AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I needed to direct my focus back to my essay. I stared at the paper for so long I had to take my glasses off to rub my eyes. I could feel the humidity frizzing my long curls. That was a bummer, as I had tried to do something with my hair today. I’d used curl cream last night and then done the whole pineappling routine on my hair before I’d gone to bed. I’d woken up to some amazing curls this morning that had needed only a light spritz of hair spray. However, the Georgia weather was too much for it.
I was about to give up and go inside when someone plopped down next to me on the grass. I didn’t need my glasses to tell me who—his spicy ginger scent hit me full force. It mixed in well among the smell of magnolia and gardenias. I put my glasses back on, so I could see him clearly. I didn’t want to miss out on anything.
He took off his suit coat and undid his tie before saying, “I’ve been looking for you.”
“You have?”
“Once again, you sound surprised.”
“I would keep counting on that.”
He chuckled. “Duly noted. So, what are you doing out here in this blazing heat?”
“My medical school application personal statement.” I flashed him the nonexistent essay. “As you can see, I’ve gotten really far.”
He grabbed the notepad and read the prompt out loud. “Use the space provided to explain why you want to go to medical school? This is a masterpiece,” he teased.
I took back the notepad. “I know,” I groaned.
“What’s your hang-up?”
I curled my legs under me and debated about what to say. I wondered how much Kane spoke to my father. Or what he might divulge to him.
Kane tucked some of my errant curls behind my ear. “Is this one of the secrets you’re hiding behind those beautiful eyes of yours?”
I could have sworn he was flirting with me, but then I remembered he wanted to be friends. To prove that point, when he’d dropped me off after having dinner a couple of days ago, he’d patted my hand in a friendly fashion before I got out of his car. Not that I thought he was going to kiss me good night or anything. Still, it was an awkward goodbye to be sure. Even he’d seemed uncomfortable with it, like he didn’t know what to do. He probably didn’t have any women friends. I couldn’t imagine any woman wanting to stay only friends with him. He was in luck this time—I’d never had a boyfriend, so I was an expert at being friends only, even if I knew I would long for more.
“It’s not really a secret. It’s complicated.”
“Ah. Well, once again, you’re in luck. I’m even better with complicated than I am with numbers.”
I laughed. “I should have known.”
He nudged me. “So, lay it on me.”
I laid the notepad next to me. “Maybe later.”
His brow creased, but he didn’t seem upset. In fact, the way his eyes lit up, he seemed to find it intriguing, as he would say.
“Okay. You want me to earn your trust. I can admire that. And I’m up for the challenge.”
“I’m not challenging you.”
“I beg to differ. How about this? I’ll give you some pointers, having myself written a grad school application essay that was worthy of a New York Times bestseller.”
“You don’t think much of yourself, do you?” I teased.
“On the contrary, I think highly of myself. I have the superego down.”
“I don’t think that’s exactly what Freud was talking about.”
His brow quirked. “You’ve studied Freud.”
“It feels like I’ve studied about everything preparing for the MCAT.”
“Let me guess, you scored a 528.”
I bit my lip. “Close. 522.”
He whistled low. “No wonder your father is so proud of you. That’s impressive, Scarlett.”
I picked some of the grass around me. “Did my father tell you he was proud of me?”
“He didn’t say those exact words, but you can tell when he talks about you. He’s impressed.”
“Hmm.” I flicked the grass away.
“You know it matters much more how you see yourself than how he sees you, right?”
I rubbed the back of my damp neck. “That sounds good in theory.”
Kane grabbed my notepad and pen and handed them back to me. “If you want to write a killer essay, you need to believe in yourself. I want you to write down ten of your best qualities.”
“Now?” I was panicked at just the idea of trying to think of ten qualities, especially in front of him.
“Yes. Or maybe we can go inside first. It’s hot as hell out here.” There was a bead of sweat dripping down his beautiful face, getting lost in his stubble. His five-o’clock shadow came early.
“Okay.” Walking inside would give me some time to think about what he was asking of me.
