Page 51 of Crew Girl

“No.” Not his finest moment. “She said, ‘I think you’re more interested in Josh than me.’” He left out the rest. Too embarrassing.

“I’m going out on a limb here… but… I’m calling it. You did it wrong.”

“Tell me something I don’t know.” He held the lobby door open for her, relieved there wasn’t anyone around to overhear them.

They headed toward check-in. There were a few people in front of him, parents of rowers probably.

“Walk me through the crime scene,” Madison said.

He might as well. She was a girl. Maybe she’d enlighten him as to what he’d done wrong. “I went over to her after practice, and was about to ask her out, when Josh interrupted. He was being his usual Josh self…”

She shook her head. “Stop. There’s already too much Josh in this story. What happened next?”

He grimaced. “I don’t know. There was a vibe. So when he left, I asked her if something was going on between them.”

“You didn’t.”

“I did.”

“And maybe you shouldn’t have? Girls are allowed to talk to boys. Especially when they’re coxing their rowing team.”

She had a point. “I probably shouldn’t have asked that, should I?”

“You think? You need to apologize. The sooner the better.”

“About the Josh thing?” Or everything? He was feeling confused. Asking someone out should not be this complicated.

Madison grabbed her hair and pretended to pull it out. “Do not mention Josh!”

He was beginning to see why Teagan had stormed out on him.

Madison had done him a solid. While he’d checked in, she’d gone up to the room she was sharing with her dad and snuck a peek at Coach Hayden’s list with everybody’s room number. He stood outside Teagan’s door for about three solid minutes repeating, “Do not mention Josh, do not mention Josh,” which would probably make him do exactly that, but Madison was right. Moping wasn’t the energy he wanted to bring to the race tomorrow. He needed to ask Teagan out—for real this time. If she said no? He’d move on. If she said yes…?

Knock on the freaking door, Cam.

He knocked on the door.

Waited.

Waited some more.

Checked his watch.

Waited a little bit more.

She obviously wasn’t in.

He went to his room and turned on the TV to take his mind off things… just in time to see a commercial for Regis Airlines.

TEAGAN

Britney almost seemed relieved not to have to pretend anymore. “Cards on the table? I want you gone.”

“Cards on the table?” Teagan wasn’t going to blink. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Sure about that?” Britney asked, her voice as tart as a Sour Patch Kid. “I was looking at your socials. You were the Southwest Junior Champ in single sculls. You must miss rowing.”

“Yeah, I do.” Didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure that out. “So?”