Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 58792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 58792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 294(@200wpm)___ 235(@250wpm)___ 196(@300wpm)
Bex’s cheeks flush to a shade of burgundy. “I ran into him in the locker room.”
Ava raises her eyebrow, confused. “Like the men’s locker room?”
Bex nods.
“Oh, now this I have to hear. Sounds juicy.”
“More like horrifying,” Bex says. “My dad told me to meet him after practice. I didn’t realize the guys were still in the locker room, and well, let’s just say, that was kinda awkward.”
Coach Bryant shakes his head. “Bex found the side entrance to my office after that day.” He looks right at Bex. “No more entering through the locker room.”
“No, definitely not,” Bex says. “That’s one place I never want to walk through again.”
Everyone at the table laughs.
Midway through dinner, JP strolls into the dining room, his black pea coat covered with snow.
“Sorry, I’m late.” JP bends down to kiss his mom on the cheek, followed by the rest of the women. “I got stuck in traffic on my way back from New York.”
After he hangs up his coat, JP sits down and stares at Bex. “And who are you? I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Bex Bryant.”
His eyes travel from Bex to Preston. “I can’t believe Preston has a girlfriend. Would you look at that?”
Bex remains expressionless as she stares at JP. Coach Bryant notices her strange reaction, and his eyes narrow as if he’s just now figured out why Preston invited them to dinner.
“Bex and Preston are friends,” Coach Bryant says.
“I know my brother, and these two are definitely more than friends,” JP says, fixing himself a plate. “How come you didn’t tell me, little bro? I haven’t heard from you in over a month.”
Bex is fidgeting in her chair. Preston hasn’t spoken a word or touched his food. Coach Bryant is quick to pick up on their behavior.
“Is there something going on between you two?”
“Coach,” Preston says, and I keep my fingers crossed under the table he doesn’t lose playing time. “I wanted to talk to you about this.”
“My bad,” JP says. “I didn’t know you guys were…”
It’s so awkward now, the tension building with each second we sit in silence. Thank God, Aunt Charlotte has enough sense to keep the conversation going.
“How was the weather in New York?” She asks JP to change the subject.
“Worse than it is here. They had at least two more inches of snow.”
As everyone else tries to forget about Preston’s confession, Coach Bryant stares in his direction between bites of his food. At one point, he even shakes his head at Bex and Preston. This would have been the perfect time for Taylor to be here. She would have changed the mood in the room with one of her goofy jokes. No matter the situation, she always knows the right things to say.
Before dinner ends, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Finally, it’s from Taylor, but not with the message I was hoping to receive.
Chapter 13
Taylor
I miss Strickland University. For the first time in years, I’m ready to go back to the place I now identify as home. We moved so often when I was a kid that I never knew where I fit in. It was hard to make long-term friends. I never had an inner circle. But now that I’m part of Drake’s world, I want to go back to where I belong.
Sitting in the kitchen with my mom, I stare out the window. It’s sunny in California, at least thirty degrees warmer than it is back in Philly. I hate cold weather. Even after living in Germany for years, I still can’t stand the harshness of winter. Though, I know if I were there Drake would keep me warm.
For Thanksgiving, our family always rents a house for the week in Northern California so my dad and brother can hunt our turkey. Since high school, this has been our tradition. Shaun helps my dad with the meat, and I get the honor of making the side dishes with my mom.
My cell phone dings, and when I lift it from the table, a smile crosses my lips. Drake hasn’t stopped texting me since my plane touched down in California.
Drake: Can’t stop thinking about you…
Taylor: The feeling is mutual, buddy.
Drake: Can you talk?
I glance over at my mom, who’s cutting bread for the stuffing. My family makes everything from scratch. Even the turkey is fresh. My dad and older brother, Shaun, are out right now hunting for wild turkeys.
“Do you need any help?” I ask my mom.
She scans the counter in front of her and shrugs. “No, not yet. I’ll need you in a little while to help me with the potatoes.”
“Okay, let me know when you need me.”
Everyone in our family has to pitch in. As my dad says, No one eats for free.
On my way out of the kitchen, my mom’s cell phone rings. “Honey, can you get that?” She holds up her bread-covered fingers. “Got my hands full.”