Page 47 of Summer Ever After
Unbelievable.
He flips his bat, turning to the stands—to me, since I’m the only fan. A deliciously cocky smile fills his entire face. He grabs his jersey as he starts to round first base, pulling it out from his chest like he’s highlighting our matching numbers.
Walker Collins is a walking romance trope.
Nothing has ever been so annoying and so satisfying at the same time.
Jane
“So this was fun,”I say to Blake once the game is over.
Fun, but something I never want to repeat again.
Watching Walker Collins play coed softball is almost as bad as watching him play golf. He looks ridiculously handsome, and a piece of your heart goes over to the dark side each time he does something athletic, which is basically every two seconds.
“Are you headed home?” Blake asks. “Because I can give you a ride in a half hour or so. I just have to clean everything up first.”
“No, don’t worry about it. I’m going to walk.”And save myself the trouble of listening to you talk about Fortnite the entire time.
“Alright, well…” He looks like he might go in for a hug, but I stop that by holding my hand up for a high five. He hesitates before committing to the five. “I guess I’ll see you at work on Monday.”
“Yep.” I turn and leave before anything else can be said, but Blake has already moved on from me.
“Hey, Walker? Can I get that jersey back?”
“Actually, I was wondering if I could keep it. It has sentimental value to me.”
Sentimental value? Yeah, right—he said that loud enough just for me to hear.
“I guess that’s okay.” Does Blake have to be such a pushover?
I’m only twenty feet from the field when Walker calls my name. “Jane, hold up.”
I immediately hate myself for how my feet slow. I’m the worst friend ever.
“If you’re asking for another ride, I didn’t drive here,” I say over my shoulder.
He bumps his body into mine as he catches up. “No, I just wanted to say thanks for wearing my jersey. I hope I made you proud.”
“I didn’twearyour jersey. I was supporting the team.”
“By wearingmynumber.” He shoves his hands in his pocket, casually walking beside me. “How did your date with Blake go?”
Play dumb. It never fails. “What date?”
“The one Blake said you two were on.”
Blake can’t be trusted.
“It was a friendly brunch. Nothing more.”
“You seem to be going out with a lot of guys this week. Are you after some kind of world record or something?”
My chin lifts. I will not let Walker get the best of me. “I can’t help it if I’m desired.”
“All these dates wouldn’t have anything to do with the Summer of Jane Hayes, would they?”
It’s time for another subject change. “Shouldn’t you be practicing your golf swing?”
