Page 95 of Summer Ever After
“But Jane, you’ll cool things with Walker, right?”
“Yes, of course.” I nod. “That’s easy to do. No problem.”
“I can’t wait to see what happenson your next date.”
“Me too.” I force a laugh. “I’ll keep you posted.”
A terrible gash rips through my heart as I end the call.
How can I not listen to Capri’s advice to stay away from Walker?
She’s my best friend.
Walker
“How’s your golf swing coming?”Grandma Deedee asks as she places a ten of hearts on the jack of spades.
I glance at her solitaire board on the table in front of her, comparing it to mine. She’s killing me with all four aces already up at the top and several cards down in each pile. I guess when you haven’t played this game in fifteen years, you’re bound to lose to an old woman in a retirement home.
I would’ve thought bright and early Monday morning was a happening time for the elderly, but there’s no one in the Seaside Oasis recreation room besides me and my grandma.
“My golf swing?” I shrug. “I played okay last week when I went home to Jupiter. And Pete liked what he saw over the weekend. He says I’m ready for the Rocket Mortgage tournament this weekend.”
“And do you think you’re ready?” She moves a whole row from one stack to another, revealing the six of clubs.
“Probably not. I’m having a hard time focusing on golf right now.”
“Why is that?”
“Um…I don’t know.”
I do know.
I knowexactlywhy I can’t focus on the looming tournament a few days away.
My mind is stuck in limbo—Jane limbo—and has been since we kissed last night. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet, but that kiss messed me up so much.
The angry phone call from Capri following the kiss didn’t help either.
Anger is too strong a word to use with Capri. I don’t even know if she’s ever felt that emotion, but she did scold me.
She scolded me hard for kissing Jane, especially when she told me she was off-limits. I tried to explain that I really like her. This isn’t just some game to me. But beyond that, there was nothing else I could promise, which is the exact reason why Capri wants me to stay away from her and definitely not kiss her again.
The truth is, I don’t even know why I did it the first time. I mean, I knowwhy. I’ve wanted to kiss Jane since forever, probably since I was a fifteen-year-old boy. But the feeling is entirely different when you’re a man.
My attraction to her is so intense. It encompasses everything I love about her. Her smile, her positive energy, her humor, her witty comebacks, her body, her brown eyes, her tenacity. It all built together below the surface until I exploded and kissed her.
And I haven’t been able to think of anything else since.
That’s why I showed up at my grandma’s at the crack of dawn.
“Is there anything that happened to you lately that could be distracting you from your golf game?” My grandma raises one brow over her reading glasses.
“Nope.” I shake my head innocently, keeping clear of her probing stare.
“Are you sure? Because I haven’t seen you since Saturday, when you took me to the farmers’ market in town. Lots of things could’ve happened in the last two days.”
“Nothing I can think of.”
