Tommy swallowed hard. “That was my second kiss.”
For a moment Mike was floored.Secondkiss? Then Kevin was…. He stared at Tommy, his heartbeat racing as realization sank in.Oh my God.He’s a virgin. The thought had him hot and cold, all at the same time.
Tommy gaped at him, and it suddenly occurred to Mike that he hadn’t said a word in reaction. Like he knew what to say.When was the last time he’d been kissed by a twentysomething gorgeous six foot muscled virgin?
“Okay….”
Tommy paled. “I… I’ll see you, okay?”
He spun around and almost ran to his truck. Mike launched after him, but Tommy put the truck into gear and pulled out of the parking lot in an awful hurry. Mike stared after him, his head in a whirl.
Well, crap.
Chapter Ten
Tommy satat the kitchen table, eating toast and drinking coffee. Ben was still asleep, making the most of the last Friday of the winter break before school started again on Monday. His parents were up and active, his daddy getting ready for work. Bethany was sitting next to Tommy, eating a bowl of cereal, a textbook propped open in front of her.
“Not at the table,” Caroline admonished, arching her eyebrows when she spotted Bethany. She poured out another cup of coffee and handed it to her husband before sitting down next to him with her own.
Bethany sighed and closed the book, not without a sideways glance at her dad, who was reading his newspaper. Tommy nudged her knee with his. “You’re on a break, remember? Plenty of time to hit the books next week when you’re back at school.”
She gave him a half smile. “You looking forward to getting back to school?”
It was Tommy’s turn to sigh. “When I work out what I’m doin’, sure.”
Caroline paused, her coffee cup midway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”
Benson peered at Tommy over the edge of his newspaper.
“I just have some thinkin’ to do, is all,” Tommy said with a shrug. “’Cause I’m not sure I want to go on studyin’ agriculture.”
Caroline’s smile was sympathetic. “Well, I can certainly understand that. Have you given any thought as to what you’d like to study? What is it that you love to do? That might be a good place to start.”
“Can I butt in here?” Benson folded up his paper. “I would also add, what is gonna make you some money for a secure future? Because you have to be practical these days.”
“You sure about giving up on the farming idea?” Bethany asked him.
Tommy considered the question. “To be fair, I liked workin’ on the farm, but….” He smiled at them. “I liked workin’ with my animals more. Lookin’ after the pigs, takin’ care of my horse, Titan, stuff like that.”
Bethany beamed at him. “Then why not work with animals? Ben says you’re a smart one. You could become a veterinarian.”
Benson was nodding. “If your grades are good enough, then maybe you should consider it. And from what you’ve told us already, you’re on a Hope scholarship, so it’s not like you’re tied to a particular major. Sure, you might need some further funding, but there are other scholarships you can apply for.”
“I think this sounds wonderful.” Caroline rubbed her hands together. “You need to look into it, Tommy.”
“But sooner rather than later,” Benson added, picking up his paper once more.
Tommy nodded absently. Like he didn’t have enough on his mind already.
Such as a certain bartender.
“You going out tonight?” Ben asked. “Or do you wanna stay in and have a Friday night movie? I could rustle up some popcorn, and we could veg out on the couch.”
Tommy was in no mood to go out. Even though Mike had shown him lots of bars and clubs he might like to visit, Tommy wasn’t sure about going to any of them. And as for going to Woofs? He could still picture that stunned expression on Mike’s face.
Guess I messed that one up, huh?
“Think I’ll stay in tonight.”
