Page 50 of Off Season

She bites back her smile. “There is something seriously wrong with you.”

I let out a laugh. “More than one thing, big sis.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Who was that guy that approached you at lunch today? Do you know him? He was creepy and kept calling you Carmen?”

Bailey and I worked out today and then grabbed a bite nearbyat the same diner Cheetah and I went to a few weeks ago after Layton’s injury. Some random guy kept walking by me and touching some part of my body. My back, my shoulders, and even my ass seemed to be fair play until I turned around and told him off.

I shake my head. “I don’t know him. I think I met him at a bar one night and rejected him. He didn’t like that.”

“He kept touching you even though you clearly weren’t into it.”

“If you haven’t noticed, a lot of guys do that without invitation.”

She shakes her head. “Not to me. Maybe they’re not into me like they are you.”

“We’re identical. I suppose I invite it with my demeanor. And I tend to wear more revealing clothes than you.

She looks down at herself in small spandex shorts and a tight tank top. “I don’t think so, little sis. Frankly, you could walk around naked with your legs spread wide open if you wanted, it doesn’t give anyone the right to touch you without your permission.”

I nod in agreement. “You’re right. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. I like to be touched but on my own terms. I think I’m giving up on men. I’m going full lesbo moving forward, though I suppose women aren’t much better.” I blow out a breath. “Maybe I’ll be celibate.” I wiggle my eyebrows. “Or maybe I should develop a daddy fetish like you and find myself amatureman.”

“I don’t have a daddy fetish.”

“Are you or are you not currently fucking a man fifteen years older than you who is, in fact, a daddy? Who’s only, like, seven years younger thanourdaddy.”

Her face and neck flush. She must be getting it good. I don’t know why I can’t get any dirty details from her. I hope she’s not in too deep.

My face turns serious. “Don’t fall for him, Bails.” I couldn’thandle her heart being broken again. It’s not like she’ll end up with a man like Tanner Montgomery.

She shakes her head. “It’s casual. He doesn’t want the same future I do. We’ve discussed it.”

“The problem is that you don’t do casual.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Maybe I’m turning into you.”

“Don’t you dare ever turn into me. You’re a thousand times better than me. Don’t you forget it.”

She plops down next to me and pulls me into a hug. “I hate when you say things like that. There’s a lot of love living inside you, Kamryn Hart. You don’t have to seal it away like you do. Maybe if you opened your heart just a little, you’d see that not everyone is bad. Most people are good.”

“A lifetime of evidence to the contrary, big sis.”

“What about Cheetah? I see the way he looks at you. You’ve been blowing him off since the waterbed night. You’re obviously attracted to him. Why not give things a go?”

I shake my head. “Cheetah is a great guy. He’s way too good for me. He deserves someone who will give him everything he wants and deserves.”

Her face looks pained. “You have more to offer than you think, Kamryn. Whether it’s Cheetah, some other man, or a woman, I hope one day you give it to someone.”

I swallow down my emotions, hating for anyone to see me as emotional as I’m feeling right now. “I save all my love for you. When I’m an old cat-lady spinster you’ll let me live above your garage, right?”

She lets out a laugh. “You’ll be a dog-lady spinster, not a cat lady.”

“But the garage is still on the table, right?”

“I’ll always be there for you, little sis. You jump, I jump.”

I smile at her. “Want to watch a movie?”

She looks at her watch. “I’ve got about two hours until I need to be at Mr. Montgomery’s.”

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