Page 47 of Unraveled

“I think you mean, nothing like a hot boyfriend view.” Emma bumped my arm with her elbow, and the grin I could hear in her voice drew a small one from me.

I gave a tiny shrug. “Maybe.”

Jet ran to the edge of the court to serve with the start of their next play and glanced up at me, those blue eyes harsh and stern for a moment before looking away. I sighed. Apparently, this whole nightmare thing was turning into a fight.

Scanning the water for a bit, I looked back over at Jet, my eyes drawn to him like a magnet even if he was pissed. Maybe especially since he was. He still didn’t wave when he saw me, but someone else on his team did.

I looked over my shoulder, confused, and my eyes widened when I saw Emma waving back. “Okay, spill,” I demanded.

“What?”

“Um, just that Ian looks like the Cheshire cat over there, and you’re blushing.”

Emma tried to hold back a smile and then beamed. “He asked me out last night.”

“But you just broke up with Mateo.”

“So? Mateo was a mistake. Ian and I went to Homecoming together last fall. I should have given him a chance back then.”

I put my hands up when she snapped. “Okay. Just saying.”But I still think it’s weird.

Like she could sense my unspoken comment, Emma sighed. “You just don’t get it, Annie. You’ve always beenwith Jet. Y’all are solid. Moving on from Mateo’s not the same. But, hey.” She immediately perked up. “Let’s talk about something exciting. I can’t believe Izzy and Tucker are getting married. That ring he gave her issogorgeous. I bet he was freaking excited when she finally said yes.”

“He’s definitely all in. Did I tell you that he sent her flowers again?”

“Really?”

“Yep. A dozen red roses. I ran into the delivery guy when I was leaving this morning and put them on the table for her.”

“Didn’t he just send her some yellow and red ones the other day? Saying he was sorry or something?”

“Yeah, he’d gotten frustrated about something she asked him to do with his cousin. It turned out fine, but I guess he felt bad about it.”

And Micah was apparently back in our lives now because of it.

Let the hits keep coming.

“Wow.” Emma tilted her head back with a wistful sigh. “And to think, a year ago Tucker was still flirting and fooling around with every girl that crossed his path. Gives me a little hope for the boys the rest of us have to deal with. Except you. You’ve got Jet. Lucky bitch.” She grinned and winked, and even though I knew she was teasing, my stomach sank, thinking about our fight. I was getting sick of them. It just wasn’t normal for Jet and I to fight, and I was honestly starting to get worried. I needed my rock, but lately, it felt more like gravel when I leaned on him.

“Got any sunscreen?” Emma rubbed her hands across her thighs. “I think I might have put mine on a little thintoday, and I still have another few hours to go out here. I hate getting stuck with the long shift.”

“That doesn’t bother me as much as getting the early morning shift. I can thank Zane for that since he pulled that shit on Izzy. But, at least, he was forced to quit. Could you imagine having to work with him here?” I reached for Jet’s bag I’d swiped again the other day to dig for the sunscreen, my hand swiping through air over the back of the chair. “Damn, no, I forgot Jet took his duffel when he got here. He said he’d get it back to me after their game.” One of thefewthings he’d said to me when he’d shown up mad earlier.

“Bummer. You really should get your own bag, Annie.”

“I have one, but I love Jet’s. It smells like him.” I was dying to smell him now. Couldn’t we just skip the fight and go straight to making up? Maybe rewind tobeforeNic was around hogging his time and he was blind to Ruby?

Which shouldn’t matter. He’d sworn he only had eyes for me. Ifeltit when he was close, but we were close so little lately, and when he wouldn’t shut her down…

I shook my head, trying to clear it from the overwhelming stress and doubts. So much sitting on my chest lately.

At least, I was getting Izzy back.

Emma gave me a funny look, and I finally realized how long I’d been lost in my thoughts. Or maybe she’d just finally caught onto my mood. “Sorry about the sunscreen.”

That bought me another weird look. “Well, maybe Tucker will have some when he gets here.” She looked back out at the packed sand where he’d stopped to talk to the guys. “I hope he hurries. I’m frying.”

TUCKER

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