Page 70 of Finding Jess

“Guess not,” Sam mumbled through a smirk, bracing herself as Jess shoved a playful hand against her arm.

Sam took one from the pile, tilting her head as she lined it up.

She tossed it, watching as it hit the inside of the rim, knocking the cup over.

“I go first,” Sam said, standing and walking toward the cup.

“What, that doesn’t count,” Jess protested.

Sam glanced back at her with a pointed look as she sat the cup up again, placing it up against the brick wall lining the outside of the dumpster.

“That definitely counts.”

Jess reached out, grabbing another pebble from the pile and lining up a shot.

“Hey,” Sam said, dropping down beside her. “I haven’t asked my question yet.”

“I’m just getting ready,” Jess mumbled, that all too familiar competitive look gleaming in her eyes.

Sam chuckled, watching her.

“What’s the question?” Jess asked, not taking her eyes off the cup as she moved her arm in a practice throwing motion.

Sam hummed, tilting her head back as she thought. “What was your favorite part of today?”

Jess shot her a teasing smile. “Watching you fall off the jet ski.”

Sam threw her head back in laughter. “You know you talk a big game for someone who barely made it jumping off a six-foot cliff.”

Jess narrowed her eyes in a mock glare before turning and lining up her own shot. She released, and the pebble flew through the air, landing perfectly inside the cup.

Her head spun toward Sam with a victorious smile.

Sam grinned as she rolled her eyes. “You’re hands down the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

Jess smiled wider before looking back straight ahead.

“Alright, what’s your question?” Sam asked, tossing a rock in the air and catching it in the other hand.

Jess bit her lip, eyes narrowing in thought. “Have you been back home since that last time? When I graduated.”

“No,” Sam answered immediately. Then she paused as one specific memory forced its way into her mind. “Well—” She cleared her throat. “Yeah. Once.”

Jess glanced at her, a question in her eyes.

But before she could ask, Sam tossed a rock. It ricocheted off the back of the bricks and into the cup with a thud.

She smiled slightly, leaning back once more. “Do you see your dad a lot now that you’re closer to home?”

Jess let out a soft sigh. “Probably not as much as I should.”

Sam nodded slowly, watching her.

“We talk every week, though. Phone calls and stuff.” Jess paused, looking down at the new pebble in her hand. “He, um—he has a girlfriend now.”

Sam’s head pulled back in surprise. “Oh.”

She could hardly imagine him talking to anyone enough to even have friends. Thinking about him forming a romantic relationship sounded nearly impossible.

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