He stiffened and pointed to me. “That was him. I had nothing to do with her.”
“I know.” Her fork rotated to me. “We have a lock on our door, but I’d never used it till that day.”
“That was the redhead, right?” I grinned, remembering her. “She was a spitfire. I liked her.”
Nate grunted, tucking a napkin under his plate. “Not enough to date her.”
I shrugged. That was normal.
“I was just wondering if it had anything to do with Coach Bruce’s daughter.” Nate’s eyes were narrowed, but he showed no other reaction as he spoke.
I leveled him with a look. He held firm.
Nate was Mason’s best friend. He’d been our neighbor growing up until his family deemed Mason a bad influence and moved away, taking their son with him. He came back at the end of his senior year of high school because he’d finished all his classes and turned eighteen. His parents had no say anymore.
He’d been with us since then, but dynamics changed. I was Mason’s best friend. Nate was the second-best friend. Well, that wasn’t counting Sam who was more than Mason’s best friend, so I still claimed the spot. Nate didn’t handle the shift in friendships well. He was a weasel for a little bit, doing some shady shit and had a full-blown rebellion when he and Mason came to Cain University for their freshman year.
He was the reason Park Sebastian had even come into our lives.
A brooding feeling came over me. My thoughts were too intense. I could play an asshole. I could be the asshole, but no matter what brought it on, I didn’t enjoy feeling like the asshole.
I studied Nate for a moment. “What’s your problem?”
“You like her.”
The table grew silent again. That wasn’t a question from him. It was a statement. And for some reason, it didn’t sit right with me. I scowled. “Back off of this, Monson.”
Sam looked up at me. It meant something when we used last names. But she didn’t say anything. Neither did Mason.
Nate’s hands lifted in the air. “I’m not trying to be a dick here.”
“But you are. You’re inferring shit that’s not there. I didn’t want to screw a sidechick. So what?”
“You’re getting upset over one question.”
“I’m not.” I leaned over the table. “Coach Bruce’s daughter is a friend. That’s it.”
“I’m not saying anything otherwise.”
“Yes, you were.” I gestured around the table. “No one here is an idiot. I’m not going to sit here and let you lay the groundwork to what? Tease me? Cause trouble? If I like a girl, I’ll date her. If I want to screw a girl, I’ll bang the hell out of her. If I want to piss on someone, I’ll do that too, but what I’m not going to do is let you steer things around so I’m on the defense and you’re on the offense. Never going to fucking happen with me.”
“Logan.” Nate moved to the edge of his seat. His eyes were wide and clear, not narrowed or cagey. He placed his palms flat on the table. “I know how that shit happens, and that’s not what I was doing. I swear. The girl was hot last night, and you seemed into her until the ride home. Then you were all about Bruce’s daughter. I was just trying to bring it up in a nice way to see if there was something more there. I’m not trying to fuck with you.”
My pulse pounded in my veins. I felt it through my jawline as I stared him down. Fuuuuck. He wasn’t holding anything back. I thought he was coming for me, but he wasn’t. “Sorry. I misread you.” I felt like a dipshit.
“I wasn’t trying to stir anything up,” Nate murmured. “But a week ago, you would’ve taken that girl up on what she was offering last night. Plus, you wanted to hang out with Bruce’s daughter. That’s not normal. You don’t hang out with chicks unless you’re banging ’em.”
Nate cast Mason a look. He’d been quiet, observing the entire exchange.
“Nothing’s there,” I told them. “Yes, I want to bang her. She’s hot. But I don’t know.” I glanced at Sam. “She reminds me of you somehow. Maybe that’s it.”
She cocked her head to the side, growing thoughtful. “Because both our dads are football coaches?”
“No. I mean, yeah, but there’s something else—”
“There’s trauma there.” Mason stood and took his plate to the sink. He turned and rested his hands against the counter