Page 46 of Wildly Inappropriate

The one-night stand you definitely want to sleep with again.

Me

Those two things are not mutually exclusive. Plus, I told you Matthew and I are just here as friends.

Me

But, to be clear, I will not ever be telling anyone about JT and me.

Matt—who told me only his aunt calls him Matthew—stands next to me on the Wild Bluffs side of the grandstands. We’re both wearing Wild Bluffs Mavericks shirts, though mine is mostly hidden behind the light jacket I pulled on at the end of the third quarter. Tonight has been a lot of fun. Matt has introduced me to a lot of locals, always letting me know if their kid is playing and what number he is. I appreciate the gesture, as I wouldn’t want to upset any parents by saying something less than positive about their kid’s performance, but I’m being on my best behavior tonight regardless.

The football stadium is way more impressive than I would’ve imagined for a high school team. Set at the foot of the bluffs that surround the town, towering cliffs of sand-colored stone are the perfect backdrop for one endzone. There’s a large WB made from white stones on the grassy hill between the bluff and the field, and a fire truck sits next to it, the firemen setting off fireworks each time the Mavericks score. It feels like I’ve been transported into one of the romance movies I love so much with the sun setting in shades of red, yellow, and orange behind us. If only I were here with a real date like I let JT believe.

Stupid JT Johnson.

The crowd cheers loudly as the Mavericks march their way down the field, the score tied seven-seven with fifty-four seconds to go. I haven’t spent a ton of time watching football—my brother is a professional golfer, after all—but I follow sports in general enough to understand what’s happening in a high school football game. Even if I didn’t, the energy in the air is enough to turn anyone into a fan. There aren’t as many cheerleaders down on the track that circles the field as I would’ve expected, and when I ask Matt about it, he shrugs, saying cheerleading isn’t particularly popular in Wild Bluffs, and even fewer cheerleaders come to the scrimmages.

I follow up by asking if Kelsey or Bryn were cheerleaders, and he laughs so hard, I swear soda comes out his nose. When he gets himself back under control, he says, “Christ. Can you imagine Kelsey or Bryn as cheerleaders? Actually, don’t. Kelsey might murder you just for picturing her in such a bubbly role.”

With twenty seconds left, Wild Bluff’s quarterback makes an impressive throw to his tight end in the back corner of the endzone. I clap along with Matt, the two calmest fans in the entire stands. I swear one mom is considering doing a flip on the field.

“Well, that’s good luck,” Matt says.

“Why’s that?”

“Now the coaches will be in good moods when I introduce you to them.”

Matt promised to introduce me to his two single friends in town, Austin and Bobby. They both help coach the high school football team, Austin helping with the receivers, and Bobby with the defense.

We make our way off the bleachers and start the downhill walk to where Matt parked his vehicle. Earlier this week, I’d offered to have JT drop me at the game, but as it turned out, I was glad it looked like Matt was picking me up for a date.

We pull the tailgate of his pickup down, and I sit on it as we wait for his friends to leave the locker room. Soon, high school boys start trickling out in ones and twos, most of them being hugged by the high school girls who’ve been waiting around the large parking area.

“Ah, here they come.”

Two men walk out the door, heading in our direction. Both are in navy blue polos and black dress pants, their hair hidden beneath matching Mavericks ball caps. Luckily, one is fairly short—though still taller than me—whereas the other is definitely above six feet tall, so I may have a chance of telling them apart, regardless of their matching outfits. They are attractive, though neither is as good-looking as JT with his broad shoulders and deep blue eyes. Not that it matters how they compare to JT.

“Austin, Bobby, hell of a game tonight.” They all do the bro hug, back slap thing, in a way that makes it clear they’ve done it about a thousand times before.

When they’re done hugging, Matt introduces me. “Meet my most recent date, Lila Walker.”

“Gosh, you sure know how to make a girl feel special,” I joke as I shake both men’s hands. “For the record, I was totally going to turn him down, he just beat me to the punch.”

“Oh, really?” the short one, Austin, asks.

“Nah. Janice scares me way too much for me to bail after one date. I was sure I was going to have to go on at least three.”

“And as far as the town of Wild Bluffs is concerned, we’ve now gone on two,” Matt points out.

“Doesn’t the entire town know you’re still pining after some lost love?” I ask.

Both of his friends nod, but Matt shakes his head. “Everyone knows I let a girl go that I shouldn’t have. Not everyone knows how hung up I still am on her.” He turns to load up in his pickup so we can go to the house Bobby and Austin share for a couple of drinks, but before I climb in the backseat with Austin, I turn to Bobby, who is making his way to the passenger door, and ask, “Everyone knows, right?”

He just nods solemnly. Bummer for my guy Matt.

I can’t help but imagine what JT’s response to my question would’ve been—something about only blind people not being able to see it—but I shut down that line of thought, shoving JT from my mind.

A few minutes later, we pull up in front of a house just across the street from where I’ll be living in a few weeks. “Woah. We’re going to be neighbors,” I say, holding my hand out for a high five. Bobby smiles as he gives me one. “I just moved in a few months ago.”

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