False Start - Jessica Ruddick Page 0,54

have the size to make it on varsity.” He sounded wistful.

“Football is definitely a sport where size matters.” Carson definitely had that advantage, but even if he didn’t, he had natural ability. He also had a dogged determination once he set his mind to something. Like me not dating.

“That’s what everyone told me, but I was too stubborn to listen. I should have played soccer.” Blake slid his eyes over to me. “How are you feeling?”

Instinctively, my fingers went to the wound on my forehead. I’d done my best to cover the bruising, but there had been no hiding the butterfly bandage I was still sporting. “I’ll admit I’ve been better.”

Blake chuckled. “I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt. Though your forehead looks painful. That was another reason football and I didn’t mix—I don’t deal well with pain. I’m a wimp.”

That reminded me of another reason Carson was a solid player—pain didn’t bother him.

Blake took me to Beans and Buns, a locally owned coffee shop that was famous for their sticky buns. It was downtown on Main Street right in the middle of all the bars. It was fairly busy for a weeknight, but we were able to snag a prime table right up front. I held the table while Blake put in our order.

The sight of students around me poring over textbooks and laptops caused a sinking feeling in my stomach. I’d missed two days of classes, and I would probably miss another one as well. The last time I’d missed class was when a stomach bug had swept through my dorm freshman year.

It only took a few minutes for Blake to get two coffees and a plate of sticky buns. I eyed the mountain of sugary goodness. “Did you invite some other people and not tell me?”

Taking the seat across from me, he handed me a fork. “I forgot to ask which kind you wanted. So I got regular, chocolate, nutty, cinnamon, and caramel.”

“All of the above.”

He grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that. We can share them all if you’re cool with that. I can never decide which one to get, so this is a dream come true.”

Smiling, I waved my fork at him before digging into the cinnamon one. “I knew I liked you.”

***

Carson

I WAITED TO close the door until Blake had driven off. Then I slammed it so hard, it shook the front wall of the house. Even though I was pissed, I realized that was an asshole move since I shared walls with my neighbors. My bad.

When I’d pledged to be better about Becca dating, I hadn’t realized how damn hard it would be. I hadn’t expected it to be easy, but seeing her walk off with another guy gutted me from the inside. To top it all off, the guy was starstruck by me. I hadn’t seen that one coming. Hopefully I wouldn’t have to kick his ass. Maiming a fan probably wouldn’t make me attractive to the pros when it was time for the draft. Christ.

I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, landing on ESPN by default, but I couldn’t sit still. I paced as various images of Becca and Blake ran through my mind—his hand on her lower back as they walked, her smiling and laughing at something he’d said, their faces close together, and—

Fuck. Don’t go there, Fleck. I eased my grip on the remote control before I crushed it.

Exhaling, I tried to talk some sense into myself. They’d only been gone a few minutes, so it was doubtful they’d even gotten to the coffee shop yet, if that was indeed where they were going. For all I knew, they weren’t actually going for coffee. They could be—

You already decided not to go there. Besides, Becca wouldn’t lie to me.

God, this sucked. It was like I was being punished. The fact that her date had picked her up at my own goddamn house was salt in the fucking wound. She shouldn’t be on a date right now, anyway, not while she was still recovering from her concussion. She had a good head on her shoulders, but her thinking was impaired. Surely that was the only reason she would go out with a preppy frat boy. He wasn’t her type, but hell if I knew what was. I’d been good at what I considered my job—keeping her safe from asshole guys, which meant all guys, in my opinion. I knew the thoughts running through college guys’ heads better than