Waiting on the Sidelines (Waiting on the Sidelines #1)(40)

“Ooooooh, I see,” he chided. “So you’re in the car with Reeeeeeeed,” he kept going. I pressed the phone tightly to my ear, hoping like hell Reed couldn’t hear any of Mike’s end of the conversation. I was turning redder by the minute. I just needed this phone call to end.

“We’re almost here, so I gotta go. Don’t tell Dad anything, he’ll just worry. I’ll explain when I get home, ok?” I said.

“Yeah, yeah. Call if you need me, though, OK? I promise I’ll pick up this time,” he said just before hanging up.

I put my phone back in my purse and snuck a sideways glance at Reed to see if he heard any of that. He was smirking a little, so my gut told me he did. I sank down a little in the seat and hugged my purse.



The pool manager’s name is Todd. He’s looks like a PE teacher, with his short hair and shiny sunglasses. He’s nice enough. He directed Reed and me to a back office right off the main entrance where we sat on an old sofa and he propped one leg up, half sitting on his desk with a clip board. Chewing his gum, he pulled his sunglasses off and tucked them in the front of his shirt. “So, cashier, huh?” he looked at me.

“Yes. Though, I’d like to test for your next lifeguarding session, if that’d be possible. I would really like to work my way up to that,” I said wringing my hands. I was a little nervous.

“Well, you’re in luck. We’re actually testing tomorrow, if you’d like to join us. I just need you to fill out this paperwork. I see you have the right CPR and First Aid certifications, so if you pass the tests, you can start this week. We’re short on staff and I need to get staffed up pretty quickly. We’re opening a new section this season and we’re going to be pretty busy.

“You testing, too?” he added, looking over at Reed. Snapping his eyes up to meet the manager’s, Reed then turned to me, looking for approval. I just shrugged and smiled, but inside I was begging him to test with me. The thought of spending an entire summer working alongside a shirtless Reed Johnson was too much to handle.

“Yeah, I’d love to,” he said, taking the packet of paperwork.

“OK then. When you’re done filling this out, leave it with Penny up front and then we’ll see you tomorrow at 6 a.m.” he said, shaking our hands as he left.

When the door shut, Reed stared at me with wide eyes and mouthed ‘Six A.M.’ I just laughed and started filling out my paperwork.

When we were done, we dropped our packets off with Penny at the front desk. Penny was an older woman. She spent most of her day answering the phone, it seemed. She took four phone calls all in the span of our stop at her desk.

“See you two tomorrow,” she said with a wink as we turned and headed for the parking lot.

We hopped in the Jeep and pulled back out to the main road. I settled my bag and purse down between my feet and adjusted my seatbelt, which was all twisted. Then, the thought struck me. How was I supposed to get to the testing tomorrow? I didn’t have a car. I’m sure Reed wouldn’t mind taking me, but I really hated imposing. I chewed on the inside of my cheek for a bit then turned to face him.

“So, since we’re going to the same place… do you think maybe I could hitch a ride again in the morning?” I said, hating to ask for favors.

“Uh, yeah. I just sort of thought I’d pick you up. You know, to get here in time we’ll need to leave at 5, right?” he said.

“Yeah, I’m good with that,” I groaned a little. We both laughed and then Reed pulled off the road into a nearby shopping center. A Starbucks. How desperately I needed that.

“I’m buying, whatcha want?” he said, hopping out and flipping his glasses up on his head.

“Vanilla frap?” I said. He smiled back with a thumbs up and headed inside.

I pulled the visor down to open the backside mirror and check my face. My hair was a little tangled from the Jeep ride so I tried to brush out some of the knots with my fingers. My nose and cheeks had a pink sunburn on them, nothing bad, but I definitely needed to lotion up good tomorrow. Especially if I was going to be in a pool most of the morning. Reed came out while I was finishing up my untangling. He stuck his arm through the open door across his seat and handed me my frosty cool drink.

“Mmmmmm, thanks,” I said. “I love these. Like a dessert with a little kick.”

After he climbed in and planted his coffee in the middle cup holder, he reached back behind me, the tips of his hair brushing my shoulder as he leaned into the back seat. My breath stopped at the slight touch and I snuck a look at him, so close. He popped back up with a hat in his hand and then handed it to me. I looked at him, puzzled.

“For your head?” he smirked.

“Jack ass, I know that. Why are you giving it to me?” I said, smacking his arm with the back of my hand. I was getting more and more comfortable with our slight, friendly physical contact.

“Your hair was tangled. I saw you working on it. Thought maybe you’d like this for the rest of the ride?” he said as I took the hat from his hand.

“Oh, thanks,” I smiled. I pulled open the back snaps of a dark gray and maroon ASU hat. I smiled a little as I pulled my hair through the back and snapped it into a ponytail. The front was snug over my head and kept my stray hairs in place.

“What’s this, UofA boy with an ASU hat,” I teased.