“I’m pretty willing to get ice cream and have a warm ride home, but the jury’s still out on the company I’ll be keeping.”
“Oh, Taevin,” I say as I sling my arm around her shoulder. “I think you and I are going to get along great.” As she taps on a contact and holds up her phone, I ask, “What’s your friend’s name?”
“Ryan.”
My stomach sinks. Shit, did I read this all wrong? Does she have a boyfriend?
Before I can overthink this any further, her friend accepts the call, and on the screen appears a girl with short, blonde hairthat’s so light it almost looks white. Alright, so not her boyfriend. Her head is angled down, looking away from the screen, so I can’t make out her facial features.
“Hey, Ryan!” Tae greets her overly enthusiastically.
Without looking up, the girl sighs. “Is it your dad? Do you need me to come do damage control again—oh, hello,” Ryan says when she notices me now standing behind Taevin. “Who do we have here, bestie babe? And does he have a brother?”
Taevin’s eyes widen to a comical size. “Oh my goodness, Ry! Stop it. This is Jackson Wilson. I just wanted you to see his face in case he turns out to be a serial killer instead of a high school hockey player taking me out for celebratory ice cream at The Sprinkled Cone.”
I choke back a scoff. “If I were a serial killer, I wouldn’t have suggested you call your friend or send a picture of me to her. And to answer your question, yes, I do have a brother.”
“Semantics. You probably want to seem reasonable instead of the crazed psychopath you are,” Taevin notes.
Her friend Ryan, whom I forgot was still on the phone, clears her throat. “You seem willing to go to your favorite ice cream place with him, but just in case your paranoia is correct, either call me or send me a proof of life picture later. Love ya!”
Shaking her head, Tae chuckles at her friend. “Alright, I will. Love ya too! Bye, Ry.”
“Nice meeting you, Jackson Wilson, hockey player and hopefully not serial killer. Have Tae send me a picture of that brother of yours,” she says before hanging up.
Tae slips her phone into her purse and turns to face me. “So, that wasn’t weird at all.”
“I agree, it wasn’t. I liked meeting your friend. Hopefully, when you call her later for proof of life, the conversation is filled with how hard you’re crushing on me.” I toss her a wink beforeslinging my hockey bag back over my shoulder and making my way toward the rink exit.
“As if. I’m just in this for the free ice cream. What sane person would turn down free ice cream from a cute boy?” Her eyes widen and her blush spreads to her neck when she realizes what she’s just said.
I can’t stop myself from smiling like the Cheshire Cat. “And what sane person would turn down the opportunity to offer a cute girl he’s shamelessly crushing on a ride home?”
Taevin bites her lip, hesitating for a moment, before she follows me out of the rink as we head toward my truck.
“Is this yours?” she asks.
“She is.”
“She?”
“My sweet Frannie girl here is a 1975 Ford F-150 Supercab.”
“You would have a red vehicle,” she teases.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, rounding the truck and opening the passenger door for her.
Instead of hopping in, she turns to face me, which puts us in closer proximity. There’s something about this girl being in my orbit that twists me up inside, but in a good way. A way I’d like to get more accustomed to. Rolling her eyes, Taevin says, “It means I’m not surprised you’d have a flashy colored vehicle.”
She’s so fucking cute, I can’t help but chuckle. “Ah, see, that’s where you’re wrong. My older brother Bennett and I have been working on restoring her for the past three years, and because of the sweat equity he put into her, I let him choose the paint color this past summer. He went with Candy Apple Red, of course.”
“Of course,” she echoes my sentiment. “So, does this thing even have seatbelts?” Tae questions as she hops into the cab of my truck.
“I wouldn’t have allowed such precious cargo if it didn’t,” I tell her, leaning in and pulling said seatbelt across her lap before latching it and ensuring it’s secured.
My cheesy as hell line has her rolling her eyes. “I’ll bet you use that line on all the girls you give rides to.”
I pinch my face in disgust. “That’d be weird considering the only other girl I’ve allowed inside Frannie has been my little sister, Walker.”
