“Party, party, party!” Francia and Alejandro chant.
Theo’s eyes and mine widen, and our jaws slacken before we break out in laughter. Theo’s laughter trails off, and she shakes her head. “The kids are on their tablets and social media way too much.”
I agree.
The kids scoot back their chairs and hop off. I follow them to the door. “See you later.”
“Bye, Ever.”
After my usual closing routine is done and I’ve checked off the boxes on Ben’s list that hang on a clipboard in the back office, I grab my backpack, lock up, and walk to my car.
Alejandro’s question loops in my mind like a song I can’t get out of my head. Ever, have you been kissed?
I’ve only been kissed by two men. Carlos’s was an innocent one until it wasn’t. Bobby’s kiss was born from a fantasy, until it wasn’t. Now the fantasy is a slap in the face, and I have to face the reality of what he is, a playboy, the enemy. He warned me, didn’t he, when he said relationships aren’t in the cards for him?
Was Bobby laughing to himself during the times we were together, knowing he got the best of me with his deception? That jerk!
I stomp to my car. My backpack smacks me in the back.
During a class we have together, Skylar mentioned that a big, muscular, tattooed guy visited the registrar’s office, asking questions about me. When I asked for more details, her description matched Mr. Snarly Face. Of course, Skylar spilled the beans. He’s eye candy, sex on two legs, and she’s a sucker for the bad-boy type.
I get in my car, throw the backpack on the passenger seat, and slam the door shut. How dare Bobby send someone to check in on me? He has a lot of nerve, that’s for sure.
I make the thirty-minute drive back to my rental, fuming. Why not forget me already? He knows better than to piss off my brother and the crew after I went on and on about my brother, his rules, and my “shadow.”
The stoplight turns red. While I sit and wait for the light to turn green, I talk myself down from my anger. Gage is intuitive for a guy, and with how pissed off I am, he’ll know something is wrong the instant I walk inside the house.
Damn it, if I ever run into Bobby again, I will . . . I white-knuckle the steering wheel and blow out a breath. I’m not sure what I’ll do if I run into Bobby. I haven’t thought that far. Gage is as far as I’m thinking. Intuitive. He’s damn intuitive. I relax my grip and take easy, calming breaths.
The last year of school is intense, and I’m already feeling behind with the amount of homework the professors are dishing out and the number of parties the girls and I are being invited to. Or more like Riley, Arie, and Syn are getting invited to.
Arie’s best friend, Cooper, is the kicker for the football team. No explanation needed for why everyone wants him at their parties. Athletes are treated like gods at DU. Having Riley’s on-off boyfriend, Midnight, and Syn’s best friend, Dare, show up at a party is equivalent to having A-list celebrities in attendance.
The girls invited me to crash Galley’s insane “Welcome to the Jungle” themed party with them, but I made the excuse that I’ll be too tired after working all day. The truth is that Gage insisted we talk, but did he have to text me in caps? Jesus.
The light turns green, and I drive through the intersection. Two blocks in, I take a right onto the street that dead-ends. I drive past the last house to my right and back my car in next to Gage’s pickup truck in the driveway.
After grabbing my backpack and locking my car, I unlock the front door and open it, but Gage beats me to it. The door opens, my backpack is grabbed from my hand, and I’m waved inside by my moody bodyguard.
“Why all caps?” I walk inside and plop down on the couch with my arms crossed as he closes the front door and locks it.
Gage strides over and sits across from me, taking up considerable space on his grandmother’s old coffee table that we moved from her place. She wanted to throw the old thing away, but Gage kept it for sentimental reasons.
There are old tooth marks on the edges and chewed-off pieces on the corners from her dogs, both of whom have passed away. Gage grew up with them. It must’ve been difficult to lose both dogs and have his fiancée call off their wedding in the same month.
He drops my backpack at my feet. “You know the reason for all caps. It’s an emergency.”
“Then call the bakery. My phone is in my backpack, on silent, when I’m working.”
“What have we told you about keeping your phone on?” He leans forward with his oversized palms on his thighs, bringing us almost nose to nose.
I cross my eyes. He cocks a brow. I waggle mine. The corners of his mouth twitch, but he doesn’t look away. I go in for the kill with my arms outstretched, aiming for his ribs. He lurches back and avoids a tickling. I fall back onto the couch and puff out a breath. Damn, he’s getting good.
I stare at my backpack and recite Ty’s rule. “My cell stays on regardless of where I am, and I answer no matter who I’m with.”
He picks up my backpack off the floor and rummages through it. Having nothing to hide, I let him.
“Well?” I ask after he pulls textbooks, notepads, and loose papers out and sets them on the table. “Anything incriminating that you can report back to Ty?”
