“My mom would beat me into next week if I saw someone struggling and didn’t offer to help. I’m not a total asshole.” He leans against the doorway and looks straight into my eyes. “The fact that you saw it is just a bonus. Maybe you’ll go on a date with me now.”
“Bentley,” I sigh and lift my hand to my temple. “I already told you, I don’t date.” How many ways do I have to spell it out for him? Dating leads to heartbreak. I don’t care what Hazel says.
“You know, you can’t let whatever asshole hurt you win. By shutting yourself off, that’s all you’re doing. Believe me, I have experience with it.” A flash of sadness crosses his eyes, and I want to know who hurt him so badly.
Damn it, Serena. No, you don’t. His life is none of your concern, even if he has a point. “Look, I have to get this plane cleaned up before the next flight.”
“Point taken,” he mutters under his breath. “Do you have a pen and piece of paper?”
I’m not sure where he’s going with this, but I pull both out of my pocket and hand them to him. If he doesn’t leave soon, the next flight will be delayed, and we’ll get bitched at. He scribbles something down and hands both back to me. “What’s this?”
“My number,” he deadpans. I’m sure he had some other smartass remark to add to it, but decided not to say it. “I’ll be here for the next two days. If you change your mind about the date while I’m here, or any other time, you know how to reach me. The ball is in your court now.”
He doesn’t say anything else. He grabs the woman’s suitcase, and his, and walks down the hall without a care in the world.
A part of me wants to crumple the paper up and toss it in the trash. I almost do, but Hazel shows up out of nowhere and stops me. “You’re going to want to keep that.”
“Why?” Apparently, my best friend hasn’t gotten the no dating memo either. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be hounding me so hard about this.
“Because you need to date. You need to get over being cast aside. Do it on your terms.” She stares me down, waiting for an argument, but I’ll let her say her piece. “You hold all the cards and can take a date with him as far as you want. Something out of the ordinary will be good for you, even if you can’t see that now.”
“When did you turn into such a wise woman about relationships?”
She laughs as she picks up trash from the seats. “Nobody said anything about a relationship. I’m the queen of casual dating. You just have to figure out what exactly you’re looking for?”
That’s the problem. I have no idea what I want out of life. I only know that constantly being on the move is no longer it.
Seven
Bentley
Another win for the Austin Rattlers. I actually had a decent amount of playing time during the game. Much better than the last out-of-town game where I was in a whole two minutes before Coach pulled me. The only thing that could brighten my day is a text from Serena. Not that I would know it was her since she didn’t offer her number.
Jordan walks out of the stadium with me. We go through the back entrance to keep away from cameras. Even though we won, he’s not a big fan of the spotlight and will always find ways to dip out of interviews if he can help it. “When are you and the Mrs. heading back home?”
“Tomorrow night. She wants to do some sightseeing before we leave.” He shakes his head and smiles. “I don’t know what’s left for her to see. This isn’t the first time she’s been here.” He looks over his shoulder at me, “What time are you leaving?”
“Not until Sunday afternoon.”
“You’re not still chasing that girl, are you?” The car he ordered for us is sitting at the curb, and we climb in. “How many times does she have to tell you she’s not interested?”
“Until I actually believe it.” I pull my phone out of my pocket, hoping to see a message from her. “You should have seen the way she kept watching me on the flight today. Tell me that doesn’t mean something.”
“She could be freaked out. Did you tell her how you got her flight schedule?”
“Of course not. I’m not an idiot.” Seriously, this isn’t my first time trying to get a girl’s attention. Well, not since college, but that was doomed before it even started. “If Hazel wants to tell her, she will.”
“Well, if you don’t hear from your flight attendant, you’re free to join me and Vanessa tomorrow.”
“I don’t want to be the third wheel.” These two are so in love it’s sickening. I’ve never felt that way about anyone. The only people who hold my heart are my mom and sister, and I intend to keep it that way.
“You won’t be. If anything, you’ll be someone I can talk to while she goes into the fifteen million small shops that catch her eye.” He grins at me, “Then you can also help me carry her crap everywhere.”
“So, what you’re saying is, you need me to be a pack mule.”
“You won’t be the only one. She’ll have my arms full, too.”
We arrive at the hotel and step out of the car. Even if I’m carrying his wife’s stuff, it’ll be better than sitting at the hotel waiting for a phone call, or text, that’s probably never going to come. “Sure, I’ll join you.”
