Playing the Player(76)

“We’ll be there in a minute,” I say. “The entity isn’t ready yet.”

He waits for a few seconds, then turns and walks away, muttering under his breath.

“Good thing he likes me,” she teases.

“Yeah, I guess. Except if he liked you less, maybe we’d get more alone time.”

She chews on her lips, those cherry lips I’ve been obsessed with for months now. “We can leave after dinner, right?”

“Definitely.”



We do escape after dinner. We go to our favorite spot, walking along the canal trail in the dark, holding hands and talking.

“Just one more week of summer,” she says. “Then we’re done with the nanny gig.”

“Thank God.” I say. “Never again.”

She laughs. “I think Desi has the right idea. Selling pretzels is so low stress.”

“Compared to what we’ve been through? Hell yeah.”

“Did the moms ask you about winter break yet?”

I sigh. “Yeah.”

“What did you tell them?”

“I told them it was up to my partner. I go where she goes.”

She punches me lightly on the arm. “Chicken.”

“No way am I wrangling those two on my own.”

“You could always call Alex.”

I snort. “Yeah. Just the guy I want to go into battle with.” Even though he’s the best wingman ever, I’ll never admit it.

I stop and pull her into my arms. We kiss for a long time, until we need to break for air.

Then we walk again, kicking at the loose gravel on the trail.

“When are you trading in your Jetta? Are you still getting a new Jeep, or did you decide on a Ferrari?” She laughs as she squeezes my hand.

“I’m keeping the Jetta.”

She glances up at me, surprised. “Why?”

I hope I can keep my face from betraying my secret, since it’s one I’d like to keep, even though we promised no more. I shrug. “Just found other ways to spend my money.”

She swings our hands back and forth between us, then stops suddenly. “Is there, by any chance, a connection between you not buying a new car and the new basketball hoop at the shelter? And the new swing set?”

I don’t miss a beat. “No idea what you’re talking about, BB.”

She’s quiet for a few more steps, but I’m not surprised when she stops again, pivoting on the gravel to pin with me a suspicious glare. “That’s too bad. Because I’d like to thank whoever it was. In person.” She pulls me close, tugging on my belt loops, her glare morphing into a smile.

I grin down at her, drowning in those eyes that hook me every time. “Do you know what I thought of you when this whole gig started?”

“That I was a control freak who didn’t know how to have fun? Who was totally immune to your charms?”

“You’re not immune. Not even close.”

She leans into me. “Neither are you.”

I laugh into her hair. “Who knew I had a thing for pixies and cherry lips?”

She leans back and looks up at me, her eyes dancing in the moonlight. “And what about what I thought of you?”

I pretend to consider her question. “Let’s see. Slacker. Dumber than dirt.”

“Don’t forget player.”

I frown. “You might want to stop.”

“Two out of three are actual possibilities.” She giggles. “And let’s not forget your horrible fashion sense.”

I raise my eyebrows. “I didn’t think you noticed.”

She shrugs. “Alex pointed it out. More than once. He wants me to take you shopping. He says you two aren’t ‘mall compatible,’ whatever that means.”

I lean my forehead against hers, laughing softly. “Not gonna happen. What you see is what you get.”

“Okay, but I do have one wardrobe enhancement for you.” Her fingers tangle in my hair and I lean in close to kiss her. “Stop it.” She laughs against my lips, and I feel something brush against my neck.

“What’s this?” Her hands work in my hair. She tugs out my shoelace, wrinkling her nose in disgust. I reach up to feel a leather cord where the shoelace used to be. Something small and metallic dangles from the cord.

“What is that?” Whatever it is, I don’t plan to take it out. Ever.

“It’s a charm. An S.”

I grin down at her. “For Slade? Or for sexy?”

She bats her eyelashes, smirking. “Or maybe it’s for slacker.”

I pull her in so close I can feel her heart beating. “I think we both know who the real slacker is around here.”

She throws back her head and laughs. Her laughter drives me even crazier than her lips, so I kiss her, over and over again.

Alex bet me fifty bucks that Trina and I will still be together at Christmas.

I doubled down, betting him a hundred bucks we’ll make it to Valentine’s Day.

And I play to win.

The End



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