The Bad Boy Bargain (Suttonville Sentinels #1)(45)

“Well, I, for one, don’t believe it.” Vi announced. She hopped up onto her coffee table and put her hands on Faith’s shoulders. “Look into my eyes, gazelle. That boy is into you. Like a lot. More than Cameron ever was.”

Faith tore her gaze away from Violet’s. “Even if that was true, he doesn’t want me in his life anymore.”

Violet let out a theatrical sigh, stepped off the coffee table and flopped onto the couch with a hand flung against her forehead. “Woe is me. I got to make out with an incredibly hot boy, embarrass the hell out of my ex, and now I’m going to let that hot boy scamper out of my life without demanding an explanation.” She sat up and pointed at Faith. “Grow a pair, dahling.”

Faith threw up her hands. “It’s not my decision, and he made it pretty clear he doesn’t want me around.”

“Make it your decision.”

Faith sat on the couch next to Violet, who curled up next to her and rested her head on Faith’s shoulder. “I have a feeling it’s more complicated than that.”

“Don’t be defeatist. It’s ill bred.”

Faith groaned. “I’m regretting talking you into bingeing Downton Abbey with me.”

“It’s because I love you.” Vi sat up. “Do you want me to find out what’s going on? I probably could.”

There was no doubt. She had connections in every corner of the school. “I’ll think about it over the weekend. I might decide to let it go, but I’ll give it serious thought. Promise.”

Violet patted her on the head. “Good ballerina. That’s a good girl.”

Faith laughed. “You keep doing that, and I’m going to wag my tail and demand a treat.”

She hopped off the couch. “Treats! I have some. Mom bought six half gallons of ice cream now that Blue Bell is back on sale. She went to three different stores to find them. I say we eat it all up.”

Faith followed her into the kitchen. “Now you’re talking.”



“Faith?” Mom called when she opened the front door.

It sounded like she was on the porch. Faith’s heart panged. Beautiful as the yard was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to see it—or Kyle—right now. She’d eaten two bowls of ice cream and wanted nothing more than to take a bath and lie in bed reading for three hours.

“Faith? I want to talk to you.”

Persistent mothers were akin to attention-seeking three-year-olds: they wouldn’t stop chasing you down until they got their way. “Coming.”

The porch was bathed in light from the setting sun, and the azaleas glowed. No sign of Kyle, though. She’d guessed that, since his truck wasn’t here, but there was always a chance. Mom motioned for her to come sit on the sofa with her.

“So I take it things didn’t work out with Kyle?” she asked.

Dad must’ve talked to her. “No. He decided he wasn’t interested.”

Mom stroked her hair. “Hmm. Why would that be?”

Faith fought the urge to bury her face in Mom’s lap and cry until her tears were dried up. There were advantages to being a four-year-old, back when things were uncomplicated and a skinned knee was the worst thing that could happen. “He said he’d break my heart if we stayed together. I should’ve seen that coming, actually. Breaking hearts is his specialty.”

Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “Kyle? Our Kyle?”

Our Kyle, like she’d already adopted him and made a place for him at their dinner table. “Yes.”

“But why would you think that?”

“Mom, I didn’t want to tell you this because I thought you’d worry, and I can take care of myself. Kyle’s a total player. He’s kind of a bad boy, actually. Races his Charger, gets into trouble a lot, has a string of college-aged girls on the go.”

Mom’s expressed went from confused to flabbergasted. “Honey, there’s no way that kid is all those things. He’s so professional.” She chuckled. “When he’s not being socially awkward, that is. That is not a boy who dumps girls after one date or runs with a bad crowd. Didn’t you say he plays baseball?”

“Yeah, and he’s really good.” Faith picked at her fingernails. “He’s an outfielder. Apparently he takes crazy dives all the time. So even on the field, he’s wild.”

“‘Wild’ isn’t the word I’d use,” Mom said, taking her hand so she had to stop tearing up her nails. “‘Fierce,’ maybe? ‘Passionate’? One look at our backyard will tell you that—what Kyle loves, he does with everything he has. Which is why I’m so surprised he broke it off with you.”

“Mom, we hung out together for five days. Love has nothing to do with it.”

“Maybe not now, but he seems like the type of guy who knows what he likes, and latches onto it, all in.” She kissed the side of Faith’s forehead. “I’m as in the dark as you are. And I’m sorry it turned out this way. I liked him. Your dad did, too. That’s saying something.”

Faith couldn’t remember dating anyone her father approved of, which made all this even worse. She wouldn’t have worried about Kyle’s reputation one bit if he’d kept treating her like she mattered. Like she was special. That’s what made this so frustrating—even after five days, she could see a future with him. Maybe not forever, but definitely past graduation. She’d been so infatuated with this guy, to the point that she thought he could’ve been the one—the guy she could finally say she cared about enough to take that next step. That if he had asked, she would’ve slept with him.