Page 37 of Bad Kind of Love

CHAPTER NINE

Wes

“Where are you going?” My dad’s voice halts me from walking out the front door. I haven’t spoken to him since he tore out of the parking lot last night after my game. With my hand clenched around the door knob, the swelling on my hand flares, reminding me of last night's mistake.

“Work.” I slip and tell him the truth.

“Work?” He says in disbelief. “When did you get a job?”

Sighing, I twist my head in his direction, landing on the nasty bruise forming across his nose. “Does it really matter?”

He knows our routine down to the tee, he asks a question and I reply with bullshit answers. It’s how we worked and lived for the past six years. You’d think by now he’d try harder to talk to his son or get to know him, but every time was a disappointment. The further I pushed him away, the less he tried to prevent it.

“Well, have a good day.” He grunts before walking back into the kitchen.

Slipping out the front door, I climb up into the pickup and make my way to Becca’s house. I knew she wasn’t thrilled to be working with me. Anyone with two eyes could see that. But last night, there was this undeniable connection between us. I opened up and to my surprise, she did too. There was a moment when we were talking where I caught a rare smile appearing across her face. She may have thought she was hiding behind her curtain of hair, but I saw it. It gave me a small ounce of hope that she was finally letting her guard down with me.

As I turn into Becca’s driveway, I notice she’s already waiting for me. Dressed in her red plaid skirt and polo, she looks the furthest thing from elated. Her scowl deepens as she makes her way to the passenger side door.

“You look peachy this morning.” I tease as she pulls herself up into the truck. Her golden hair is tied back out of her face, but her seventies bangs were draped on the sides of her head like a curtain.

“Don’t mess with me this morning, Fitzgerald.” She warns as she drops her horrendous ice cream cone hat in her lap.

“We seriously have to wear those hats?” I chuckle incredulously.

Annoyed, she turns her head to face me. “Got a problem with wearing a hat, pretty boy?”

Pretty boy, huh?

I knew she thought I was good looking.

“Nah.” I smile which only irritates her more. “I’ll rock the fuck out of that hat.”

“Sure.” She rolls her eyes. “We’ll wait and see what you think of it when all your friends show up and see you wearing it.”

Backing out of the driveway, I throw her a confused look. “Friends? What friends?” I laugh.

“A QB with no friends? Highly unlikely.” She deadpans.

“Sorry to disappoint.” I joke. “But the only friend I have here is you, and we’re technically not even friends, not yet until ten.”

I must have caught her off guard because I can feel her heavy stare on the side of my face. Instead of denying our friendship, she chuckles softly.

“That’s… sad.”

She was making fun of me, and I felt my heart gallop in my chest. I glanced her way and caught her innocently biting down onto her bottom lip. It appeared harmless, but I felt the overwhelming need to replace her teeth with mine, to taste and devour her mouth.

Everything about Becca was hard to ignore. The way she moved, talked, and carried herself was enchanting, and she had no fucking clue the effect she had on men.

She might think she’s invisible, but I guarantee you she’s not.

Sitting up straighter, I try to focus on anything other than her full lips, or her long lean legs.

“You good?” She asks, staring at my stiff body.

Relaxing my shoulders a bit, I drop a hand from the steering wheel and lean back. “Yeah.” I nod nonchalantly, like I wasn’t just admiring her seconds ago.

After dropping her off at her car, I follow behind her until we reach Cool Times. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous as I stepped out of my truck. I knew it couldn’t be rocket science working at an ice cream shop, but still, the nerves were getting the best of me.

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