The Bet (The Bet #1)(18)

“That’s great news, Kace,” he said, his eyes never leaving his phone.

“And,” she added. “When Travis played house with us when we were twelve, he pretended we were having sex.”

That got his attention. Jake’s head shot up. “Dude, that’s gross, why would you do that? What’s wrong with you?”

“I did nothing of the sort… Eunuch’s honor.” Travis snorted, and then the man crossed his heart and winked at Kacey. If Jake was devastating, then Travis was mind-numbing. From here on out, both men shouldn’t be allowed to smile, ever. It wasn’t fair to the female population, or the oxygen levels in that cursed tree house.

“So, babe…” Jake played with a piece of her hair, fumbling it between his fingers. “There’s this thing tomorrow, you probably don’t wanna go, but…”

Travis shook his head in Kacey’s direction, warning her of something.

“What is it?” Kacey asked.

“It’s kind of our four year high school reunion tomorrow night. Remember how the senior class decided to do get-togethers every year instead of every five years? Last year’s was a blast.”

If it’s possible for a person’s heart to stop from fear and dread, she was a goner. All of a sudden she felt like she couldn’t breathe, like the air was being sucked out of that tiny tree house at rapidly increasing speeds. She always ignored those stupid Facebook class updates, wanting absolutely nothing to do with those crazy people.

“So you’ll go?” Jake dropped her hair and gave her that look. The one that many a woman lost their virginity to, no doubt.

“I, uh…”

“Please, Kace.” He moved closer and lifted her hands into his. “It will be just like old times. I promise.”

Old times? Old times? Obviously he was clueless about how awful it was to go to the same high school with him. As his best friend, at times it was awesome, but most of the time it was like wearing a t-shirt that said, “Not his girlfriend, so please all girls hate me, despise me, I welcome it.”

Most of the girls were so jealous of their status that they started nasty rumors about her, she nearly had to transfer schools. It got worse when they finally did date. Death threat worse.

Travis, Satan himself, had been tame compared to those rumors and threats.

“Please?” Jake asked again. “It’s only a brunch on the water. Please?”

What the heck. People grow up, right? They aren’t that immature to still hold grudges or cause rumors at the ripe old age of twenty-two, right? That would be ridiculous!

“Fine.” Kacey rolled her eyes when Jake pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her cheek.

“Good, and don’t worry, babe. Mum’s the word. They won’t know a thing about our little deal.”

The way he said it made her feel dirty and in great need of a shower.

“Kids!” Bets called from the ladder. “Time for dinner! Wash up!”

They groaned in unison, and suddenly she had a strange sense of Déjà vu as if she was back in high school having dinner at Jake’s house. Travis had always hung out with them but had been silent most of the time, thinking of new ways to torture her. But tonight, things had shifted. Jake was the ridiculous one she prayed would fall out of the tree house, and Travis, well… She looked up into his eyes again. They were warm, kind, with a hint of something else, but Kacey wasn’t stupid enough to think it was desire. She hadn’t had that much tequila. She shook it off and took Travis’s hand as he helped her down.

Jake had already run into the house, leaving them behind. Someday he would make one woman a very, very happy trophy wife; that is, if she didn’t mind being ignored and compared to what he thought of his own beauty on a daily basis.

“Kace, you don’t have to go.” Travis wrapped his arm around her shoulder and walked beside her slowly. “Plus, it’s not that important. I mean, I still haven’t made it to any of my reunions for anything.”

She laughed. “What? You afraid to face those cheerleaders again?”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Yes, twenty-three years old and cheerleaders still frighten me. All that pep, all that joy, it’s not normal.”

Kacey looked back at the house, memories of them playing in the yard before dinner bombarding her every sense. “It’s fine, Travis. I mean, what’s the worst that can happen? If anything, it’s going to be a handful of people, and none of them will even remember me.”

Travis squinted at her for a long while before turning his focus back toward the house. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Kacey hooked her arm within his “Now let’s go face the parents again.”

“Yes, and be sure to eat something before you kiss Mom on the cheek. Don’t want her thinking you’re pregnant and drinking.”

“Ugh!”

Travis laughed and reached for the sliding glass door.

“Hurry up!” Bets clapped her hands. “I keep telling Grandma to hurry, but she’s across the street still! Imagine that.”

“Across the street?” Kacey whispered so only Travis could hear her.

“Yeah, Grandma’s got a… fling.” He made air quotes with his fingers and rolled his eyes.

Kacey could not imagine why Grandma and fling should be used in the same sentence. Who flings at eighty-five? “Who is she… having this fling with?”