Page 37 of With Stars in Her Eyes
“Oh… yeah.” My shoulders slumped. “I think he’ll be okay. Just a lot going on right now.” Marshall still wouldn’t explain what was happening beyond he was in a fight with his dad. I was pretty sure he got let go from the practice squad too, but I hadn’t brought that up to him either. “You’re sweet for asking about him.”
“Good he’s got a friend around for whatever he’s going through.”
“I hope so…” Last time Marshall got dropped from a team,it happened very unexpectedly during the season. He was in a funk for months before getting his shit together. Maybe having me herewouldhelp.
“I know when my life’s a mess… it’s nice to have Sam nearby. And Ms. Jeannie.”
“Speaking of Samantha… what was the deal with the fever stuff?Areyou sick?”
“No.” Courtney rolled her eyes. “She’s just giving me crap.”
Another customer asked Courtney a question, so I stepped away. It was later than I realized, and I told Marshall I would pick up dinner on the way home. Since Courtney was still locked in a conversation, I waved from the door, and she waved back politely.
When I was a few strides down the sidewalk, someone called my name.
Courtney.
She smiled. “Is it okay if I get a bag of books together and bring them to you at Squid this week?”
“Oh—actually, I’m going out of town for a couple days for a thing for my mom.”
“Oh…”
“I’ll be back Tuesday though…”
“Tuesday it is.” Courtney rubbed the back of her neck under her sweater. “See you then.”
Feeling a little lighter than I had during the conversation about Marshall, I turned to walk back to Squid. I might have added a little extra swagger just incaseCourtney was watching.
And I was decently certain that she was.
CHAPTER 11Courtney
When the chatty customer left the store, I spent at least three minutes hyperventilating about the almost-kissing-Thea moment. Migrainey day or not, had that customer not come in, I probably would have ended up making out with Thea in the romance section without giving the smallest shit about who might have seen us.
By the time Sam came out of the back, I had mostly pulled myself together. “When did Thea leave?”
“About ten minutes ago. I think something’s going on with Marshall, so she’s worried about him. But I have to tell you what hap—”
“Oh, right. I bet Marshall’s a wreck.” Sam shuffled a few titles around on the front table. “My grandpa said he was cut from the practice squad—he’s had a news alert for him set up since his rookie season. Grandpa and Abbott think he’s going to retire for real this time. I bet Marshall isn’t happy about it. But sometimes bodies just can’t do the thing anymore. Football is brutal.”
“Oh.” My grip slipped on the scanner in my hand. It took me back to the moment when I couldn’t hold my bow. “Yeah.Damn.”
I know exactly how you feel, dude,I said to an imaginary Marshall in my mind.
After fixing a sticker error at the register, Sam elbowed me. “Did Thea find the gays—I mean gay books in the romance section?”
“We found a couple.” I clamped the side of my mouth between my molars to keep from smirking. “I’m going to go by next week to loan her a stack of some of the books you sent me. I guess she’s out of town this weekend.”
“Ooooh… loaning her books. Fairly intimate for someone you’ve only known for…” Sam checked her watch. “A week?”
I shrugged. “Eight days… or I guess nine depending on how you count it…”
Sam chuckled. “And I guess you havetechnicallyalready slept with her.”
“I slept three feet away from her with a potbellied pig in between us.”
“When you go by Squid next week, ask her if she’s busy on June thirteenth.”
