Page 4 of Wild For You
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Rory.”
“Only good things, I hope.”
Smirking, I turned back to the dissipating crowd. “I’ll never tell.”
Dean stepped up next to me, continuing to eat his snow cone, and sighed contentedly. “Ashfield is something special, huh?”
Humming my agreement, I added, “I fell in love the moment I stepped foot downtown.”
“You were the one who helped Owen, right?”
“Yeah. I’m a sports physical therapist.”
“I thought I remembered Rory and Talon mentioning you. I was in Scotland at the time.”
“Scotland? That sounds fun. I’ve never been out of the country.”
Unfortunately, Dad scraped by, barely making ends meet, and Mom refused to pay him a dime. My meager savings were depleted from buying textbooks when my college scholarships didn’t cover them. Traveling overseas was a pipe dream.
“Highly recommend it.”
“I’m more of a homebody,” I explained. “Cuddling up with a book or a reality show is one of my favorite things.”
“I’d like to take your body home,” Dean said in the most serious tone I’d heard yet. I glanced up at him in shock, only to find a grin tugging up the corner of his mouth.
I laughed and covered my mouth with my hand. “Oh my God, that was so cheesy.”
“Eh, Rory warned me to stay away from you if we ever met. And she may be tiny, but she scares the shit out of me.”
Still fighting back the giggles, I added, “She really is feisty when she wants to be. And don’t worry, I’m seeing someone.”
“Is it serious? I may be willing to take my chances with our friend.”
Was it serious? Caleb and I hadn’t mentioned anything about exclusivity, but we’d been seeing each other for the past year, albeit not out in the open. Neither of us wanted the publicity that came along with a public relationship. But I was certain there were a few people aware of our romance, since I usually joined the team on the road.
“I can tell by your hesitation that you’re not sure.”
“No… no, it’s not that. We’ve been together for a year.”
“Ah,” he replied, and then tipped back his snow cone and drank the leftover sugary liquid.
Rory joined us a few minutes later, and I got wrapped up in the way Dean and my friend teased each other. It reminded me of siblings bickering. Or at least what I imagined. My only reference was what television shows portrayed.
Together, the three of us continued walking around the market, where I grabbed a few jars of jam and local honey. Dean left in one of the fanciest cars I’d ever seen, which was saying something, since I worked with professional athletes. I had no idea what make or model it was, but it was metallic silver and looked like a bullet whipping through the air as he drove away.
Rory and I drove back separately to Crawford Bed and Breakfast, where I normally stayed when I was in town for the weekend. I tossed around the idea of buying a house in Ashfield and commuting an hour when I was needed in Nashville, but I’d definitely need to boost my savings account for that. Of course, that was until Mom called and needed help again.
We had a rocky relationship as it was, but she worked as a flight attendant and spent her earnings as quickly as they hit her bank account.
As if she knew I was thinking about her, my phone rang through the speakers of my car, her name popping up on the display.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, I pressed the button that would connect the call.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, my starlight.”
“What’s up?” In the background, I noticed a lot of noise and asked, “Are you between flights?”
