“My hair is ruined,” the girl gripes under her breath, but when her head turns, I realize it’s Tabby.
“Good. Best of luck. If he cheats on me, he’ll cheat on you too.” I spin toward the door and lose my balance. Jake steadies me and takes me outside.
“Can I call someone for you, or can I take you home?”
I’m such a fool. Why did I forgive him? My body aches from the liquor. Unlocking my phone, I give it to him. “I don’t know. Maybe my brother.”
“You want me to call your brother? Like the quarterback for the Austin Armadillos?” he asks, his voice scratchy.
“I have four brothers,” I mutter as the lights dim and my eyes close.
I have no idea how I got home or who took care of me, but I have a raging headache, and my stomach is growling. When I finally turn over to look at the clock, there are pain meds, water, and a note.
You need to eat.
Bagels in the kitchen with your
favorite cinnamon cream cheese.
There’s no name on the note, so I’m assuming it’s one of my roommates. Maybe they were at the party. I don’t remember seeing them, but in all honesty, I don’t remember much. Except my boyfriend’s penis in a mouth that wasn’t mine.
FIVE
MATT
One kiss and I can’t push Noelle from my mind.
The memory of her lips haunts me. What else haunts me is seeing her in this condition at the party. Noelle’s friend used her phone to call Greyson, and Greyson called me, desperate for someone to pick her up immediately. Greyson and J.D. had taken their family to visit their grandmother. He tried Parker first, but he was M.I.A., and he didn’t want to involve their dad.
I put the address into the GPS, drive over, and pick her up. Change her out of her reeking clothes. I try and fail atnotletting my eyes linger on her body. She’s fit and athletic, and when the back of my hands brush against her silky-smooth skin, it’s impossible to ignore. It’s been a week, and I’m betting that she doesn’t remember that I’m the one who picked her up. Unless her brother filled her in. I’ve been avoiding the subject with Greyson by stating, “It’s none of my business.”
Today is her graduation. Her family is throwing a partyat Sloane’s, the fanciest spot in their little suburb outside of Austin.
I tuck her present into my pants pocket, throw on my gray suit jacket and my black felt cowboy hat, hoping to shield my eyes from Noelle and her family. I don’t want them catching on to my feelings, so a little shadow over my eyes should do the trick.
The restaurant has plants adorning the entrance, cascading from the ceiling like a waterfall. “Good afternoon. The graduate appreciates you being here. Your name?”
“Um, Matt Stricker.” Damn, this is more formal than I expected.
“Sir, you’ll be sitting at table four.”
“Thank you.”
I step into an oasis of twinkling lights strung in every direction and throughout each tree. The chandeliers aren’t the typical ones you would find in old mansions; instead, they’re made of light-colored wood with curvy, bubble-like faceted crystals hanging from several branches.
J.D. and Greyson wave me over to the bar, which glows with golden lights and amber liquid arranged on the shelves. Some bottles are sitting on books, some angled like photos.
“Glad you could make it,” J.D. says as he shakes my hand. He’s the head coach of the Austin Armadillos, making him my boss and a friend.
Pressing my lips together, I smile. “Wouldn’t miss your sister’s graduation. How’s she doing?”
Greyson’s brows furrow. “What do you mean?”
“About Brooks. She came by when I was house-sitting. She seemed down. Said Brooks was…”
I don’t have a chance to finish my sentence when Sutton,Greyson’s wife, flings her arms around me. Sutton is also my boss since she’s the general manager of the team, but she’s become more like a sister to me. We hit it off from her first day on the job, and she’s responsible for Greyson and me becoming best friends.
“Matt! You’re looking handsome.”
