Page 21 of Totally Geeked

Recognition floods his face.

“Oh, right, I wanted to ask about the reading in Jacksonville, it’s at like 9 a.m., right?”

“Yeah, I think so, why?”

“Harrison called and wanted to know if you wanted to head down the day before so you didn’t have to get up so early.”

“Harrison called to ask you if I wanted to do that?” I question, reaching for my glasses and my phone to see if I’ve had any missed calls or texts.

“Technically, he called to ask if I was okay with him asking you if that was what you wanted to do.”

“Now I know you’re kidding, because why would Harrison need to ask you?”

“I guess because he wanted me to know that he was asking only to make it easier on you and had nothing to do with you both spending a night at a hotel.”

I climb from the bed, my heart rate picking back up at the idea of being at a hotel with Harrison.

“Are you seriously that worried he’ll try to sleep with me? The guy that looks like some Greek god? He’s a fucking big buff sexy baseball guy, and I’m… well.” I look down at my still slightly damp chest. My pale skin doesn’t help to add any definition to my less-than-muscular frame. I have almost no chest hair, but the snail trail down from my belly button to below the towel is as red as the hair on my head, and every surface is lightly scattered with freckles.

“You’re everything any guy would be lucky to have. I just don’t think Harrison is the right guy for you.”

“Well, lucky for you then that he’s made it very clear this is a mutual friendship. Nothing remotely sexual going on here.”

“Good, so I can tell him yes to Jacksonville?” he asks, and only now do I see that he has the downstairs phone against his chest.

“Please tell me he’s not on the phone with you right now?”

“Ummm, sure, he’s not on the phone,” Gordon says, slowly backing out of the room.

“You know holding the phone against your chest doesn’t do anything to block the sound. The speaker is at the bottom, and your voice reverberates through your fucking chest, right?”

“Uh-huh, but he’s not on the phone, so it doesn’t matter. I’m just going to go down and call him back, because he’s definitely, totally, not still on the phone right now.”

Gordon runs the rest of the way out of the room, and I grab the pillow from the floor and scream into it.

Harrison just heard me call him a god. I called him a big buff sexy baseball guy. I’m going to kill my brother.

Chapter nine

Harrison

It’s a two-hour driveto Jacksonville, and sure we could have come down the morning of the reading, but with how nervous he gets, I figured getting a good night’s sleep would go a long way. I didn’t expect Gordon to rush upstairs and go ask him then and there. I just wanted him to know the reason I was suggesting it. Besides, Arlo is the one that has to agree, not his brother. I get that he can be a little clumsy, but Gordon has to stop treating him like a child that has to be managed. I’m sure he can look after himself. I mean, at least could, when he wasn’t in a cast.

Overhearing him calling me sexy, well that just made the call totally worth the lecture Gordon gave me about keeping my hands to myself.

I text Arlo.

HARRISON: I booked us a hotel online, and I’ll be at your place to pick you up Thursday at four.

ARLO: Thanks. Did you want to stop for dinner on the way or just grab a bite when we get there? I guess we could get room service.

HARRISON: Whatever you like is cool with me. Have you started on your next book yet? Any new sketches to share with me?????

The three dots appear and then disappear, and I stare at the phone longer than I probably should waiting for his reply. Just when I think it’s not coming, the dots are back, and then his text comes through.

ARLO: I’ve started on a few, but nothing I can share yet. See you Thursday.

HARRISON:***Thumbs Up Emoji***

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