Page 76 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
I need to get my poor matador heart under control.
So I’m in the hallway outside the girls’ locker room taking deep, calming breaths. Meanwhile, Three and Sully are inside repainting. As it turns out, they had to address more than just the damage done to Cami’s locker. Sully’s aim was, shall we say, less than precise. He accidentally sprayed parts of the pink and red hearts onto the lockers on either side of hers. Since the job was going to take longer than he expected, Three insisted I stay out in the hall to avoid inhaling any fumes.
I tried telling Mr. Concussion he wouldn’t be any safer breathing spray paint than I would, but he refused to subject my lungs to any paint particles. Protectivenessanda grilled cheese?
Cue my stomach full of butterflies.
At some point, Three and I will need to finish the conversation Sheriff Bender interrupted, but the truth is, I’m afraid to hear him out. If he claims to have real feelings for me now, can I trust him not to change his mind again? And if he’s just making amends for the past, will I feel heartbroken in the friend zone?
Both options terrify me, and I hate feeling helpless like this. Not to mention useless and restless. I don’t want to feellesswhen it comes to Three.
So after what feels like an eternity of waiting, I decide to call Bristol. She’ll either have some good advice, or knock some sense into me. But as I pull out my phone, a new message comes in from Ryan Detweiler.
Ryan
I just left your house. The doors are locked. Try not to get stuck in the storage room again.
My heart skips a beat. Then another. What does this mean? Did we pass? Fail? Is she going to keep me in suspense until Wednesday? Before I can ask her for clarification, a follow-up text comes in.
Ryan
I can’t complete my approval report without confirming the repairs Three guaranteed, but the rest of your house and your town tick all our boxes. Assuming the remaining issues have been addressed on time as promised, you should pass.
A squeal slips out of me, and relief floods my body. Three and I are pulling this off after almost blowing things entirely. And sure, the decision isn’t totally official yet, and it’s not actuallymyhouse ormytown being approved. But we’re so close.
I have to tell him.
Sticking my head in the doorway, I call out, “Hey! How’s it going in there?”
When I get no reply, I venture a few steps into the locker room. “Hello?” I continue to creep forward until I spot Three and Sully over at the far end, side by side, facing away from me.
They’re too busy peeling blue painter’s tape and plastic from the edges of the lockers to notice that I’m in here now. But they must be finishing up. Three nudges Sully and Sully bumps him back, then the two of them laugh at something I can’t hear.
My heart cartwheels behind my ribs, and I move even closer. When Three’s face slides into profile, the angle of his jawline empties my lungs.
This man is so generous. So kind. So heartbreakingly gorgeous.Emphasis on heartbreak. Maybe I’m not ready to trust myself around him yet. Or ready to trusthimagain. So I’m about to sneak back out into the hallway, when Sully says, “Thanks again, Mr. Fuller. For everything.” Naturally, I freeze in place like an awkward deer caught in headlights.
Bambi on ice again.
“No problem.” Three shrugs, his broad shoulders hitching. “We did an okay job, I think.”
“Yeah. But I’m really sorry you got dragged into this. If it weren’t for you—” Sully cuts himself off, and my throat goes tight. I shouldn’t be here for a personal moment like this, but the thought of being caught has me paralyzed.
Three pushes his paint goggles down off of his face, leaving them dangling around his neck. “Hey. Your heart’s in the right place. And you’re a good kid. That’sallI know.” He scoops up the tarp and shoves it in the big trashcan at the end of their row. I take the opportunity to inch backward toward the door hoping I can escape without being discovered.
In the meantime, Sully kicks the bare concrete with one giant shoe. “You don’t have to say that.”
“But I mean it.”
Sully groans. “I just feel so stupid.”
Three tips his head. “Trust me. I’ve been stupider.”
Sully snorts. “No way.”
“Way.”
“Did you get in trouble too?”
