Page 70 of Hit the Ground
“You too, Cay.” Her smile, aimed at Jess and me, wobbled. “See you guys soon.”
“You will,” I promised as she climbed into her car.
I watched her taillights disappear before I turned toward my truck, finding Jesse staring at me with a smirk. I ignored that look until we were both in the truck.
“Say it,” I grumbled.
He shrugged. “Nothing. Just…you have a thing for Alice, don’t you?”
I shifted my gaze his way. “What makes you say that?”
“I’m not stupid or blind. I saw you holding her hand, and you basically attached yourself to her before she got in her car.”
My jaw dropped. “I didn’t…attachmyself.” I shook my head, trying to decide if I had. I didn’t think so, but it really had been hard to let go.
Jesse snickered, and I glared at him. “Dammit, kid. Are you trying to give me a complex?”
He patted my shoulder. “If you were attempting to be smooth, you failed. But if you were trying to show her you like her, I think she got the message. I bet everyone in the diner did.”
I took a second to consider if I cared who knew Alice and I were becoming…something, quickly deciding I did not. Ididcare what Jesse thought, though.
“Are you good with me taking her out?” I nudged him with my elbow. “Maybe without a chaperone?”
He twisted in his seat, facing me head-on. “I’m good with it, Dad.”
“You’re not going to tell me to treat her right?”
He tilted his head. “If I thought I had to tell you that, I wouldn’t be so okay with you taking her out.”
“You have a good point,” I conceded.
He scratched behind his ear as he eyed me. “Actually, I was getting concerned about you. You know, I’m going to college in a few years and you’re going to be all alone. It’s about time you found a girlfriend.”
“You were concerned about me?” That was news to me, and I didn’t know if I particularly liked it.
“It wasn’t constantly on my mind or anything, but yeah. I was a little concerned. Now I don’t have to be. You have Alice, which means I get to have her more, and that’s cool.”
“That would be cool, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First, I need to take her out and not screw things up.”
He reached across the cab and patted my shoulder. “I know you speak to cattle and horses more than women, but I have faith in you.”
“Thanks, kid. I appreciate the confidence.”
“No prob.” He faced forward again. “I’m all talked out. Can we go home now?”
“Sure. And since you’re all talked out, you’re going to go directly to your room and knock out your homework instead of getting on a call with your buddies, right?”
His groan told me exactly what his plan had been.
I shook my head as I started the engine. The boy could talk circles around me when he wanted, but he’d given me more tonight than he realized.
Jesse was good with the direction Alice and I were heading. I glanced at him, his head against the window, and promised myself I would get this right.
Then I spent the rest of the drive planning my first real date with Alice.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Alice
