Page 21 of The One With The Secret Crushes

I turned to Travis. "I need your expertise. I like fishing but I haven't touched a rod in a decade." Hiking I had covered but I didn't want to make a fool of myself when it came to fishing.

"Scottie's not taking you out to assess your skills. If anything, it's to show offhis." He cupped his glass with his giant paw of a hand. Travis was built for the outdoors. He hiked, kayaked, climbed, if it was something you could do outdoors, he was good at it.

Most of the girls we grew up with thought he was the hottest guy in town, but to me he was Joanne's brother, which made him my brother, which made him gross.

"So I should tell Scott how incredible he is?" I said it all breathy and high-pitched while batting my lashes.

"Not with that fake-ass voice. Have you met Scottie? He has a crazy bullshit detector. You say crap like that and he's going to dump your ass before the date's over."

Another thing I liked about Scott: he was genuine. He was also kind to the book club. He called them murderous little book nerds, which sounded bad, but he said it with such affection that it made me fall a little harder. "So enjoy the hike, let the fishing be what it is, and hope there's a spark?"

"There's a spark," Joanne snorted into her mug.

How was everyone so sure about this?

Travis threw an arm around his sister's shoulders. "What my annoying little sister is trying to say is that everyone in this town thought the two of you would be married by now. Maybe some little kids running around your ankles. There isn't one soul who missed the way you two pined after each other."

"I didn't pine. There was no pining."

"You pined. He pined. You remember who he took to senior prom?"

I tried but couldn't. "Maisy Smith?"

"Nope. No one. You know why? Because you were the only one he wanted to ask."

"It wasn't like he was an adult and I was a child. Two years is not that big of a deal."

"It was to him." Travis finished his iced tea and set it aside. "That's how much he cares about you. He'd rather be your friend, be there for you, than do anything to hurt you. Even if it tears him up in the process."

"I'm going to need him to stop being so friendly," I grumbled.

Travis flashed his killer smile. "I believe that's his plan."

"You're not a teenager anymore," Joanne added. "You are a grown woman who knows what she wants. Throw your old dynamics out the window and start over fresh."

I blinked at my best friend. "Well now, look who is using that psychology minor?"

She stuck her tongue out at me and looked up at her brother. "The whole gang is going to be back together soon. Huk is on his way to town. We're giving him the barn on the Golden Hour property to bunk in."

Travis's whole face lit up. "Bastard hasn't come home in over a year. We're going hiking and climbing and rafting—"

"We get it." Joanne shrugged his arm away. "You're going to spend all your time with Huk and forget all about me."

Travis smacked a big wet kiss on her cheek, making her shriek. "I love it when you're jealous."

"You are so gross. Go to the woods and don't come back!"

"I thought you just said you didn't want me to go at all."

I rolled my eyes at their teasing. Having surrogate siblings was the best. I got the perks of a more intimate relationship with people close to my age but whenever they got to be too much I could retreat to my only-child corner.

"You can always come with us. Be one of the guys," Travis offered.

Joanne pulled a face. "I am good with hanging out, but I am absolutely notevergoing on one of your caveman adventures. Nope."

"So it's a no?" he asked dryly.

"Look, I'm excited all the lost boys will be together again. I'm happy for you and I'm really happy for Karis to have some support. I never liked Julien."

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