Page 44 of The Trouble with Players

Sam and I had spoken about guys with sisters being good guys, but we hadn’t discussed those raised by single moms. They tended to be equally good. “I already like her.”

“She’s sort of a badass like you. She takes no shit from anyone.”

I winced. “Not sure if I should be flattered or insulted that you’re comparing me to your mom.”

“Sorry,” he laughed. “I totally meant the badass thing.”

“Come on, MVP,” I urged as I turned to head back. “I’ve put in enough time at this event.”

Most people had already cleared out when we returned to the banquet hall. Gina and Cody were the only two people dancing on the dance floor. I stopped at our empty table to grab my clutch, and I caught Gina’s eyes and smiled. There was no way I’d make her leave with me, so I pointed to myself then hitched my thumb toward the door, letting her know I was leaving. She nodded.

I turned to see where Crew went, figuring I’d head home with him. He was at his table. He slipped on his suit jacket, picked up his award, and smiled. He should feel proud. That was the biggest honor of the night.

A girl I remember from the bonfire stepped up to him. He smiled as she pressed herself to his chest. She said something to him as she placed her hands against his chest. Her hands drifted up, and it was like watching a train wreck that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from. Her hands slipped behind his head. Then, as if in slow motion, she urged his mouth down to hers.

I quickly spun away. The scene from the first day on my balcony materialized in my mind’s eye. That’s who Crew was. He had one-night stands. He used girls who threw themselves at him. I’d almost started to believe he wasn’t that guy. But I’d witnessed it firsthand. I hurried toward the exit, hating that I’d forgotten who he truly was.

“Peyton!” Crew called across the room.

I stupidly glanced over my shoulder to find him maneuvering around tables to get to me with the girl following closely behind him. I shook my head. There was no way in hell I was gonna give him a chance to tell me he was leaving with her. “I’m gonna head out,” I said, beating him to it. “See ya later.”

“Wait!” he pleaded.

I took off for the door and didn’t look back. When I found Sam by the exit with some of his teammates, I felt immediate relief. “Take me home,” I said, linking my arm through his and pulling him outside with me.

“Normally, this would excite me,” Sam said, keeping pace with me as I sought his car in the nearly empty parking lot. “Sadly, I know I’m not getting any action tonight. Why is that again?”

“Because it would ruin the beautiful bromance we’ve got going,” I assured him as I pulled him toward his car.

“Why do I get the feeling that you’re trying to get away from someone?” he asked before opening the passenger door to let me in.

“Because I’m totally trying to get away from someone,” I said as I slipped into the seat.

He closed my door, rounded the front of the car, and got in.

“Can I guess?”

“Can you drive?”

In record time, Sam dropped me off. I wanted to get changed out of my dress, but I also didn’t want to face Crew whenever he returned. Instead of going inside, I took the path to the backyard. I slipped off my heels and beelined it for the pool house—a place I could be alone. I stepped inside and tossed my heels beside the door on the tile floor, locking the door behind me. The over-sized sofa in there would have to do for the night because there was one thing I was sure about. I would not risk Crew trying to slip into my bed after he’d been kissing some other girl. We may not have been hooking up, but I would not lower myself to being second place to some groupie—especially after I’d confided in him.

God, I was so stupid.

I left the light off in the pool house and shimmied out my dress. I tossed it in the closet where I kept some old T-shirts and beach coverups and threw one on. I laid down on the sofa, curling into a ball underneath a throw blanket. The skylights in the pool house were my favorite thing about it. In the daytime, they let in the light, but at night they captured the stars. I exhaled a long breath as I gazed up at the stars.

Maybe I would catch a flight to Alabama.

If I wanted my life to go back to normal, I needed to be away from the Cape. Away from my father. And, away from Crew.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sunlight filtered into the pool house as I woke from a dream I couldn’t quite recall. I knew it hadn’t been a nightmare because those usually left me feeling empty inside. I swung my legs off the sofa and sat on the edge, pressing my palms into my eyes and pushing away sleep. Considering the way the night ended, I’d slept well.

I got up and opened the door. The briny air, the crash of waves, and squawking seagulls greeted me.

“Good to see you’re not dead in some ditch.”

I stopped, my eyes shifting to the poolside where Crew sat on a lounge chair. He was still in his suit pants and white button-down shirt, and his tousled hair was a testament to the damp night air. “Why would I be dead in a ditch?”

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