes of attention from one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met. Of course I would have to get injured to receive attention from a guy. Of course.
But it all makes sense now. His parents own a store, the place directly in front of where he hit me with a ball. At first I couldn’t believe he was being so caring and attentive, acting like he truly felt bad that I’d been hit. It was only an accident, so what’s the big deal?
But now I get it. He’s probably terrified I’ll try to sue his family’s store because I was injured.
That’s the only explanation.
I don’t know why I’m even letting myself get disappointed by this. Obviously a hot guy wouldn’t care about me unless there was something bad that could happen to him. Still, I grip my car keys as I walk across the boardwalk. Even though it was all an act so he wouldn’t get in trouble, I can pretend he was a friend, a real friend. That the shiver I got when his fingertips grazed my skin meant something more.
I sigh. I don’t even remember the last time a guy touched me. A girl could really get used to having a guy take care of her cuts and bruises with such precision and tenderness.
“Hey, Bess?”
I stop. Turn around slowly.
Josh is jogging up to me in the parking lot. He still doesn’t have a shirt on, and it’s the hottest thing ever.
“Yeah?” I say, wondering why he bothered running out here after me. Our business together was finished. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he says quickly as his footsteps slow to a walk. Then he’s right here in front of me again, all gorgeous and grinning in a way that makes my toes tingle. “I was just thinking, uh, you should come by the shop sometime.”
“Why?”
Damn, that sounded rude, and I didn’t mean for it to be rude, but—uh, what exactly am I supposed to say to that? “I’m not going to sue you or anything,” I say with a snort. “I’m barely hurt. It’s not a big deal.”
“No, um, I was just thinking,” he says, stopping to shove his hands in the pockets of his board shorts. “Since you’re friends with Maddie and I’m friends with Colby, and they’re both out of the country . . .”
“Yeah?” I say just to urge him along. He’s taking entirely too long to spit out whatever he’s going to say. Maybe he doesn’t believe I’m actually friends with Maddie.
“You should just come by the shop and hang out. I’m bored without my best friend. Maybe we can hang out until they’re back?”
My heart does a backflip and then immediately races so fast I’m afraid I might pass out. What exactly does that mean?
I swallow. “Well, uh, I work on the strip, so I’m kind of busy a lot.”
OMG, Bess, why did you say that?
I should say YES I WOULD LOVE TO. But I can’t. It’s a trick, it has to be. Years of being ignored by attractive guys doesn’t just go away overnight. I mean, yeah, my new clothes are cute, but still. It doesn’t make sense.
Josh nods. “Yeah, cool. It was just an idea. I mean, you seem cool, so. Ya know. Whenever you’re bored, come on by. I’m always at the Flying Mermaid.”
I nod slowly. He doesn’t really seem like he’s pulling a prank on me. He kind of seems . . . sincere. But that can’t be. There’s no way.
I try to look like I don’t care. “Yeah, maybe.”
There’s a few seconds of silence where we’re both staring at each other in this way that’s polite and awkward. At first, he was glorious eye candy that I enjoyed looking at, but now it’s just weird. I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to burst out laughing and for some hidden cameraman to step out and say I’m on a reality show where hot guys pretend to be friends with girls like me.
When none of that happens, I look down at my car keys. “I gotta go.”
“Okay,” Josh says, rocking back on his heels. “Sorry again for the football. I’ll see you around?”
“Sure,” I say, but it’s not exactly true. I’d bet my entire paycheck that the next time I run into Josh Graham, he’ll pretend I don’t exist.
