Page 22 of Fumbled Beginning

I eyed her skeptically. “I know she’s attracted to me, but I’m not sure she wantsme.She doesn’t take me seriously. She sees me as just a player.”

Rylee had no idea how bad I had it for her. The woman was all I thought about. There wasn’t a single person on the planet that affected me the way Rylee Cross did. I wanted to get to know her on a deeper level. I wanted us to be on the same page and quit playing these fucking games. It seemed like every time I’d get close enough, something would get in the way. I was sick of her being within my reach and not being able to pull her in.

“Well,” Robin lifted her glass in the air, “convince her otherwise. You’re JP Watson for Pete’s sake. It’s time to step up your game and get the girl. You and I both know that you are more than just a player in every sense of the word. You need to show her the real you and let her know how serious you are.”

“And if she shoots me down?”

“Then you move on.”

CHAPTER7

RYLEE

My eyes closed,and I slammed my head on the steering wheel. It was just my luck that I took the next exit off the highway to avoid construction, only to have my freaking car die in the middle of nowhere. It was late; I was cranky, tired, and hungry. According to the last message from AAA, the tow truck was two hours away. What a joke. I wasn’t sure why I even paid for the service.

There was nothing nearby for at least another three to five miles. If it were daylight, I would walk, but it was pitch-black out, and I was in heels. I had just come from another lousy date; no, it wasn’t from the online app; a coworker set it up.

Max was handsome and nice enough, but it felt more like a job interview than a date.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Tell me something about yourself?

What is your greatest strength?

I knew after the third question there wouldn’t be a second date.

I picked up my phone from the cupholder and called my brother.

“Rylee?” His voice was a whisper.

“Hey, I didn’t wake up Zander, did I?” It was weird thinking about my brother home on a Friday night at ten p.m.

“He’s resting on my chest, drinking a bottle, but Kinley’s sleeping next to me. What’s up?”

“Oh, never mind.” Kinley hasn’t been feeling great and has been complaining about a lack of sleep. The last thing I wanted to do was disturb her. I’d figure something else out.

“What’s going on?” he asked. I could hear him getting out of bed and shuffling across the room.

“My car broke down off of I-75, I’m on some side street near Piedmont Heights and the tow truck is two hours away.”

“Shit. Let me wake up Kinley and I’ll come get you.”

“No, don’t do that.” I glanced down at my phone and started scrolling through my contacts. “I’ll call Dad.”

“Rylee, it will take him forever to get there. Let me call JP. He’ll be awake and he’s not too far from there.”

“No,” I barked into the phone. “I’ll wait.” The line went quiet, and I already regretted my outburst. “I don’t want to bother your friend.”

“He won’t mind, and he owes me a few favors. Send me your location, and I’ll text you when he’s on his way.”

For a quick second, I considered hitchhiking, but after watching one too many crime shows, that didn’t sound like the best idea.

The last few times JP and I have run into each other, things were awkward. The streak of jealousy over his date with Taylor and my reaction from the restaurant only proved my point; I couldn’t do casual with him. I was glad we didn’t end up kissing that night on the dock, even though that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I probably would have let him do more than that if he wanted to.

I was scrolling through my phone in an attempt to distract myself when I spied the taillights pull up behind me. It was actually hilarious that I was more nervous about seeing him than potentially being abducted.

I unrolled my window, and the sight of him made me wish I had walked or called my dad instead. His playful green eyes smiled down at me.

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