Page 10 of How We Fooled

“Looks good, doesn’t it?” I nod my head toward her plate.

She smiles big at me, not noticing her food yet. “Yeah, it really does.”

I feel my face flush, knowing she’s talking about me rather than the plate in front of her. I’ve never had a girl make me blush. This is definitely a first and one I’m hoping turns into a second and a third.

CHAPTER FOUR

Eli

“I’m stuffed,” she declares, sitting up in the booth.

“I could still eat another one,” I respond, taking another bite of my burger.

She giggles. “It’s crazy that you can eat so much.”

I pause mid-bite and sit up straight. Covering my mouth, I say, “Have you seen me? How do you think I got this big?”

This makes her laugh even more. “I guess you’re right.” She slides her plate toward me that still has half of the cheeseburger that she cut down the middle before she took a bite and a good amount of fries. “Dig in.”

My eyes open wide. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” She chuckles. “I’m full and not a fan of leftovers.”

I reach for the burger and move it to my plate. “We might make a perfect match after all.”

My words cause her lips to grow into a beautiful smile, which makes me smile, too, just seeing hers.

“So, what do you do in these small towns for fun?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I state right before taking another bite.

“Nothing? I know that’s not true. There has to be something.”

I wipe my face, then stick a fry in my mouth, thinking while I chew. “If I’m not at some kind of practice, I’m either chillin’ at home or at my friend Ben’s place. He has a huge barn we all hang out at.”

“You hang out in a barn? With, like, animals and hay?”

Now, it’s my turn to laugh. “No. No animals or hay in their barn. Leighton River is a little more on the higher-end side of things than other towns around here. The Spencer Ranch is the only place I know of that even raises animals in Leighton River.”

“Oh, yeah, my aunt told me about TimeLand being headquartered there.”

I stop mid-chew with my back stiffening at the mention of TimeLand. Everyone in town knows my dad is listed as one of the creators, so it’s common knowledge, but I kind of liked the idea of this girl having no clue who he was.

“What else did she tell you about Leighton River or TimeLand?”

She shrugs. “Nothing really. Just that it’s a small town, like Mason Creek, but on the ritzy side.”

“Did she know who I was?”

“No, but maybe she knows your parents. She asked me your last name, but I never got it to tell her.”

I’ve never been so happy to have a very common last name. “Jones,” I say with ease, knowing there are three other families with the same last name so it won’t automatically tie me to my dad or TimeLand.

“Eli Jones, huh?”

“As simple as they come,” I tease. “What’s your last name?”

“Hernandez,” she states.

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