“At state. Watching you. I should have been there.”
He made a face. “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want you to feel bad. I want you to stop making a big deal about the truck.”
Smiling, I shook my head. “What did you place?”
“Didn’t place, but thanks for bringingthatup.”
I chuckled, and we rode in silence for a long moment.
“You know who did show up, though?” He spoke in a low tone as he looked at me. His eyes were a touch shinier than usual, and he glanced away quickly.
“Who?”
He lifted his right hand and, without looking behind him, pointed his thumb back toward my dad.
He didn’t say any more, and I strongly suspected it was because he couldn’t. And then, suddenly, I couldn’t. When my dad stopped again, we both popped off the truck with the speed of a jackrabbit, neither of us looking at each other.
* * *
I pulledinto Tessa’s driveway and parked at the same time my phone buzzed in my pocket.
Jake: Have fun tonight. Hold her hand. Treat her right. She’s a good one.
Something warred insideof me as I stared at my phone. No matter what way I looked at it, how many times I tried to talk Jake out of it, he was determined to put his truck on the line. Determined to see this bet through. The whole thing was crazy. I didn’t want to get in the middle of Jake’s daddy issues. I was not going to fall in love with Tessa Robbins. I wasn’t interested in any sort of long game. There had been a time in my life where that had been different, but now? I was happy how things were. I had good friends. A house in Boise. I liked my schedule. Dating was enjoyable with no pressure and everything being new and exciting. Some of us weren’t meant to live a life of kids and family and little league.
Hearing about my dad with Jake that afternoon had only reinforced my thoughts. My dad was special. One of the good ones. He had seamlessly embraced Jake into our family…working the ranch, Saturday morning breakfasts, basketball competitions, and cattle drives…because he spotted a void in Jake, a deep wound in his otherwise bright life. I couldn’t imagine ever influencing another person in that way. I didn’t have his goodness or his wisdom. And I had no desire to hold that much power. I came from a great family. I was lucky, I knew that. I had a whole crew of men who came from all walks of life, each with battle wounds from the people they loved. Scars. It was terrifying, really. There were so many ways to wreck a life. Lying. Cheating. Belittling. Misleading. Secrets. Innocent people completely at your imperfect mercy.
Your whole life…obliterated.
Just then, Tessa came out of the greenhouse, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, cutoff shorts hitting her mid-thigh. I forced my gaze upward to her red t-shirt and the soft smile on her face as she spotted me.
My phone buzzed again, reminding me of Jake’s unopened message.
I didn’t want Tessa to be caught in anything where I could hurt her. Because I did care about her. Her teenage crush on me was the one thing keeping me up at night. The fact that she had liked me for so long only added to my list of worries that she’d get hurt. Jake thought me teasing Tessa was a sign I had some sort of secret crush. Really, she was just fun to tease. It had become a game between us over the years, a safe way to acknowledge the awkward moments between us without delving too deep. The attractive flush on her cheeks of late had simply been a bonus.
But she had her own history now, with ‘guys like me,’ as she had put it. She seemed as equally resolved to keep me at arm’s length as I did her. Maybe that was the key. I’d follow the same motto I’d used for dating the past few years. Keep them laughing. Keep them blushing. Then get the heck out. I couldn’t change Jake’s mind. Tessa knew my stance, and she was still on board.
Me: I know she’s a good one. And your plan is crazy.
Jake: Don’t go for that kiss too soon. Make her work for it.
Me: Shut up
I opened my door, the squeak reminding me I had not been gifted a new $80,000 truck from my dad, and stepped out to help Tessa put away the last few boxes. And then, when the time was right, we would be having our first check-in where I would ask her very nicely to go burn those shorts.
“Hey, Jailbait,” I called when I entered the greenhouse with a box half full of fresh strawberries.
“I need a name for you if you insist on calling me Jailbait.”
“Hot stuff, big muscles, good looking…that’s what I usually go by.”
“Yes, but I’m not your mom.”
“You’re hilarious. You about ready?”
“I guess.” She looked down at her outfit. “Do you know what we’re doing?” My eyes followed hers and landed on her legs again before yanking them back up.
“Jake sent coordinates, and it looks like we’re hiking.”
