Page 17 of Flip the Field
Amerie
Brady Hale capturedmy attention and stole my breath. I tried to remain calm, while my heart beat against my ribs. I had kissed him when we got out of the car mainly to anchor me to something, but it only heightened everything. The sky was bluer, the waves louder, the air sweeter.
I sat across from him in the perfect setting and couldn’t stop looking at him. He picked up his menu. His lip curled up and his eyes narrowed as he read.
“What looks good?” he asked.
When I didn’t answer, he lifted his head. He had a scar over his left eye and the cutest dimple in his left cheek.
How did I miss that dimple?
“You okay?” He tilted his head.
I blinked and picked up the menu to hide my face.
He pulled it down.
“What were you thinking about?” he asked.
“Nothing.” I shook my head. His head tilted the other way. The scar became more pronounced when he scrunched his face. “How did you get that scar?”
“What scar?”
I reached out and slid my finger across it.
He grinned and leaned back with his arms crossed on the table.
“I was playing hide and seek with my cousins,” He took my hand and rubbed his thumb across my palm. “I was running to get back to base. My cousin Todd was about to catch me, so I dove and,” he knocked on the table. I jumped. “Smacked my head right into the trunk of a tree.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah,” He grinned. “Got eight stitches.” He laughed and leaned back. “It was a good day.”
“A good day.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, but didn’t elaborate. “Okay, now you tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“Anything?” The waitress returned and we ordered.
When she left, he leaned back. “Come on. Tell me something about you no one else knows.”
“I’m an open book,” I held my hands out.
“Not even close to being true,” He chuckled.
“Okay,” I leaned forward. He leaned too. “I’ve never been to a Thackeray College football game.” I sat back.
He rolled his eyes and leaned back.
“What? It’s true.” I giggled like a school girl teasing a crush. I almost didn’t recognize myself. But being with Brady was so easy, it scared me. “Okay, I…”
He squeezed my hand to encourage me to continue.
“When I do something that people think is out of character, it’s more likely fully in my character and I’ve only just gotten the courage to do whatever it is I’m doing.” I peeked up into his eyes. He nodded and pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles.
He did understand. I blinked and smiled at him.
