Page 12 of Riding Jamie

I do my best to ignore the part of me that wants to shy away from even that, and I nod in agreement. My goodbyes are met with a chorus of disappointed groans and promises to see me tomorrow from the rest of the table, and I wave cheerily to them after I gather my things.

Shane and I weave our way out of the busy restaurant, passing through couples and families gathered around tables or waiting in line for their food. It’s a relief to finally make it out the doors and get some fresh air, even if it’s not any less crowded.

It seems like the city isalwayscrowded.

“Thanks for dinner,” I say as Shane and I make our way to the curb.

“Thanks for coming,” he says with a grin. “I almost thought I wasn’t going to be able to convince you.”

“Yeah, well, you made a pretty good argument.” I chuckle at him as I hold a hand out toward an approaching cab, watching as it starts to navigate closer to the curb. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He smiles wide, leaning down, and I freeze. It almost feels like he’s going to kiss me, and I very nearly shove him away in panic, but he just wraps one arm around my shoulders and squeezes me in a friendly hug. It barely even lasts two seconds before he’s pulling away, and I’m so grateful to hear the cab pull up beside us.

“See you tomorrow,” he agrees cheerfully.

I fumble with the door of the cab, yanking it open as soon as I get a good grip on the handle. Shane is still standing on the curb as I duck into the backseat, and I can feel the flush in my cheeks. I am so,sonot ready for anything other than friendship, but Shane is hard not to think about. I can’t stop myself from comparing the two of them even though I don’t want to think about that at all.

“See you tomorrow!” I repeat, yanking the door closed between us.

He waves as we pull away from the curb, but I don’t let myself look back at him. I give the cabbie my address and rub my hand over the back of my neck. I’m exhausted and confused, and all I want is to collapse on the couch with my aunt and binge watch some awful reality show with her.

Oh, and to stop thinking about both Jamie and Shane for the night. Or at least five minutes.

Chapter Six

JAMIE

I beamdown at the buckle in my hand, my cheeks aching from how wide I’m smiling. My thighs are burning, and I’m still breathing heavily, but I don’t really know if that’s from exertion or just how goddamn happy I am.

“Knew you had it in you, kid!” my dad cheers, slapping me heartily on the back.

It’s been a long time since my dad has had anything but gruff complaints to offer me. The high of proving to him that I can do this is almost enough to rival the excitement of winning.

Sure, I’m still in the junior leagues as far as professional riding is concerned, but I finally have a buckle to my name. After the losing streak I’ve been suffering through leading up to the Plains rodeo, any little success feels like a massive step forward. What was supposed to be a few weeks to make money on the circuit has turned into an almost three month stint, and while I’m thrilled about the win, I’m more excited about the money that comes along with it. It’s one step closer to Oakley.

“God, my legs hurt,” I complain, laughing when my dad scoffs at me.

“Get used to it,” he says with a grin. “That’s how winners feel.”

I roll my eyes at him, but it’s good-natured. My mood is too good to let his plans for my future sour my thoughts. The higher divisions are starting up their rounds, but as I make my way through the crowd, people still stop to clap me on the shoulder and shake my hand.

I’m heading toward the bathroom, already planning my trip to New York, when a pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind.

I freeze immediately, my heart soaring at the thought that maybe, impossibly, Oakley might behere, that she came to watch me. My eyes close, too scared to look down and confirm what I want so badly to be true.

No wins meant no money, but if she came to see me, maybe I don’t have to be so scared that it’ll be too late when I finally get to New York. I can finally beg her to let me explain, go through the script I’ve been rehearsing for the past three months for when I finally get to see my girl’s beautiful, perfect face again.

When I turn and open my eyes, my mood immediately sours. Because standing there, arms still around my waist, is none other than Savannah fucking Ward. She’s in the smallest shorts known to man and a cowboy hat that’s probably never seen hide nor hair of a real ranch. I curl my lip in disgust as she presses her chest against mine, her tank top covering almost nothing.

I step away from her without a second thought, my hand twitching at my side as I watch her stumble for a second before finding her footing. I refuse to reach out to steady her, already feeling dirtier just from the knowledge that she got her hands on me again than I do from the dust and sweat on my face.

“The fuck are you doing here?” I ask, my voice sharp.

I stare down at her in disbelief of her relentless audacity but all she does is giggle at me before turning to her posse offriends. The three of them look somewhere between entertained and snide, a practiced mean high school girl look that they’ve got down to a science. I roll my eyes when they smile vapidly and wave at me.

“Guys, this is Jamie!” she introduces. “We grew up together.”

She reaches out to hug me again, but I instantly step aside. There is no way I want her hands on me. I scoff at her, raking a disgusted look over her and all her little friends. They look confused, which I can only assume is because Savannah has been doing what she does best—lying.

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