Page 58 of How to Win the Girl

“Well, good thing Daisy don’t know us.”

“Don’t know you?” Ryann rolls her eyes, criticizing my grammar. “Drew wouldn’t have said that.”

Okay. Her being nitpicky is the last thing I need right now.

“Climb down out of my ass for a second and tell me if this shirt works with these pants.”

Ryann glances me up and down. “You’re wearing jeans.”

I shrug. “Yeah.”

“Jeans go with everything.”

“How the hell am I supposed to know that?”

I can tell by the look on her face she’s refraining from more snarky comments.

“You look fine.”

“Fine as in fine? Or fine as in, damnnn you look fine.”

Ryann ignores my question. “Wear that.” She motions with her hand up and down my outfit. “And stop being annoying.”

We shoot the shit for a few more minutes before I have to be out the door; it wouldn’t be cool to be late for my first date with Daisy—late isn’t my brother’s style, so tonight it cannot bemine.

“Good luck.” Ryann laughs.

I lift my hand as I bound down the stairs, grateful we have the truck Dallas left behind so I don’t have to walk across town to the bar & grill where I’m meeting Daisy.

The same bar and grill Drew does his first dates—or at least the last one I crept on.

The dude is so predictable.

No offense to my brother, but he’s way too patient and way too regimented. I am too, just not when it comes to anything other than football. With football, we have to be.

Everything else?

Pfft.

But Drew, man, he plans everything out down to the hour. I mean, shit—would I have sent a body double to a class to take notes because I had more important things to do? No fucking way.

I would have ditched without thinking twice about it.

In fact, when I was a freshman I skipped classes all the time, giving zero fucks. As long as I did okay on the exams, I was good to go… What the hell do I need good grades for, it’s not like I need a backup plan. My life is set.

I’m going to play professional football the same way my father and older brothers do, goddamn legends the entire lot of us. And Drew will follow suit because that’s what we were raised to do.

So I ask you: what the hell does he need the good grades for? What is he so flipping concerned with friggin’ science and Mass Comm for? Daisy has been right under his nose for the good part of a semester, and it hadn’t occurred to him to ask her out? Had he noticed her?

I don’t know what my brother’s deal is lately, but whatever this slump is, I’m going to get him out of it.

Nothing regular sex can’t help, with the same person.

I’m literally a saint for doing this.

My head is high when I march into the bar, eyes scanning for Daisy, presuming she’s as anal retentive as my brother, all assumptions correct when I spot her walking out of the restroom at the back.

She gives me a little wave.

---