“A boy,” I said, and Paisley squealed a little bit before plopping down next to me on the couch, eyes going wide with the exciting prospect of out-of-office gossip.
“Is it a boy we know?” she asked, and I shook my head with a laugh.
“Probably not.”
“Maybe we should,” my uncle said, and Paisley shushed him, waving her hand in his face playfully. I loved Paisley. Not only was she one of my good friends and Hansen’s girlfriend, but she was a wonderful firefighter and paramedic. She really took care of her team and took even better care of my uncle.
“Tell me about him,” Paisley said, those bright eyes lighting up like a child’s on Christmas. “Is he cute? How old is he? Do you know his major?”
“Yes, he’s cute,” I gushed, and by now, Hansen had decided he’d had enough, so he got to his feet and went to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. He was trying to act uninterested, but I knew he was eavesdropping while he pretended to do something else.
“What does he look like?” Paisley asked.
“He’s a jock,” I told her, and Paisley made a low, sexy noise in the back of her throat that made my uncle slam a cupboard door behind us. “Baseball.”
“What’s his position?”
“Pitcher, I think.”
“Dang, girl.”
“Yeah, too bad I don’t know anything about baseball.”
Paisley laughed, eyes twinkling. “You don’t have to know very much. Watching the guys is most of the fun.”
“Wow, okay,” Hansen said, coming out of the kitchen to hand a mug of coffee to Paisley and me. “My ears are burning.”
“Don’t be a prude,” Paisley scolded. “Macey is an adult, and she has made a nice new adult friend.”
“Nah,” said Hansen. “There’s no kid at that college who is good enough for my niece.”
“Ignore him,” Paisley said, waving a hand at Hansen. “So, has he asked you on a date yet?”
“He asked me when we first met, but I said no.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t think I was ready to date anyone. I’ve been so swamped with work and the station and classes. But he’s charming, that’s for sure. A friend. A charming friend. That’s what he is and will probably always be.”
Grinning, Paisley took a sip of her coffee, and I did the same. “Are you going to go watch a game?”
“He asked me to go tomorrow,” I told her with a small shrug. “But I’m not sure if I will.”
“Do it,” said Paisley. She put her mug down on the coffee table and looked sternly at me. “College is the place to live it up, Mace. Go to the games, cheer on the players, take a friend or two and some drinks, and have a good time. I regret getting engaged to Jeremy early and not living it up when I could. I went straight into work and never got to really experience college. So, go for it.”
“Don’t tempt me.”
“Yeah,” Hansen said, pretending to scowl at Paisley. “Don’t tempt her.”
Ignoring him with a wave of her hand, Paisley zoned in on me. “Go to the game,” she said again. “Live a little, M. You deserve the break.”
~~
FEELING A BIT BETTERafter talking to Paisley about Jayce, I went home to catch up on school work. Kylie was nowhere to be seen, but I didn’t mind. I liked the quiet of the house when it was just me, even though it was difficult to deny feeling like Jayce’s company would have been perfect.
After my shower, I pulled on my pajamas, consisting of short shorts and a ragged t-shirt, closed my bedroom door and locked it, then reached for my phone, not wanting to call but knowing I should anyway.
“Hey, Mom.”
