Page 17 of When We Were Reckless
She was angry on my behalf, and I loved her for that. Evie was a fierce ally, and trust me, you didn’t want to get on her bad side. She’d rain holy terror on anyone who hurt the people she cared about. “I don’t know. He wasn’t himself. Or maybe he has another side to him that I’d never gotten to see before.”
“You always see the best in people. Even when they don’t deserve it.”
I got the feeling she wasn’t only talking about Jesse.
Evie thought she was terrible because of some of the things she’d done in her life, but I thought she was a warrior. A survivor who did whatever was necessary to protect herself and Wren. In my eyes, there was nothing bad about Evie except for the life she’d been thrust into.
“I don’t know what to think. Supposedly, we’re friends again, but now that I saw another side of him, I’m scared to let him in again.”
“Let him in again? Are you insane? One strike, he’s out.” She sliced her hand across her neck to punctuate her words. “He doesn’t deserve you. Not after that shit he pulled on you. We need to find you someone new. You’ve wasted too many years obsessing over that loser.”
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell her that Jesse wasn’t a loser and that I didn’t obsess over him, but then I shut it instead. She was the only one who knew how I felt about him, and I guess it was a borderline obsession. I’m sure if I told a shrink, they’d call it unhealthy. Good thing I only confided in Evie.
Maybe she was right. Maybe I needed a distraction—a summer fling. I almost laughed at the thought. Was I even capable of having a fling?
“I think you need someone too.”
“No, thank you. Been there, done that.”
“They’re not all like Trevor,” I said, referring to her ex. “There are plenty of good guys out there.”
“Sure there are.”
My eyes zeroed in on Ridge as I parked in front of the taco place, just a shack on the side of the road that served the best tacos I’d ever eaten.
Ridge and his friend Walker were sitting at one of the picnic tables under the trees. When we got out of the car, Evie didn’t even glance their way. Maybe she hadn’t seen them. But Ridge saw Evie. His eyes tracked her every move, this intense, thoughtful expression on his face that I’d never seen on him before. The way Ridge looked at Evie wasn’t like the way other guys did.
It felt like he saw beyond the gorgeous face and the hot body and recognized that she was someone special. And I didn’t think he looked at other girls that way.
Ridge and I weren’t total strangers now. Since he’d started working for my brothers, I saw him around. We made small talk, joked around a little. Neither of us was attracted to the other, so that made it easy. He wasn’t my type, and I wasn’t his. Don’t get me wrong. Ridge was gorgeous. But I didn’t think I could handle a guy like Ridge. He was just too much of everything. He looked like a Viking and made me feel like a shrimp when I stood next to him. The guy had to be at least six-four. Big hands that could easily palm a football. Broad, broad shoulders. Abs for days. And then there was his reputation. But I doubt that Ridge cared what people said about him.
If anyone could handle a guy like Ridge, it was Evie.
Walker turned in his seat to see who Ridge was looking at, a slow smile forming on his face like he was let in on a secret.
Okay, that was encouraging. This plan could work. Maybe Ridge just needed to find the right girl, and maybe he and Evie would be perfect for each other.
* * *
As luck would have it, all the picnic tables were full when we carried our food outside. So, without consulting Evie, I made a beeline for Ridge and Walker. I wouldn’t usually be so ballsy by barging in on two guys I barely knew, much less two popular football players, but I was doing this for Evie, so that made me braver.
Evie grabbed my arm to stop me. “What are you doing?”
“Just finding a place to sit.” I smiled at her, the picture of innocence.
“Let’s just take the food home.”
“I’d rather eat here.”
Her brows creased like she was trying to figure out my ulterior motive. Then her gaze drifted to the guys, and when it returned to me, her lips tugged into a devious smile. “Good plan. Walker seems okay. Not a total douche. He’s kind of cute too. He’d be a good starter boyfriend. I’ll be your wingman.”
I nearly laughed in her face. I had no interest in Walker, but okay, I’d go with it. “You’re too good to me.”
“What are friends for? I’ll take one for the team and deal with the asshole.”
By asshole, I assumed she was talking about Ridge. Thinking she was doing me a favor, Evie led the charge. Two seconds later, we were seated at the picnic table with Ridge next to Evie and Walker next to me. It couldn’t have worked out more perfectly if I’d planned it.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Evie told Ridge. “We just needed a place to sit.”
