Page 16 of Home Run Fiancé
“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on posting anything yet. I don’t really want to be recognized and outed publicly.”
Jake sits up and stares at me. “Why’s that?”
His question makes me uncomfortable. I can’t really tell him about my YouTube channel and school. He’s good friends with Asher which makes confiding in him dangerous. Better to keep everything quiet until I can find the right time to tell Asher myself.
“Well, I just don’t want paparazzi waiting outside my door at all hours to snap my picture. I know it’s inevitable, but I don’t really want to be known as ‘Jake Kersh’s girlfriend.’”
Jake stands up and moves in closer, stilling my hands from folding my towel and getting it back in my bag. “Is there something wrong with that?”
My heart pounds faster. How do I put this in a way that doesn’t ding his overinflated ego, but also doesn’t give away my secret? “No, not inherently, but as a young woman trying to be successful, I don’t want my reputation to be built on something as flimsy as being a famous person’s girlfriend.” I move closer, dropping my voice. “And since this is only temporary, I’d rather not be known only for being your girlfriend.”
He doesn’t move, just stares at me with those sunglasses I can’t see through. A quick nod and then he’s picking up his towel and helping me pack up.
“Ready for pier fun?” He smiles and I can’t tell if it’s a real one or if he’s just trying to move on with our date.
7
Jake
You know who’s an underrated superhero?
Wonder Woman.
Yeah, yeah, the movie was super successful, but as a boy, she was never one of the superheroes I played with or thought much about. But that Lasso of Truth?
Man, that thing would sure come in handy.
Rhys said she doesn’t want the public to know who she is, but all my knowledge of women is telling me that’s a lie. She’s young and she’s beautiful. Why wouldn’t she want the attention? Something isn’t adding up and I don’t know what it is.
Which is why I remind myself I’m not here to care about her motives. I’m here to make it look like I’m a steady, settled-down guy. That’s it.
So I grab her hand, heft her ridiculously heavy bag over my shoulder, and walk us across the sand to her car. Based on the size of her bag, you’d think she had a large car. But no, she owns one of the smallest cars on earth, one that can’t even fit my legs in the passenger seat without permanent bruises on my kneecaps. I throw the bag into the trunk and put on an excited face.
“Ready to play some overpriced arcade games and win a stuffed animal you’ll never look at again?”
She laughs, her long golden hair flicking across her back like it has a mind of its own. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I resist?”
We start walking down the pier, people milling about everywhere, snapping pictures, playing games, and buying souvenirs. A young kid sitting on the cement strums his guitar and belts out lyrics with a surprisingly good voice. The girl next to him keeps a fast beat on a single drum. Rhys lets go of my hand and stands in the semicircle of people watching the street show. I hover off to the side, not wanting to get into a throng of people and be recognized. Rhys sways back and forth to the song and claps wildly when they finish. She tosses a dollar into the open guitar case and comes back over to my side.
“Come on, party pooper, let’s play some games.” Rhys grabs my hand, tucking her arm around mine and tugging me further into the sea of humanity all on the same giant pier.
Part of me wishes I could be as carefree as her and join in on things around me without worrying I’d be recognized or accosted by fans. I’m definitely not a celebrity pouting about the money and fame that comes with celebrity status, but there are some definite downsides too.
To my surprise, Rhys takes me straight to the basketball hoop game, feeding in a couple dollar bills and daring me to beat her. I hook my sunglasses on the neck of my T-shirt, preparing to wipe the floor with this girl. The buzzer goes off and we both grab a ball and begin shooting. Every time she makes one, she lets out a shriek, making me laugh and go slower than I intend, all because I’m so busy watching her. At the final buzzer, she admits defeat, though I’m impressed to see she’s only two points behind me.
We keep playing games, each more fun than the last, especially when I hit the bull’s-eye on a particular game and win a huge stuffed penguin. Rhys jumps up and down like I’ve actually done something amazing. The sky is darkening as evening approaches, the string lights coming on and casting a yellow haze onto everyone on the pier.
When the bored kid manning the booth hands me the penguin, I hand it right off to Rhys. “For my lady.”
She tosses her hair dramatically over her shoulder, one hand landing on her chest. “Oh my goodness, for me?” Then she lets out a cackle and I can’t help but smile back. “It’s like we’re living a cliché right now.”
“Hey. Who you calling a cliché, woman? I just won you a prize with my brawn and brains.” I feign insult.
She hugs the penguin and still manages to roll her eyes with a grin tugging at her lips. “You shot a paper duck with a water pistol, Jake,” she deadpans.
Maybe it’s the sass I want to spank her for, maybe it’s the sun setting romantically into the Pacific Ocean. Either way, I’m tugging on her belt loops and pushing the penguin out of my way. Her eyes are a little less startled this time, but she doesn’t stop me from leaning down and taking those lips. Her hair shifts in the ocean breeze, the ends tickling my forearm. She smells like sunblock and sunshine and every summer I ever spent as a kid, free as a bird. Her whole body stills, but her lips move, keeping pace with mine.
“Jake Kersh?” A loud voice on my left cuts through the moment, pulling me from her as I realize I’m out in public. It’s not just me and Rhys in our own private bubble.
