AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ishake my head, a smile on my face as I watch Phoebe and Casey walk away through the big front window of the convenience store.
The darkness outside and the blazing lights inside make for a strong glare on the pane, but Phoebe’s fiery red hair makes her easy to track until she and her friend disappear at the corner of the block.
She’s ascharmingas ever. Comforting to know that some things never change, I guess.
Then again, her being here is a big change. A giant change, actually.
I know how big a deal it was for her to get accepted to that skating team in Maine. What in the world could have brought her back here? I don’t think Ridley’s skating team is really that good, and it doesn’t make sense for someone with her talent to be on any team that isn’t among the best.
I can’t stop wondering what happened to bring her here. Maybe if I spent last summer in my hometown like I normally do, I would’ve found out from the local rumor mill.
Instead, I spent the summer before my senior year traveling. I spent more than I can afford and ran up some credit card bills; but, since I’ll be cashing NHL checks next year, I figure I can afford to splurge ahead of time.
I had a great time, but, man, I’m almost starting to regret it, because not knowing what the hell happened with Phoebe to bring her back here is eating me up.
I don’t know why I should care. I guess it’s just normal curiosity in someone you grew up with. Even though we never got along.
And still don’t, obviously.
I try to forget about Phoebe Sinclair for now and get what I came here for: a big cup of coffee. I’m up late this Wednesday night working on a paper. I’m a History major, and this semester I’m taking a high-level seminar that explores the many different ways major historical events have been interpreted across different times and places.
Most people think I’m just a jock who has no interest in school. And, for the most part, they’re not wrong.
But I’ve always had a passion for history, and I’m loving this seminar so far. It has more graduate students than undergraduates, and the material is presented at a really high level. I want to show the professor and the classmates, who were all kind of caught off guard to find a student athlete in their midst, that I belong.
I’m working on my first paper, analyzing the different political interpretations of the career of Julius Caesar. Depending on time and place, people have had wildly different opinions about the man himself, what his rise to power meant, and what kind of lessons we should draw from it.
I needed some coffee to keep myself focused, and when I found that we didn’t have any grounds left at the Ice Box, the big off-campus house where the top Hot Shots hockey players live, I ventured out to get some.
I’m sipping on my coffee while I’m walking back home, when suddenly something catches my attention in my peripheral vision.
A flash of bright of red.
It’s a color tone I couldn’t mistake for anything else. Phoebe.
I stop and turn towards the color, to find Phoebe and Casey standing in front of a narrow rowhouse.
They’re just … standing in front of their door, looking at it.
My eyes rake down Phoebe’s body to her long, perfectly shaped legs in her tight jeans. I can feel my mouth watering.
Then, I feel something a whole lot stronger when she bends over, giving me a heart-stopping view of her perfectly round ass.
My heart slams against my chest, and I’m enjoying the view so much that I don’t even think to ask myself what the hell she’s doing bending over to stare at a doorknob.
Until I catch Casey’s voice from the distance, which explains their situation. “We’re locked out, Phoebe. I don’t think staring down the keyhole is going to help us.”
“Ugh,” I can hear Phoebe groan. “I can’t believe I forgot to pick up my keys on the way out.”
Oh, shit. They locked themselves out of their house?
You know, after the rudeness Phoebe subjected me to back at the convenience store, most guys wouldn’t be magnanimous enough to offer their help in her time of need.
Lucky for these two, Hunter Landry isn’t most guys.
“Don’t worry ladies,” I proudly declare, strolling up their walkway towards where they stand. “I’m here to rescue you.”
Phoebe turns to me and balks. “Oh, no. He’s stalking me now.”
